Naples is one of the most ancient cities in the world, having been founded three thousand years ago by Greeks and Phonecians. The sometimes chaotic, always charming city is covered with attractions from throughout history.
Soon after founding Cumae in
1000 BC, colonists from Rhodes established a settlement
on the western side of Mt Vesuvius. Many centuries later, Phoenician traders
from present-day Lebanon
and Greeks from Athens were
attracted by the beauty of the coast and so expanded the settlement,
christening it Neapolis or New City.
It thrived as a center of Greek culture and later, under Roman rule, became a
favorite of Roman nobles such as Pompey, Caesar and Tiberius. After successive
waves of invasion by the Goths and a period of Byzantine rule, Naples
became an independent duchy for about 400 years until it was captured by the Normans
in 1139. The Normans in turn were
replaced by the German Hohenstaufens, who ruled until 1266. Then Charles I of Anjou
took control of the Kingdom of Sicily
and turned Naples into its de facto
capital. The Angevins were succeeded by the Spanish house of Aragón, under whom
the city came to prosper.
In 1503 Naples and the Kingdom
of Sicily were absorbed by Spain,
which sent viceroys to reign as virtual dictators. Despite their harsh rule, Naples
flourished artistically and acquired much of its splendor during this period.
It continued to flower when the Spanish Bourbons re-established Naples
as capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1734. Aside from a Napoleonic
interlude from 1806 to 1815, the Bourbons remained until 1860, when they were
unseated by Garibaldi and the Kingdom
of Italy.
The city was heavily damaged during more than 100 bombing raids in WWII.
Marks can still be seen on many monuments. The Allies subsequently presided
over a disastrous period of transition from war to peace - many observers have
since attributed the initial boom in the city's organized crime, at least in
part, to members of the occupying forces. A severe earthquake in 1980 and the
dormant, but not extinct, Vesuvius looming to the east remind Neapolitans of
their city's vulnerability. A succession of center-left governments has in
recent years driven efforts to clean up the city. Churches, museums and monuments
that had been off-limits to visitors for decades have been reopened and tourist
areas made safer.
Church of Santa Chiara
This church was built on orders from Robert the Wise, king
of Naples, in the early 14th century. Subsequently it became the
church for the House of Anjou. Although bombing raids during World War II
heavily damaged the church, it has been restored to its Gothic style favored by
the Provencal architects. The light-filled interior is lined with chapels, each
of which contains a piece of sculpture or fresco left over from the medieval
church. However the best three pieces line the wall behind the High Altar. In
the center is the towering multilevel tomb of Robert the Wise d'Angio, sculpted
by Giovanni and Pacio Bertini in 1343. To its right is Tino di Camaino's tomb
of Charles, duke of Calabria. On the left is the 1399 monument to Mary of Durazza. In
the choir behind the altar are more salvaged medieval remnants of frescoes and
statuary, including pieces of a Giotto Crucifixion.
Cathedral Duomo
This
Cathedral was constructed over an older church in the 13th century. The
cathedral has undergone three major modifications, in the 14th, 17th and 19th
Centuries. The neoclassical facade was added during the latter
renovation. The main attraction of this church is the San Genaro Chapel, where
two bottles with the blood of the saint are kept. San Genaro’s blood is said to
liquefy twice a year or else when a disaster is in the near future.
Church of San Lorenzo Maggiore
San
Lorenzo Maggiore is the greatest of Naples's
layered churches. It was built in 1265 for Charles I over a 6th-century
basilica, which in turn lay over many ancient remains. The interior is pure
Gothic, with tall pointed arches and an apse off of which radiate nine chapels,
gorgeously baroque with inlaid marbles. The highlight of the interior is Tino
da Camaino's canopy tomb of Catherine
of Austria. San Lorenzo preserves the best and
most extensive remains of an ancient Greek
and Roman city currently open to the public. The church foundations are
actually the walls of Neapolis's basilican law courts. Excavated bits of the
Roman city's treasury and marketplace are in the cloisters. The rough remains
of a Roman-era shop-lined street, a Greek temple, and a medieval building are
in the crypt.
Church of San Gregorio Armeno
The church was
founded shortly after the iconoclast decrees of the eighth century caused a
number of religious orders to flee the Byzantine Empire and seek refuge elsewhere.
Those dedicated to Gregory, Bishop of Armenia founded their place of
worship in Naples on the site of an older
Roman temple of Ceres. In 1025 it was joined
with two other adjacent chapels into a single complex as a Benedectine monastic
order. The monastery still functions, retaining its high walls and maintaining
a spectacular inner courtyard with a central fountain with a sculpture
of Christ and the Samaritan by Matteo Bottigliero from
1733. The church is completely covered inside with frescoes and has
cloisters that were designed in 1580.
Church of Ges Nuovo
The
Church of Ges Nuovo
is covered with rich mosaics, inlaid marbles, paintings and sculptures. In a
side chapel, the busts of 70 saints perch serenely on top of their reliquaries
as if in miniature opera boxes. The opulent interior of this church, filled
with multi-color marble and with altars inlaid with semi-precious stones such
as agate, amethysts and lapis lazuli, is a sight to be seen.
Museo
Archeologico Nazionale
These archaeological treasures in this museum form one of the most
comprehensive collections of Graeco-Roman artifacts in the world. The museum
houses a rich collection of antiquities, including ones discovered at Pompeii
and Herculaneum. It also contains
the Borgia collection of Etruscan and Egyptian relics. On the mezzanine floor
are mosaics, mostly from Pompeii,
including the Battle of Alexander, the best-known depiction of the great
Macedonian King. It once paved the floor in the Casa del Fauno at Pompeii
and is just one of a series of remarkably detailed and lifelike pieces depicting
animals, scenes from daily life, musicians and even Plato with his students.
The Gabinetto Segreto or Secret Room recently opened to the public. It displays
a variety of erotic statues, including one of Pan up to no good with a nanny
goat and nine paintings depicting erotic positions, which served as a catalogue
for brothel clients.
The Royal Palace and Gardens
This wonderful
Renaissance style area dates back to the 17th century. It was the residence of
the Spanish Viceroys. The royal gardens are full of tree-lined avenues, shaded
by magnolias and Holm oak trees, with rare plants, statues and “secret
gardens”. The Palace has a museum where all the furniture, sculptures,
porcelain and paintings belonging to the Bourbon dynasty are kept. The Palace’s
Sacred Art Collection can be seen in the palace chapel.
Reggia di Capodimonte
This palace, built next to a hunting
forest, contains a museum. The core of the museum’s collection came from
Alessandro Farnese or as he later became known Pope Paul III. It was added to
throughout the ensuing centuries. The extensive holding boasts works by Bellini,
Botticelli, Caravaggio, Correggio, Masaccio and Titian. One of its most famous
paintings is Masaccio's Crocifissione. Other highlights are Bellini's Trasfigurazione
(Transfiguration), and nine canvases by Titian.
Castel Maschio Angiolino
This castle was
built towards the end of the 13th century on the instructions of the Anjou family, and became an
important cultural center where artists and writers such as Giotto, Petrarca
and Boccaccio stayed. The Aragon dynasty expanded the
building with two towers and a fantastic Arc de Triomphe. The Cappella Palatina
chapel is also worth visiting.
Castel dell'Ovo
Castel dell’Ovo or the Egg Castle rises upon
the islet of Megaride, in front of the small promontory of Monte Echia. The
name Castel dell'Ovo is derived from a medieval legend about the Latin poet
Vergilius, at those times believed a wizard. According to this legend
Vergilius, during his stay in Naples, hid a magic egg inside an amphora, which
was put into an iron cage, that was hanged on the truss of a crypt under the
castle: if that egg will ever have fallen and broken, this will have meant the
ruin of the castle and of the entire city of Naples. It was first built and
occupied by the, but later the Angevins, the Aragonese, the French, and
the Spanish. The inner and higher
parts of the castle are reachable through the Norman Ramp, which is still today
the main way of access. It is possible to visit only some areas of the castle,
and particularly the panoramic terrace with the Catalan Loggia.
Castel Sant'Elmo
Castel Sant'Elmo
was built in 1329 by order of Charles of Anjou on the hill of Sant'Erasmo, now S. Martino, to dominate the roads
that conducted in the city. Castel Sant'Elmo is a majestic, six-point
star-shaped building. It is surrounded by ramparts and forts and stands over
the city: there is a spectacular view from its terraces. The castle houses art
and history exhibitions, hosts the Molaioli Library of Art and a videotheque
which supplies information about all of the city's monuments. The complex also
contains the 16th century and the 17th
Century Chapel of Santa Maria del Pilar.
Catacomba di San
Gennaro
Dating from the
2nd century, these catacombs are quite different from Rome's dark, claustrophobic
mazes. Here, one will find a mix of tombs, corridors and broad vestibules held
up by columns and arches and decorated with early Christian frescoes and
mosaics, now much dilapidated. Tradition has it that San Gennaro was originally
buried here.
Visiting Naples
Naples’ airport is the main airport for Southern Italy. The city is also
accessible with the rest of Italy and by rail and road. Boats
and hydrofoils leave for Capri, Sorrento, Ischia, Procida and Forio from
Molo Beverello in front of the Castel Nuovo. Longer distance ferries leave from
the Stazione Marittima. Naples has an extensive bus and
tram mass transit system.