Naples

Naples ( NAY-pəlz; Italian: Naples [ˈnaːpoli] ; Neapolitan: Napule [ˈnɑːpələ]) is the regional capital of Campania and the third biggest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of over 900,000 within the city’s administrative limits as of the year 2022. Its province-level municipality is the third most populous metropolitan city in Italy with a population of 3,115,320, and its metropolitan area stretches beyond boundaries of the city wall for approximately around 30 kilometers (20 miles). Napoli plays also a key international role in diplomacy, since it is home to NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Napoli and of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean.

Founded by Greeks in the early first millennium BC, Naples is one of the most ancient continuously inhabited urban areas in the globe. In the eighth century BC, a colony known as Parthenope (Ancient Greek: Παρθενόπη) was established on the Pizzofalcone hill. In the sixth century BC, it was refounded as Neápolis. The city was an important part of Magna Graecia, played a major role in the merging of Greek and Roman society, and was a significant cultural centre under the Roman Empire.

Naples served as the capital of the Duchy of Naples (661–1139), subsequently as the capital of the Kingdom of Naples (1282–1816), and finally as the capital city of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies — until the unification of Italy in 1861. Naples is also considered a capital of the Baroque period, beginning with the artist Caravaggio career in the 17th century and the artistic revolution he inspired. It was also an important centre of humanism and Enlightenment. The city has long been a global point of reference for classical music and opera through the Neapolitan School. Between 1925 and 1936, Naples was expanded and upgraded by the Fascist government. During the later years of the Second World War, it sustained severe damage from the Allies bombing as they invaded the Italian peninsula. The city underwent extensive reconstruction work after the conflict.

Since the late 1900s, Naples has had significant economic growth, helped by the construction of the Centro Direzionale business district and an advanced transportation network, which includes the Alta Velocità rail link to Rome and Salerno and an expanded subway network. Naples is the third-largest urban economy in Italy by gross domestic product, after Milan and Rome. The Port of Naples is one of the most important in Europe.

Napoli’s historic city centre has been designated as a UNESCO site. A wide range of culturally and historically significant sites are nearby, including the Palace of Caserta and the Roman ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Naples is undoubtedly one of the world’s cities with the greatest density of cultural, artistic, and monumental resources, described by the British Broadcasting Corporation as “the Italian city with too much history to handle.”