Naples is the largest city of Campania, capital of the province and of the region; it stretches around the bay of Naples at the centre of the Mediterranean, with an overall area of 117.270 Kmq and a population of about 1.004,500 people (which amounts to 4.400,00 if considering the metropolitan area including also areas of the province of Caserta, Avellino and Salerno).
Naples is the third most populated city of Italy, after Rome and Milan , the seventh among the most populated urban areas of Europe. It is remarkable that a fifth of the whole regional population lives in Naples, over a half of the whole province.City extremely rich in history and monuments, it is located halfway between the volcano Vesuvius and the volcanic area of the Phlegrean Fields with a distinctive amphitheatre shape. The mild Mediterranean climate and the geographical and morphologic richness of the bay has made the city famous throughout the centuries as a favourite holiday location.
Various cities can be highlighted studying its 2500 years of history: the primitive Greek core, the Greek and Roman city, the medieval city, the Swabian and Aragon city up to the modern city of the 19th and 20th century. It is a city full of stark contrasts, sometimes of paradoxes: medieval districts with the relics of the oldest past just a few steps away from the modern districts. Up to some years ago, even the anthropologic features were different according to the place of origin within the same city.
Naples is a very ancient city; its origin dates back to the 9th century B.C., when the city of Parthenope was founded on the site where Castel dell'Ovo now stands; in the 6th century this old core was abandoned and was given the name of Palepolis (old city) and the new city of Neapolis was founded next to it; its name means exactly that, new city.
Besieged by the Romans, it was in the end conquered and became Rome's ally. Even during the Roman domination, Naples kept its Gredek customs and traditions and the use of the Greek language, some of which still found in the modern idiom.. Later it was occupied by the Byzantines, then the Goths and then became capital of an autonomous dukedom. It fell under the Normans control, that made Naples a part of the kingdom of Sicily.
The Norman period lasted untill Emperor Frederic II of Swabia came to the throne. He started a particularly rich and flourshig cultural period When the Anjou dinasty took over, the city became the capital once more. However, Naples enjoyed one of its most wonderful periods of artistic and cultural splendor under the Aragon rule in the 15th century. After a short period of Austrian rule Naples finally became an autonomous kingdom thanks to Charles of Bourbon in 1734. Their reign ended when Garibaldi entered the city in 1860 and the city was annexed to the kingdom of Piedmont, which then became the kingdom of Italy in 1870.
The different dominations have left their mark on the urban texture of the city, like an history book collection that can be read page after page, admiring monument after monument and whose core has been declared by Unesco Human heritage.
A clear social-historical indicator of the city development throughout the centuries is the demographic trend: during the Greek period, the inhabitants were about 30.000; up to the end of the 13th century were 40.000 till to reach 60.000 during the Angioin time and 110.000 at the end of the Middle Ages. At the first real census in 1547, there were 212.106 souls.
Following the plague in 1656, the population decreased to 160.000 to grow to 270.000 during the reign of Charles of Bourbon and to 442,000 in 1798. At the official cencus of 1861, there were 447.065 inhabitants that became 760.220 after 60 years and about 900.000 at the end of II World War. Between 1700 and 1800, Naples was one of the most populated European cities.
The old part of the city took up the area between the actual via Foria, via Costantinopoli, San Sebastiano, Santa Chiara, Corso Umberto I, Via Pietro Colletta and Castel Capuano, still joined by the three Roman Decumani and Cardinis.
A remarkable expansion took place during the Norman reign of Roger II ( 10th century), followed by a further expansion during the Angioin domination when the city spread up to the actual Piazza Municipio. During the Aragon reign, the city extended furthemore to the eastern side.
With the Bourbons the city reached and went past the actual Piazza Carlo III: Naples enjoyed one of its most wonderful period of artistic and cultural slendor; churches and monumnets were built and the city became a renowned meeting poit for many foreign artists. Between the end of the Bourbon reign and the begining of the Savoy reign, Naples developed towards every directions, including the hills surrounding the plains and from up there downwards, towards the Phlegrean Fields and the Nolan area.
