Naples

Napoli ( NAY-pəlz; Italian: Napoli [ˈnaːpoli] ; Neapolitan: Napule [ˈnɑːpələ]) is the provincial capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city’s municipal limits as of 2022. Its province-level municipality is the third most populous metropolitan city in Italy with a population of approximately 3.1 million residents, and its metropolitan area stretches outside the boundaries of the city wall for approximately about 30 kilometers (20 miles). Naples plays also a significant international role in international diplomacy, since it is home to NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Naples and of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean.

Founded by Hellenes in the first millennium BC, Naples is one of the oldest constantly inhabited urban areas in the world. In the eighth century BC, a colony known as Parthenopea (Ancient Greek: Παρθενόπη) was established on the Pizzofalcone hill. In the sixth century BC, it was refounded as Neápolis. The city was an integral part of Greater Greece, played a crucial role in the merging of Greek and Roman society, and was a major cultural centre under the Romans.

Naples served as the capital of the Duchy of Naples (661–1139), subsequently as the capital of the Kingdom of Naples (1282–1816), and ultimately as the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies — until the unification of Italy in 1861. Naples is also considered a center of the Baroque, initiating with the artist Caravaggio’s 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 international point of reference for classical music and opera through the Neapolitan School. Between the mid-1920s and the late 1930s, Naples was developed and upgraded by the Fascist regime. During the later years of World War II, it sustained extensive damage from Allied bombing as they invaded the peninsula. The city underwent major reconstruction work after the war.

Since the late 20th century, Naples has had significant financial growth, helped by the construction of the Centro Direzionale business district and an advanced transportation network, which includes the Alta Velocità link to Rome and Salerno and an expanded subway network. Naples is the third-largest urban economy in Italy by GDP, after Milan and Rome. The Port of Naples is one of the most important in Europe.

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