See also: Naples (homonymy)

Naples (in Italian Napoli , into Neapolitan Napule ) is the capital of the homonymous province and the area of Campanie. Located on the Gulf of Naples halfway of the Vesuvius and the volcanic zone of the Fields Phlégréens, the city counts approximately: 975000 inhabitants, for an agglomeration which gathers some more than four million and which does of them one of largest quoted Mediterranean, far in front of Marseilles.

The large Naples is the second more important conurbation Italian, after that of Milan. Coupled to a rich person history, this size gives to Naples the semi-official title of “capital of the South. ”

One knows also Naples by the expression: See Naples and then to die .

History

Antiquity

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Charles II of Sicily having lost the island of Sicily makes of Naples the capital of the Royaume of Sicily, which is sometimes called “Royaume of Naples”. To note that Naples is not in the island of Sicily, as one could be caused to believe it.

Catalan period

Alphonse V of Aragon took possession of Naples in 1443. The conquest was very important from an economic standpoint and military. With the Catalans, Naples have a very great cultural development and commercial. Naples passed in heritage to Charles V and continued under the catalano-Spanish domination until 1715, except for the short episode of the Neapolitan République (1647).

Capital Naples

1759 mark the final division of the kingdom of Naples of with the Spanish crown. The town of Naples becomes capital kingdom baptized thereafter Royaume of Deux-Siciles.

Geography

Located at the seaside, Naples for a long time was a crossroads méditerannéen impossible to circumvent. The city is sitée with 250 kilometers in the south of Rome and is the many starting point ferry for the surrounding islands but also for the Sardinia and the Sicily.

The bay of Naples is universally known and is one of the most singular landscapes of the Italy. Bordered of several ìles and the volcano Vesuvius, the bay offers an exceptional panorama. The Côte Amalfitaine with the southern slope of bay is one of pitoresques of Italy and of many Italian romantic film were turned there.

The back country is composed of a multitude of cities and suburbs more or less organized around the road and railway main roads, which are parmis densest of the country. On the plain of Caserta concentrates principal industries and economic activities of the area. Many quoted there was born or concentrates a certain social misery, worsened by an unemployment rate bordering the 25% of the active population. This explains the gangster activities partly. Very present in the popular quarters, the Maffia ( Camorra ), there excerce today still, a very developed activity.

In the west of the city beautiful the district of Pozzuoli bordering develops the sea with the famous quay Francesco Caracciolo and the Castel Dell' Ovo offering a panoramic sight on all bay.

In the west of the city developed the new district of the businesses (Central direzionale) of Naples located between the central station and the northern peripheral. This district belongs to a vast project of rehabilitation of the old warehouses of the city.

Population

The Neapolitan population suffers from the economic delay of the the Mezzogiorno, nothing to arrange, the Maffia local carries on an activity denser than everywhere else in Italy.

These difficulties were proven by an unemployment rate of more than 25% and the poverty which would reign on nearly 30% of the Neapolitan population.

Organizes and delinquency

Naples holds already the Italian record of the number of police officers: for 238 inhabitants. In spite of that, the territory always belongs to the clans of Camorra and to the minor offenders. November 30th, 2004, several thousands of demonstrators were found in the streets of Naples, to protest against the Maffia local. In 2004, the settlings of score between rival gangster bands, made 119 died, especially in the disadvantaged districts of Scampia, Forcella and Secondigliano. This gangster war did not reach yet the width of that which had made 273 died in the only year 1981.

Administration

Hamlets

Communes bordering

Arzano, Casandrino, Casavatore, Casoria, Cercola, Marano di Napoli, Melito di Napoli, Mugnano di Napoli, Portici, Pouzzoles, Fourthly, San Giorgio has Cremano, San Sebastiano Al Vesuvio, Volla

Public transport

Naples is one of the road junctions and railway important of the country. The highways A1 Milan - Rome - Naples, A3 Naples - Reggio di Calabria and A16 Naples - Foggia connect the city to the remainder of the country and the Europe. The city is girdled by several by-passs, but which do not allow not relieved congestion traffic of the center. Circulation downtown apart from the large arteries difficult and is badly organized.

The railway network is spread pricipalement in the north and the east of the city. A line of the Italian TGV (TAV Treno Altà Velocità) at summer inaugurated in 2007 connecting Naples to Rome then Florence - Milan, putting the latter at 3:30 of voyage only.

The city currently has 3 underground lines (M1, m2, m3). M4 is under development.

The airport (Aeroporto internazionale di Napoli) is located at 9 km of the center. It generates a traffic of 5 million passenger per annum and is in the course of transformation to increase the capacity there.

The port of Naples is the point departure of many ferries bound for the surrounding islands and for the principal islands of the country, as well as the bâteaux one of cruisings. The goods traffic is relatively weak compared to other port of the country, but remains active and strategic for the south of the country.

Twinnings

Personalities born in Naples

Personalities related to Naples

List personalities related to the town of Naples, although there not having been born, either that they lived there a long time, or that they died there:

Vedi Napoli E poi muori

“See Naples and (then) to die”. This known expression, the Neapolitan ones use it to underline the beauty of their city… which it is at least once necessary to have seen in its life.

It can as refer to the desired achievement of a desire so important as beyond the existence does not have any more a direction.

It is based on a word game:

See too

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