Overview

Naples: The Bad Boy of Italy is irresistible

Naples, Italy’s third largest city and the capital of Campania has long held the reputation of being a raucous pit-stop for tourists flocking to the nearby Amalfi coast or Pompeii. The city’s rough and scraggly face owing mostly to the Camorra Mafia and ensuing corruption has kept many a globetrotter away for a long time…but all that is changing and even though the city refuses to let go of its bad boy image, Naples’s mix of anarchic and aristocratic is surprisingly drawing more visitors now than ever before. The secret lies in its changing face, its gregarious people and its vibrant atmosphere. Sure, Naples’s is explosive – it lies halfway between two volcanoes – but that’s what gives it its unique character that is so seductive!

Naples is an explosive city that bubbles with excitement, resonates with its opulent history and beckons with the promise of unadulterated fun. Bustling streets full of busy Neapolitans and milling crowds of tourists give Naples the chaotic energy that envelopes you while all you are doing is sipping Espresso at a street side café. The grandeur of the Bourbons’ Reggia di Caserta stuns you speechless and the long queues in front of the city’s famed Pizzerias make your impatience double up. The city’s sights and sounds permeate your being and you want to throw all caution to wind and become a true blue Neapolitan with a healthy disregard for rules.

Despite EU yelling hoarse at the garbage problem, the Vesuvius casting an impending shadow and all the trappings of a big city creeping out from nooks and crannies, you still want to be here because when it comes to having fun or pampering the senses there is no place like Naples.

…And Naples was born!

Famous for its art and culture, the homegrown romantic guitar, and its two volcanoes, Naples also has an equally interesting history with several myths and legends surrounding the story of its birth. The most accurate account is that it was settled in the 8th century BC by the Greek tribe – the Cumaeans from the nearby colony of Cumae who called it ‘Neapolis’ which means ‘New City’. Another popular legend attributes the founding of Naples to Parthenope, a siren from Greek Mythology. Yet another legend claims the founder of the city to be Phalerus, one of the Argonauts in Greek mythology.

The earliest inhabitants of the Neapolis had a rough time staving off the Etruscans who made several invasion attempts. Later the new city, as opposed to Parthenope, the old city, grew in power thanks to the influential Greek city-state – Siracusa. It is hard to say why or when Parthenope and Neapolis merged together to become Naples but according to archeological evidence this event took place some time in the 3rd century BC. The new unit was good at defending its fortunes and fought off several intruders like Hanibal - the Carthaginian warrior. The city retained its Greek flavor in structures like the Odeon, a theatre and a temple to Castor and Pollux till the Romans finally took over in the 4th century BC. Naples kept its Greek-ness intact under Roman rule and progressed mightily. The city flourished as a center of Hellenistic culture, was famed as a pleasure resort and was written about by such luminaries as Virgil.

The last years of the Roman rule saw Christianity spread its wings in the area with St. Paul and St. Peter preaching in the city and basilicas being constructed. In 305 AD the patron saint of the city St. Januarius was martyred here and in 5 AD the Basilica San Gennaro extra moenia and the Cathedral of Naples were built to commemorate the event.

The reign of the Western Roman Empire came to an end after Romulus Augustus; the last Emperor of the Western Roman Empire was deposed in 476 and imprisoned in Naples at what is now Castell del’Ovo or the “Egg Castle” located on the island of Megarides. The fall of the Roman Empire was followed by the fierce Gothic wars between the Ostrogoths and Byzantines in the 6th century where Naples sided with the Byzantine Empire but fell to the Ostrogoths. In the sixth century Naples was conquered by the Byzantines, and it was one of the last duchies to fall to the all-conquering Normans in 1039, as they founded the Kingdom of Sicily. In 1266 Naples and the kingdom of Sicily were given by Pope Clement IV to Charles of Anjou, who moved the capital from Palermo to Naples. In 1284 the kingdom was split in two, and stayed that way till 1816, when they would form the kingdom of Two Sicilies. In between, Naples had been under the rule of Spain, Austria, and the Bourbons, and had (briefly) been a Jacobin republic. Finally, in October 1860, it became part of the new Italy.

When to Pack up

Naples from the sea Go to Naples whenever you want to just make sure it isn’t the summer months. Unless you have the courage to deal with sweltering heat and bustling crowds, spring and autumn are the best seasons to enjoy Naples. April to June and September/October are the months when the city offers a warm, pleasant weather and the crowds are thinner. The cool Mediterranean breezes are a regular feature in Naples as the city enjoys a prominent place on the lower section of the Italian Boot but this also makes for quite chilly winters.