Naples: History

Pre-20th-Century History

Soon after founding Cumae in 1000 BC, colonists from Rhodes established a settlement on the western side of Mt Vesuvius. Many centuries later, Phoenician traders from present-day Lebanon and Greeks from Athens were attracted by the splendour of the coast and so expanded the settlement, christening it Neapolis (New City). It thrived as a centre of Greek culture and later, under Roman rule, became a favourite of emperors Pompey, Caesar and Tiberius.

After successive waves of invasion by the wild Goths and a couple of spells under Byzantium, Naples remained an independent dukedom for about 400 years until captured by the Normans in 1139. They in turn were replaced by the German Hohenstaufens (who ruled until 1266), then Charles I of Anjou, who took control of the Kingdom of Sicily and turned Naples into its de facto capital. The Angevins were succeeded by the Spanish house of Aragón, under whom the city came to prosper.

In 1503 Naples and the Kingdom of Sicily were absorbed by Spain, which sent viceroys to reign as virtual dictators. Despite their heavy-handed rule, Naples flourished artistically and acquired much of its splendour during this period. It continued to flower when the Spanish Bourbons re-established Naples as capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1734. Aside from a Napoleonic interlude (1806 to 1815), the Bourbons remained until 1860, when they were unseated by Garibaldi and the Kingdom of Italy.

Modern History

The city was heavily damaged during more than 100 bombing raids in WWII - marks can still be seen on many monuments. The Allies subsequently presided over a disastrous period of transition from war to peace - many observers have since attributed the initial boom in the city's organised crime, at least in part, to members of the occupying forces. A severe earthquake in 1980 and the dormant (but not extinct) Vesuvius looming to the east remind Neapolitans of their city's vulnerability.

Recent History

A succession of centre-left governments has in recent years driven efforts to clean up the city. Churches, museums and monuments that had been off-limits to visitors for decades have been reopened and tourist areas made safer. Nevertheless, there are those who complain that - despite the municipality's best efforts - Naples is slipping back into bad habits. Unemployment is rife and the Camorra, the Neapolitan mafia, is alive and well. In late 2004 and into early 2005, about 50 people were killed in a vicious gangland turf war.

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