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Overview
Long plagued by its notorious
reputation as a crime-infested and
heavily polluted city, today Naples
has emerged as a reformed center of
culture, art and technology of
southern Italy. With over a million
residents, this third biggest city
of the Republic is blessed with the
magnificent Bay of Naples, the
location much celebrated as one of
the most scenic in the whole of the
peninsula. To put it simply, Naples
is a bustling tourist hub with an
enviable natural setting, an
unrelentingly vibrant street life
and a scrumptious gastronomy that
altogether can easily cast a spell
on visitors yearning for a
Mediterranean town distinguished for
colors and rhythms of its own.
History
The Greeks were the first to
christen this city Neapolis (New
City) as they came to settle here
around 600 BC. It later was claimed
by the Roman and quickly became a
favorite of emperors Pompey, Caesar
and Tiberius. It was ruled by the
German during the middle ages and
later by the Spanish house of
Aragón who supported its artistic
growth. Aside from the short
Napoleonic rule from 1806-1815, the
Spanish sovereigns maintained their
grip on Naples until Italy became a
unified Kingdom in 1860. Naples
suffered more than 100 bombing
attacks during WWII, and marks can
still be seen on many monuments
today. In recent years, the
governments have tried to clean up
and restore the city that now many
previously restricted churches,
museums and monuments are opened to
visitors again.
Geography & Climate
The city of Naples is the third
largest city in Italy and the
capital of Campania. It is located
in south-central Italy on the Bay of
Naples which is part of the
Tyrrhenian Sea, between the
Phlegrean Fields and the Mount
Vesuvius. Naples is 185 km southeast
of Rome. The average temperatures
here are between 25° C and 31° C
in summer. Autumn is sometimes damp
with some rainy days. Winter has
less rain and the temperatures range
between 4° C and 11° C.
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