Naples tourist information
Agriculture is one of the most important sources of production in Campania, even if irregularly distributed over the coastal areas and the hilly regions. Cereal growing has been replaced by fruit and vegetables, and Campania is the largest producer in Italy of tomatoes, cauliflowers, beans, potatoes, fennel, broccoli, aubergines, cucumbers, cherries, peaches, apricots, plums, figs, walnuts and hazel-nuts. The city was originally colonized by the Greeks around 750 B.C., the first settlement by the Euboeans being Pithecusa, now known as Ischia; the oldest traces have been found on Mt.Vico in the Lacco Ameno area.
Agriculture is one of the most important sources of production in Campania, even if irregularly distributed over the coastal areas and the hilly regions. Cereal growing has been replaced by fruit and vegetables, and Campania is the largest producer in Italy of tomatoes, cauliflowers, beans, potatoes, fennel, broccoli, aubergines, cucumbers, cherries, peaches, apricots, plums, figs, walnuts and hazel-nuts.
Food processing is also an important industry, including flour, tomato sauce (made in over 300 factories) and canned vegetables. A large quantity of olives, citrus fruit, wine and tobacco is also produced.
Sheep farming is on decline, while cattle farming is stable and contributes to the flourishind dairy industry, which is particularly famous for the local mozzarella, made with buffalo milk. In addition to food processing, other important industries are: manufacturing, iron and steel, petrochemicals, construction and building materials (especially cement), textiles, clothing and footwear. Naples relies heavily on the port for the efficiency of the services industry ond foreign tourism. The local cuisine uses wholesome, simple ingredients and is famous for a wide range of delicious specialities. Some are traditionally eaten at certain times of the year: at Christmas "minestra maritata" (soup with vegetables and pork), pastries and biscuits such as "cassata", marzipan, "struffoli", "mustaccioli", "raffioli", "roccoco'", and "susamielli"; at Easter: "casatiello" (a savoury dish), "pastiera" (Easter cake), "quaresimali" biscuits; on St. Joseph's Day: "zeppole" doughnuts; at Carnival time: "chiacchiere" biscuits and "sanguinaccio" pudding. All year round visitors can enjoy a large variety of pasta dishes, and fish and sea-food specialities: spaghetti with clams, fish-soup, octopus, raw sea-food or soup, fried mixed fish; mozzarella cheese; pizza in one of the many varieties; "taralli" savoury biscuits; "baba'" and "sfogliatelle" cakes.
Meals are usually accompanied by choosing from a large number of local red or white wines, mostly made in the Vesuvius area or in the islands: "Greo di Tufo", "Biancolella", "Gragnano", "Lacrima Christi", "Solopaca" and "Asprino". At any time of day and especially after lunch, Neapolitans enjoy a nice "esprezzo", which is a fine art here. Neapolitan crafts include corals and cameos made in Torre del Greca and famous all over the world, and leatherware (bags, shoes and gloves). Naples is of course particulary famous for Capodimonte porcelain, still made in the factory founded by Charles of Bourbon in 1739
The city was originally colonized by the Greeks around 750 B.C., the first settlement by the Euboeans being Pithecusa, now known as Ischia; the oldest traces have been found on Mt.Vico in the Lacco Ameno area. From here the Greek colonizers reached the coast and around 725 B.C. founded Cumae, which in a short time controlled the bay, which was the bay of Cumae.
According to Livy, around 650 B.C. Cumae founded the Parthenopean colony on Mt.Echia (now Pizzofalcone whose name dates back to the Dark Ages and whose origin is unknown) with Megaris as a natural outpost on the sea (Megaris is the tufa islet on which Castel dell'Ovo is situated); according to Strabo, though, the first Greek settlement dates back to the 9th century B.C. when the Rhodians frequently landed on the coast of Campania, who brought here the cult of the siren Parthenope after whom the city is named.
Parthenope slowly declined after 550 B.C., and was later incorporated with the name of Palaepolis (old city) into the new Cumaean foundation of Neapolis (new city), founded around 470 B.C. in the present old city; Neapolis soon replaced Cumae in the control of the bay, which is now known as the Bay of Naples. In the 4th century B.C., when Neapolis was ruled by the Samnites, who had moved towards the coast from the inland areas, they came into conflict with Rome, who wanted to win new territories in Campania; defeated by Rome in 326 B.C., Neapolis made an alliance with Rome.
Under Roman control, some military colonies were founded; Puteoli (Pozzuoli) had a strong commercial position and replaced Neapolis as the most important port of Campania. Degraded to the level of Roman Municipality in 90 B.C., Neapolis stuck proudly to its Greek origin, and even retained Greek as its official language.
Neapolis sided with Marius in the civil war in 82 B.C., and after Silla's victory it fell into decay: it lost its fleet and Ischia and its political and economic power was destroyed. Under the Emperor Claudius (41-54) it was degraded to the level of colony. After the catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae in 79, the economic decline of Naples and the Phlegreian area, troubled by bradyseism, worsened under the Emperor Trajan (98-117): as a consequence of the improvement of the commercial organization of Latium, Campania in fact lost the monopoly of supplies from Rome.
Around 350, after the legalization of the Christian religion, the GreekRoman core of Naples underwent many changes with the building of churches and monasteries; in 476 Romulus Augustulus, the last Emperor of the Roman Western Empire, died here in the "Castrum Lucullanum" (the present seat of Castel dell'Ovo), after having been deposed. In 537 Naples was conquered by Belisarius, General of the Roman Eastern Empire, whose capital was Byzantium; he was sent to stop the barbarian invasions that affected the peninsula in the 5th century;Naples became a Byzantine dominion and the main centre of the South, with Greek as official language again. Between 763 and 1139 the city, now a dukedom independent of Byzantium, was a cultural centre and an important trade centre with the East.
Naples was later annexed to the Kingdom of Sicily by the Norman Ruggiero II and was under the rule of the NormanSwabian monarchy from 1140 to 1266: Palermo was the capital of the Kingdom, but Naples was the main cultural centre, and in 1224 Frederick II of Swabia founded the first State University here. From 1266 to 1503, during the Angevin-Aragonese dynasty, Naples replaced Palermo as capital of the Kingdom of Sicily (now also called Kingdom of Naples); under Alphonse of Aragon, as a consequence of a new interest in the original structure of the city, the first town- planning was put into effect.
When the alliance between France and Spain was broken, Naples became a Spanish viceroyalty from 1503 to 1707: in this period and especially during the twenty-year viceroyalty of Pedro of Toledo the city was rebuilt, the water supply, port and drainage system improved. The city was still shaken by dramatic events such as the eruption of Vesuvius in 1631, the revolution led by Masaniello in 1647, the plague that killed one third of the people in 1656 and an earthquake in 1688. From 1707 to 1734 the Austrian viceroyalty replaced the Spanish one, until the Austrians were driven out of Southern Italy by Charles of Bourbon.
In 1734 the Bourbon monarchy was established, and during this reign excavation works were started at Herculaneum and Pompeii, in 1738 and in 1748 respectively. After the short Parthenopean Republic (from January to June 1799) Ferdinand of Bourbon, formerly driven out by the French, came back to Naples; he was driven out again by Napoleon who, after the victory at Austerlitz over Austria, had him replaced as King of Naples by his brother Joseph and in 1808 Murat took his place till the defeat of Napoleon. In 1815, after the Congress of Vienna, Naples was under the rule of Bourbons again and was the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies; in 1820, after the July risings, the constitution was established, but the new constitutional government was abolished by the Austrians; the constitution was established again after the May 1848 risings, abolished once more and at last granted in June 1860.
On 7th September 1860 the triumphal entry of Giuseppe Garibaldi into Naples put an end to the Bourbon Reign, and caused the last Bourbon King, Francis II, to flee. After the plebiscite on 21st October 1860 Naples was annexed to the Kingdom of Savoy under Victor Emanuel II of Savoy, who entered the city on 7th November; in 1885 after the law on urban clearance the reconstruction of the old city was started. After having taken part in the First and Second World Wars, Naples rebelled against the German occupation during the famous "four days" from 26th to 30th September 1943, and drove the Germans out. Since the referendum on 2nd June 1946, the city has been part of the Italian Republic.
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