“Spaccanapoli” via S.Biagio dei Librai (il decumano inferiore)
The first traces of a settlement in the city of Naples dates back to the 9th century BC with the founding of Parthenope. Around the mid -7th century BC Parthenope was occupied by Greek colonists from Cuma. In the 6th century BC, these colonists were forced to abandon the settlement that became an important trade port following Etruscan expansion in the area. In 470 BC, the Etruscans were defeated with the help of Syracuse and the Cumani founded Neapolis (new city) to the east of the first settlement at Partenope. The city is surrounded by walls and inside their protection, the urban layout revolves around three parallel axes that are intersected perpendicularly by three narrower minor axes. The layout hasn’t changed since Roman times. In the first century of the Roman Empire and following the earthquake of 62 AD and the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, Naples saw very intense public rebuilding works. Paleochristian Naples is typified by the catacombs (San Gennaro, San Gaudioso) and the first Paleochristian cathedrals (San Gennaro extra Moenia from the 5th century is the oldest) were built around the entrance to them.
il “Corpo di Napoli”
Sometime after the tear 1000, Naples began to transform from the classical linear urban layout to a more mediæval style. Under Norman/Swabian domination, Naples developed its first town plan and judiciary-administrative organisation. In 1442, Alfonso d’Aragona conquered the city and the Kingdom of Naples became the centre of the Confederation of States of the Crown of Aragon. In 1503, the Spanish took over the rule of Naples and this continued for about two hundred years. During the mid 16th century, while under Charles V, the city saw considerable new public works, the building of a new barracks for housing troops (the Spanish Quarters) and the building of new sections of the city walls that made the city a solidly defended unit featuring four castles. During the 18th century, the city continued to evolve with the building of the Palazzo dei Viceré in piazza Plebiscito, the construction of mansions for the aristocracy and religious building works that followed the settling in the city of numerous religious orders. The latter assignments gave an enormous boost to small and large-scale artistic production.
In the 1600’s, the city was scarred by a series of terrible events like the eruption of Vesuvius in 1631, the plague in 1656 and the earthquake of 1688.
“Tavola Strozzi” (1472-73)
After the Hapsburgs (1707-1734), Naples became the capital of an independent kingdom under the Bourbons. While under the rule of King Charles of Bourbon (1734-59) and then his son Ferdinando IV (1759-99), the city changed with the opening of vast building works, the implementation of new road systems and the promotion of artistic activities under direct royal control.
The most significant works of this period were: the expansion of the port (1739) and the improvement of communication between it and the city; the creation of the Riviera di Chiaia and road to Mergellina. Other works carried out in the 1800’s involved: The Astronomical Observatory, the façade of the Teatro San Carlo and the Villa Floridiana that are so characteristic of the essential Neapolitan fabric.
Napoli greco-romana
With the arrival of Garibaldi in September 1860 and annexation into the Kingdom of Italy in the same year, the history of Naples became part and parcel of Italy’s history.
Industrial plants set up at Bagnoli in the early 1900’s, housing projects started, annexation, the fascist period in the mid 1920’s, hamlets merged to from “la grande Napoli” and rationalist architecture all left their mark on Naples between the two great wars. During WWII, the city was heavily bombed and many sections of the city and buildings of artistic importance were virtually destroyed.
The popular uprising against the Germans known as the “Quattro giornate di Napoli” (26 September 1943) and the welcoming of Anglo-American troops to the city on 1 October saw the start of reconstruction. The economic boom of the ‘60s and subsequent building ventures led to massive areas of concrete throughout the city centre. An earthquake in 1980 caused immense damage to the city’s artistic heritage. Post-earthquake reconstruction, new building projects to the east of the city and the 1990 football World Cup brought new changes to the layout of some areas of the city. During 1994 however, two events of international significance (the G7 meeting and the UN World Conference on organised crime) brought Naples once again to the international scene. This was the beginning of a period of revival involving many institutions that became involved in recovering the city’s artistic-historic heritage, in renewal works like the building of the new station, works aimed at urban improvement and decoration and in new road surfacing projects.
Historic Centre
Maschio Angioino o Castel Nuovo
The demarcation lines around the city centre of Naples are per se fundamental factors in attempting to fully understand the nature of the place in its overall sense.
The perimeter to the east embraces the Piazza Mercato between the nearby coast and the Albergo dei Poveri to the interior. Here we are outside the oldest Greek, Roman and mediæval quarter but still “inside” two essential times of the city’s history. Piazza Mercato was established inside the city walls in the times of the Angiovines and then the Aragons (8th century) and has always been a market place. There stands la Chiesa di Sant’Eglio, one of the countless, highly-significant religious remnants of the Angiovine period dedicated to S. Lorenzo, S. Chiara, S. Pietro Martire and Donnaregina “Vecchia”, located in the heart of the city, inside or sheltered by the Greco/Roman fabric. The eastern perimeter underlines the significance of this historical period when Naples became the capital of the Kingdom but never expanded itself any further beyond the marshes that limited urban growth until the 1900’s.
Veduta
Further into the heart of the city, the perimeter extends to encircle the Albergo dei Poveri, designed by Ferdinando Fuga. This factor epitomises a sort of architectural sub-species concerning the political and cultural climate of the 18th century in which enlightened European times, the city became Bourbon Naples. From an urban development point of view, the reasoning behind this move is very precise. The Albergo dei Poveri, that should have solved serious social problems with the construction of one huge, single works was located with the intention of acting as marker of the city’s growth. Its construction was to act like an arrow pointing in one direction along the present day Via Foria to be seen side-on. Any assessment of this type of visual impact – the frontal view now somewhat flattened by the opening of 19th century roads – is conditioned by the architecture of the buildings that display a lack of decoration and repetitive vertical levels that accentuate the rhythm.
Corso Vittorio Emanuele marks the city centre including all the built-up area between the coastline and the mountains. This area houses the quarters that were built in the 1600 and 1700’s outside the city walls; the oldest Greek part of the city; the mediæval section that survived the works carried out in the area towards the sea in the 1800’s; the Spanish Quarters that still exist today and were part of the original town plan drawn up and put into effect by Don Pedro da Toledo in the 16th century. Lastly, the areas that were decisively refurbished in the 19th century along the Rettifilo that gave Naples its name as a city of the middle classes. The area extends to the west and the perimeter goes as far as the slopes of the Posillipo headland following the traditional tendency of city growth to the west towards Pozzuoli. Roman villas along the coast are witness to the infinite beauty and eternal links between nature and history. Here too, the remains of aristocratic Roman homes are in direct correlation with the outlying perimeters towards the East and the constant reminders in the centre of the city like the churches of S.Lorenzo, S.Chiara, Caponapoli, the theatre areas etc
UNESCO INSCRIPTION
particolare di una delle torri su uno scorcio della piazza Municipio
Historic center of Naples
Date of Inscription: 1995
Criteria: C (ii) (iv)
From the Neapolis founded by Greek settlers in 470 B.C. to the city of today, Naples has retained the imprint of the successive cultures that emerged in Europe and the Mediterranean basin. This makes it a unique site, with a wealth of outstanding monuments such as the Church of Santa Chiara and the Castel Nuovo.
