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is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples. The city is known for its rich history, art, culture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,800 years old. Naples is located halfway between two volcanic areas, the volcano Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, sitting on the coast by the Gulf of Naples.
Founded by the Ancient it held an important role in Magna Graecia and then as part of the Roman Republic in the central province of the Empire. The city has seen a multitude of civilizations come and go, each leaving their mark and now the historic city centre is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
The city proper has a population of around 1 million people, while the population of urban area is estimated to be 2.25 million..
The city is synonymous with pizza, which originated in the city. A strong part of Neapolitan culture which has had wide reaching effects is music, including the invention of the romantic guitar and the mandolin as well as strong contributions to opera and folk standards. There are popular characters and figures who have come to symbolise Naples; these include the patron saint of the city Januarius, Pulcinella, and the Sirens from the epic Greek poem the Odyssey.
Naples has one of the greatest density of cultural resources and monuments that include 2800 years of history (castles, fountains, churches, ancient architecture, etc.): the most prominent forms of architecture in Naples are from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods. The historic centre of Naples is typically the most fruitful for architecture and is in fact listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. A striking feature of Naples is the fact that it has 448 historical churches, making it one of the most Catholic cities in the world.
[edit] Main piazza, palaces and castles
Naples is well-known for its historic castles: the ancient Castel Nuovo is one of the most notable architectural representatives on the city, also known as Maschio Angioino; it was built during the time of Charles I, the first ever king of Naples. Castel Nuovo has hosted some historical religious events: for example, in 1294, Pope Celestine V resigned as pope in a hall of the castle, and following this Pope Boniface VIII was elected pope here by the cardinal collegium, and immediately moved to Rome.
The castle which Nuovo replaced in importance was the Norman founded Castel dell'Ovo. Its name means Egg Castle and it is built on the tiny islet Megarides, where the Cumaean colonists founded the city. The third castle of note is Sant'Elmo which was completed in 1329 and is built in the shape of a star. During the uprising of Masaniello, the Spanish took refuge in Sant'Elmo to escape the revolutionaries.
Naples hosts a wealth of historical museums and some of the most important in the country. The Naples National Archaeological Museum is one of the main museums, considered one of the most important for artifacts of the Roman Empire in the world. It also hosts many of the antiques unearthed at Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as some artifacts from the Greek and Renaissance periods.
Previously a Bourbon palace, now a museum and art gallery, the Museo di Capodimonte is probably the most important in Naples. The art gallery features paintings from the 13th to the 18th century including major works by Simone Martini, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, El Greco and many others, including Neapolitan School painters Jusepe de Ribera and Luca Giordano. The royal apartments are furnished with antique 18th century furniture and a collection of porcelain and majolica from the various royal residences: the famous Capodimonte Porcelain Factory was just adjacent to the palace.
The Certosa di San Martino was formerly a monastery complex but is now a museum and remains one of the most visible landmarks of Naples. Displayed within the museum are Spanish and Bourbon-era artifacts, as well as displays of the nativity scene, considered to be among the finest in the world. Pietrarsa railway museum is located in the city: Naples has a proud railway history and the museum features, amongst many other things, the Bayard, the first locomotive in the Italian peninsula. Other museums include the Villa Pignatelli and Palazzo Como, and one of Italy's national libraries (the Biblioteca Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III) is also located in the city.
Hosting the Archdiocese of Naples, the Catholic faith is highly important to the people of Naples and there are hundreds of churches in the city. The Cathedral of Naples is the most important place of worship in the city, each year on September 19 it hosts the Miracle of Saint Januarius, the city's patron saint. In the miracle which thousands of Neapolitans flock to witness, the dried blood of Januarius is said to turn to liquid when brought close to relics said to be of his body: this is one of the most important traditions for Neapolitans. Below is a selective list of some of the best-known churches, chapels, monastery complexes and religious structures in Naples.
Geography
In the area surrounding Naples are the islands of Procida, Capri and Ischia, which are reached by hydrofoils and ferries. Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast are situated south of Naples. The Roman ruins of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae, which were destroyed in the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, are also nearby. Naples is also near the volcanic area known as the Campi Flegrei and the port towns of Pozzuoli and Baia, which were part of the vast Roman naval facility, Portus Julius.
Napoli business centre.
The economy of Naples and its closest surrounding area is based largely in tourism, commerce, industry and agriculture; Naples also acts as a busy cargo terminal. Naples used to be a busy industrial city, though many of the factories are no longer there.
Electronics and aircraft industries
Naples also hosted important electronics industries such as Olivetti research department in Pozzuoli, now dismissed. Also Naples is important for its light aircraft industries Partenavia and Vulcanair (nowadays both firms belong to Vulcanair) and hosted several departments of big aircraft industries of Aeritalia. Aeritalia then joined with Selenia (that were a group of electronic and radar defense military industries) with the name of Alenia. Alenia is still present in Naples, but its production relevance is important but nowadays shrinking.
Manufacturing
The only relevant industry of Naples remains actually the Alfa Romeo automobile factory at nearby Pomigliano d'Arco; the word "Romeo" in the company name is a reference to Neapolitan engineer Nicola Romeo.
Shipbuilding
Ship construction yards are present in territory of Naples, Pozzuoli and in Castellammare di Stabia (motor yachts, fishing boats and fishing ships) and also in Castellammare di Stabia is present a big shipyard called Cantieri Navali which is property of Fincantieri.
Food industry
Only the slow food typical artisan-made pasta in Gragnano survived and it is one of the most apprecciated typical products of Naples surroundings. Fior di latte cheese is made in the territory of Agerola, Lettere and Gragnano.
The wine industry is also prevalent in the Naples area, mainly in Gragnano, Lettere, Ercolano and Pozzuoli. Naples is also known worldwide for Neapolitan coffee made with the historical Neapolitan flip coffee pot, which then led to the creation of the espresso coffee machine and Moka Express coffee pot. There are still some little industries roasting coffee beans and producing ground coffee to be used with Neapolitan coffee machines.
Economic relevance
The economy is measured on a provincial level; the province of Naples is placed 94th out of the total of 103 provinces in Italy in terms of gross value added.
In recent times, there has been a move away from traditional agriculture-based economy in the province to one based on service industries. In early 2002 there were over 249,590 enterprises operating in the province of Naples registered in the Chamber of Commerce Public Register

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