NAPLES, na'plz, Italy, the capital of the province of Naples, and previously of the for mer kingdom of the Two Sicilies (q.v.), the largest city and most important seaport of the kingdom, situated on the celebrated Bay of Naples, 150 miles by rail southeast of Rome. Its site is of singular beauty, occupying an area about five miles long and three miles broad, on the north side of the nearly semi-circular bay, partly along the shore and partly climbing the adjacent slopes. It is bounded on the one side by the picturesque heights of Posilipo and on the other by the lofty, volcanic mass of Vesuvius (q.v.). The environs are densely peopled, among neighboring towns and villages being Portici, Resina, Castellamare, Casoria, Pozzuoli, etc., and the classic sites of Herculaneum and Pompeii (qq.v.), all connected by rail. The bay, 20 miles wide, and extending inward 10 miles, with a coast line of about 35 miles, has Cape Miseno as its northwest extremity, off which lie the islets of Procida and Ischia; Campanella Point forms the southeast extrem ity, with the beautiful isle of Capri lying be yond. The city is divided into two unequal parts by a steep ridge projecting from the height on which stands the castle of Saint Elmo, and terminated by a rocky islet surmounted by the Castello dell' Ovo. The largest and most ancient part of Naples lies to the east of these heights. This now forms the business quarter and is intersected from north to south by the main street, the Via di Roma. The western and more modern part of the city, the fashion able quarter, has a superior situation, and com mands magnificent views; the chief street in this quarter is the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, nearly three miles long. The streets are mostly well paved with lava or volcanic basalt, and the houses are large, lofty and solidly built, and have flat roofs. Since the cholera epidemic of 1884 a plan of municipal improvement on an extensive scale has been carried out, including a new water supply, a modern sewerage system, the destruction of the narrow streets, alleys and lanes, the former abodes of filth, misery, vice and crime, and the building of new quarters, with wide thoroughfares and modern houses. There are few remains of ancient times. but there are five castles, dell' Ovo, Nuovo del Carmine, Capuano, Saint Elmo, the gates Porta del Carmine and Capuano, all of mediaeval con struction, and Virgil's tomb.
Among the chief public edifices is the cathe dral, dating from 1272, a large Gothic building erected on the site of two temples dedicated to Neptune and Apollo. It is held in high venera tion in consequence of possessing the relics of Saint Januarius or Gennaro, including the phial of his blood which liquefies periodically in a miraculous manner. Other edifices are the church De' Santi Apostoli, said to have been originally founded by Constantine the Great on 'the site of a temple of Mercury; the church of Saint Paul, built in 1817-31 in imitation of the Pantheon at Rome; the Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace), a building of great size in the lower part of the town; the palace of Capo di Monte, situated on a height in the outskirts; the old palace, where the courts of justice now hold their sittings; the Galleria Umberto I; the Palazzo dei Pubblici Studi, formerly occupied by the university, but now converted into the Museo Nazionale, a museum containing not only a valuable library of over 600,000 volumes and pamphlets and many rare manuscripts, but also the older and more recent collections be longing to the Crown, the Farnese collection of paintings and sculpture from Rome and Parma, and an unequaled collection of gems, bronzes, vases, etc., chiefly obtained from the excava
tions of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Naples has a university, dating from 1224, and attended by over 5,000 students; many other educational institutions, including the celebrated zoological station with marine aquarium and laboratory, and numerous hospitals and charitable founda tions. It is the see of an archbishop and an important naval and military station, with an arsenal and gun works. The manufactures in clude steel and engine works, woolens and cot tons, silk known as Bros de Naples, glass, china, soap, chemicals and macaroni, their products being largely exported, other exports being gloves, perfumery, artificial flowers, paper, olive oil, wines and fruits. The imports include manufactured goods, Colonial produce, iron, coal and cotton yarns. The harbor affords magnificent anchorage, the depth at the end of the mole being 65 feet and at the arsenal 26 feet. In 1915 8,913 ships entered; total ton nage, 7603,106 tons. Naples is an important point for transatlantic emigrants.
Naples is one of the most densely popu lated cities of Europe, and one of the features of the city is its unique population, which swarms incessantly in the thoroughfares, where throngs of sellers, buyers and idlers intermingle with asses, mules, hand carts and vehicles, daz zling the eye with their brilliant variety of costume, and the expressiveness of their frantic gestures and attitudes, while the ear is stunned by the shrill cries of the itinerant dealers, the songs of the improvisatore and the high pitched patois of the seething crowds. The Marinella, an open beach fronting the east part of the city, was formerly the abode of the !az zaroni, a class which has now lost its distinctive features, the term being now generally applied to the fishermen.
was founded by a Greek colony from the town of Cum many centuries before Christ. It took the name of Neapolis ('New City") to distinguish it from a still older Greek city adjoining called Parthenope. It passed to the Romans in 290 s.c. In 536 A.D. it was taken by Belisarius, and was pillaged by Totila in 542. In 1130 the Norman Robert Guiscard united the south of Italy and the adjacent island of Sicily into one political unity, Naples being recognized as the metropolis. It was afterward successively under the sway of the emperors of Germany and the kings of France and Spain. Under the latter it became the capital of an independent kingdom, but having been brought within the vortex of the French Revolution, was handed over by Napoleon, first to his brother Joseph, and then to his brother-in-law Murat. The Congress of Vienna having restored the legit imate sovereignty, Naples received back its former masters. After a long period of mis rule they were ejected by Garibaldi in 1860, and Naples was then incorporated into the kingdom of Italy. Pop. 697.917 The province of Naples covers an area of 351 square miles; pop. 1,360,324.