NAPOLI

Rich in historical, artistic and cultural traditions and gastronomy, Naples was founded between the 7th and 6th centuries BC by the Greeks and was given the name Neapolis. During the period of Roman domination, the town preserved the Greek language and original habits. After the Roman period the city was dominated by many different groups of people (Byzantines, Longobards, Normans, Swabians, Angevins, Aragoneses, Spanish, Bourbons and Frenchs). Nowadays one can see the traces of all those dominations in the monuments, in the culture and in the habits of the town. Naples was also the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and after the Congress of Vienna became the capital of the (newly named, but geographically unchanged) Kingdom of Naples. Thus, Naples was the only city (besides Jerusalem) taking the same name as the Kingdom of which it was the capital. After a long period of decline following the forging of the Italian State over 100 years ago, the city is making great strides in recovering its eminence as a center for culture. Naples itself is less visited than some of the surrounding attractions. There are, however, many attractions within the city. La Villa Comunale (formerly a royal park) has been refurbished and stretches along the seafront in the smarter western end of the city. It contains an aquarium which is possibly Europe's oldest and is favoured by the locals for family walks on Sunday mornings. The Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli contains a large collection of Roman artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum as well as the Farnese Marbles, some of the greatest surviving Roman statues, an amazing numismatical collection; The Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte contains art collections including works by Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli and Caravaggio. Naples is the home of the Teatro di San Carlo, the oldest active opera house in Europe.