Information about Naples

Italian city: Naples, also known as Napoli. It is a port city in southern Italy and the capital of Campania. In the western foothills of Mount Vesuvius, the northern shore of the Gulf of Naples in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Population 1,209,000 (1982). It was founded in 600 BC. The old city was called Pallaopoli, and after being conquered by Rome in 326 B.C., a new city was built and changed to its present name. It was once the summer residence of the Roman emperors. In the sixth century AD it was ruled by Byzantium. In the eighth century it became an independent dukedom. In the 12th century it became part of the Kingdom of Sicily. In 1282 southern Italy separated from Sicily and was renamed the Kingdom of Naples, which was incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy in 1860. It was severely damaged in World War II and rebuilt after the war. The industrial center of southern Italy, with iron and steel, oil refining, automobiles, cement, chemicals, locomotives, shipbuilding, textiles and food as its main industries. The traditional industries of pottery, jewelry and glass are well known. Coral and pearl farming flourished and was used to produce exquisite handicrafts. The city is a railroad hub, a major trading port, a passenger port and a naval base. The harbor is wide and deep, capable of berthing ocean-going vessels. Exports are mainly steel and petroleum products. Scenic and tourist areas. Many ancient arts and cultural relics. There is the world-famous National Museum, rich in ancient Greek sculpture and Pompeii, Herculaneum two ancient cities of excavated artifacts. The Capodimonte Palace has paintings by Michelangelo and Raphael. There are many medieval churches. Tourism is well developed, about 2 million tourists a year.