Discount Hotels Naples
Historical interest: Naples
    
In 470 BC, the Greek inhabitants of Cuma founded a city in the east (on the
site of the current historic city centre), which they called Neapolis (new city),
in order to distinguish it from Paleopolis (old city).
The city of Naples attracted many intellectuals such as Cicero, Horatio and
Pliny the Elder who wrote about the terrible eruption of the Vesuvius in 79
BC, which destroyed Pompeii and Ercolano. The great Latin poet Virgil also lived
in Naples.
During the early Middle Ages, Naples remained inside the walls which were built
under Valentiniano III (450-455 AD). The walls were only widened at certain
sections, to include the del Gesù Church which was part of the Santa
Chiara Convent, the neighbouring palaces, and the Santa Maria La Nova and San
Giovanni Maggiore churches.
In 1266 AD, Charles I of Angiò transferred the capital of the kingdom
of Sicily from Palermo to Naples, heralding a period of active civil renewal
for the city. At this time, the city walls were enlarged.
In the 16th century, Naples became the capital of the Spanish viceroyalty.
Don Pedro Alvarez of Toledo (1532 to 1553) widened the city walls again, increasing
the city's surface area by a third.
The invading Austrian powers (Hapsburgs) arrived between 1707 and 1734, when
they took over the city- already weakened by the epidemic of 1691. The city
was in an even worse state when Charles III of Bourbon succeeded the Hapsburgs
in 1734 and later encouraged the development of commerce and the building of
an urban infrastructure.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Joseph Bonaparte continued with the work
on the city's infrastructure. Tourism experienced a boom, with around 8,000
visitors arriving a year.
In 1860, Naples was unified with the rest of Italy. At this point it had around
450,000 inhabitants. The first significant work carried out in 20 years of unity
was the widening of the Via Duomo (an ancient pivotal point of the Greco-Roman
city), the Corso Garibaldi and the Via Caracciolo.
Part of the urban renewal work which was carried out after the cholera epidemic
of 1884 was the demolition of the most congested areas which were located in
a straight line along the Corso Umberto I, as well as the construction of a
fifth road characterised by the Umbertini Palaces. During WWII (1943-1944),
the city sustained considerable damage.
Today, it is once more a thriving centre, attracting tourists and conducting
business and commerce in its own usual Neapolitan way.
Selection of hotels in this region:
Holiday Inn Naples | | Hotel Cavour | | Hotel San Giorgio | | Villa Capodimonte | | Del Real Orto Botanico Hotel | | Mercure Napoli Garibaldi | |
Click below for a
full list of hotels and online booking
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