Italy

Naples (Napoli if you live there) is raucous, polluted, anarchic, deafening, crumbling and aristocratic. It's also a lot of fun. Superbly positioned on a bay, Naples screams with energy, pulsating with noisy street markets and colourful characters.

Before the 20th century

Soon after founding Cumae in 1000 BC, colonists from Rhodes established a settlement on the western side of Mt Vesuvius. Many centuries later, Phoenician traders from present-day Lebanon and Greeks from Athens were attracted by the splendour of the coast and so expanded the settlement, christening it Neapolis (New City). It thrived as a centre of Greek culture and later, under Roman rule, became a favourite of emperors Pompey, Caesar and Tiberius.

After successive waves of invasion by the wild Goths and a couple of spells under Byzantium, Naples remained an independent dukedom for about 400 years until captured by the Normans in 1139. They in turn were replaced by the German Hohenstaufens (who ruled until 1266), then Charles I of Anjou, who took control of the Kingdom of Sicily and turned Naples into its de facto capital. The Angevins were succeeded by the Spanish house of Aragón, under whom the city came to prosper.

In 1503 Naples and the Kingdom of Sicily were absorbed by Spain, which sent viceroys to reign as virtual dictators. Despite their heavy-handed rule, Naples flourished artistically and acquired much of its splendour during this period. It continued to flower when the Spanish Bourbons re-established Naples as capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1734. Aside from a Napoleonic interlude (1806 to 1815), the Bourbons remained until 1860, when they were unseated by Garibaldi and the Kingdom of Italy.

Modern history

The city was heavily damaged during more than 100 bombing raids in WWII - marks can still be seen on many monuments. The Allies subsequently presided over a disastrous period of transition from war to peace - many observers have since attributed the initial boom in the city's organised crime, at least in part, to members of the occupying forces. A severe earthquake in 1980 and the dormant (but not extinct) Vesuvius looming to the east remind Neapolitans of their city's vulnerability.

Recent history

A succession of centre-left governments has in recent years driven efforts to clean up the city. Churches, museums and monuments that had been off-limits to visitors for decades have been reopened and tourist areas made safer. Nevertheless, there are those who complain that - despite the municipality's best efforts - Naples is slipping back into bad habits. Unemployment is rife and the Camorra, the Neapolitan mafia, is alive and well. In late 2004 and into early 2005, about 50 people were killed in a vicious gangland turf war.

Top Accommodation

Top Restaurants

Situated on the shin of Italy, Naples has a fair expanse of Mediterranean in front of it, bringing those hot dry summers and cool sea breezes straight to Naples' door. It's much wetter than Italy's east coast; most rain occurs around autumn and winter months. Unlike Mediterranean islands where the sea keeps winter temperatures warm, Naples has inland winds that make for quite chilly winters.

Average weather

• Temperature
• Humidity am/pm
• Rainfall
• Sunshine

Transport

Getting around

Most city ANM buses depart from Piazza Garibaldi, where bus stops are appallingly signed. The city produces one rather vague bus map, but there is an ANM information office at the western end of the square. The mostly above ground underground, Metropolitana, runs from Gianturco, just east of Stazione Centrale, via Piazza Garibaldi and Bagnoli to Pozzuoli. Funicular railways connect downtown with Vomero.

You can buy 'Giranapoli' tickets at stations, ANM booths and tobacconists. A ticket is valid for 90 minutes of unlimited travel by bus, tram, Metropolitana, funicular, Ferrovia Cumana or Circumflegrea. A daily ticket is good value. These tickets are not valid to Pompeii or Ercolano on the Circumvesuviana train line.

Forget driving in town unless you have a death wish. Mopeds are impossible to hire because of the high incidence of theft. Taxis generally ignore kerb-side arm wavers but there are taxi stands at most of the large piazzas. Be warned that traffic congestion makes taxis expensive, and that's before you add on the baffling array of extra tariffs.

Getting there and away

Naples is the hub of the southern Italian rail network and many trains originating in the north pass through Rome and terminate here. The city is well-served by regionale, diretto, Intercity and the superfast Eurostar trains. They arrive and depart from Stazione Centrale or Stazione Garibaldi. There are up to 30 trains daily between Naples and Rome. Most buses for Italian and some European cities leave from Piazza Garibaldi in front of Stazione Centrale.

Boats and hydrofoils leave for Capri, Sorrento, Ischia, Procida and Forio from Molo Beverello in front of the Castel Nuovo. Longer distance ferries leave from the Stazione Marittima.

Naples is on the major north-south Autostrada del Sole, numbered A1 (north to Rome and Milan) and A3 (south to Salerno and Reggio di Calabria). The A30 rings Naples to the northeast, while the A16 heads northeast to Bari. The motorways meet the Tangenziale di Napoli, a major ring road around the city.

Capodichino airport, about 8km (5mi) northeast of the city centre, is southern Italy's main airport.

Health & Legal Requirements

Dangers and annoyances

Naples has a bad reputation for crime; petty theft is rife and tourists are targeted. Travellers should keep an eye out for bag-snatchers and pickpockets; use common sense to avoid any risks and heed local advice for areas of the city to avoid.