NAPLES 



1001 



NAPLES 



NAPLES, the largest city of Italy, with a 

 population exceeding that of Rome by over 

 100,000. Naples is one of the busiest ports and 

 manufacturing centers of the country, and is 

 more beautifully situated than any other Euro- 

 pean city except Constantinople. It lies on the 

 north shore of the Bay of Naples, at the foot 

 and on the slopes of hills that, seen from the 

 water, have the aspect of a vast amphitheater. 

 Mount Vesuvius, forever a possible source of 

 death and destruction, rises in solitary grandeur 

 on the plain of Campania, ten miles to the 

 southeast. To the south, across the bay, may 

 be seen the lovely isle of Capri, and on the 

 eastern shores, many little Italian villages sur- 

 rounded by beautiful vineyards and groves. 



Architecturally, Naples is inferior to most 

 cities of its size, but there are many buildings 

 of archaeological interest. The National Mu- 

 seum contains a priceless collection of paint- 

 ings, sculptures, coins, antiquities and various 

 objects recovered from the buried cities of Her- 

 culaneum and Pompeii. Among its sculptures 

 are the famous Farncse Bull and Farnese Her- 

 (a picture of the latter is shown in con- 

 nection with the article HERCULES). There are 

 many castles reminiscent of medieval days, one 

 of the most interesting of which is the egg- 

 shaped Castello dell' Ovo. The so-called "New 

 Castle" (Castello Nuovo) has a sculptured arch, 

 used as a portal, that ranks with the best me- 

 dieval architecture of Southern Italy. Of about 





NAPLES. WITH VESUVIUS IN THE DISTANCE 



Naples is said to be the noisiest and most 

 densely-populated city in Europe. Here Ital- 

 iay be seen in its most sordid and its 

 most picturesque phases. ''There is mat* -rial in 

 every Neapolitan street," writes one obsci 

 "for an entire travel story on manners and cus- 

 -." The eastern section is the oldest part 

 >f t 1 :i'l the center of commercial life. 



icrly its people were crowded together in 

 unsanitary old tenements, on dirty, narrow 

 streets, but the government has partly remedied 

 these conditions, and putable slums 



and many of t!.,- filthy Hat buil.lmns have dis- 

 appeared. Streets have been widened, new sew- 

 erage and water systems installed, and electric 

 car lines built. The newer western section lies 

 famous I, Chiaia, a beautiful 



dn\r skirt inn the hay for three miles. 



300 churches, the Gothic cathedral, containing 

 many fine examples of painting and statuary. 

 is the most notable. 



The city has numerous educational institu- 

 tions. The University of Naples, founded in 

 1224 by Emperor Frederick II, has an enrol- 

 ment of about 6,600 students in normal times. 

 Tin re are, among other institutions, an astro- 

 nomical observatory, a botanical garden, a royal 

 conservatory of music, and an aquarium (in 

 National Park) \\here is ( nii .1 on a scientific 

 study of the plant and animal life of the Medi- 

 terranean. A htnkinn el "' "f the peo- 

 ple of Naples is their interest in theatrical 

 amusements. In the San Carlos, one of the 

 largest opera houses in Europe, many nf the 

 world's famous stars of grand opera have been 

 heard. Industrially, tin- rity is important as a 



