NAPLES (photo)

 An old Italian proverb says Naples and die! It testifies to the enduring attraction of this remarkable city, the third largest city in Italy and one of the most beautiful in the world. Approximately 120 miles (190 kilometers) southeast of Rome, the city is on the north side of the Bay of Naples. The bay juts into the western side of the Italian peninsula with Mount Vesuvius in the background.

One of the centers of activity is the Piazza Trento e Trieste near the waterfront. It is flanked by two imposing buildings, the Teatro San Carlo and the Palazzo Reale. The theater is one of Europe's largest and foremost opera houses, dating from 1737. The palace dates from 1600, originally the home of the viceroys who governed Naples during its period of Hapsburg domination. It now houses the National Library. East of these buildings and overlooking the harbor is the Castel Nuovo, begun in 1279. It houses, among other things, the Naples City Council and the Campania Regional Council.

Directly south of the piazza is the Castel dell'Ovo. Built on what was an island now connected with the mainland to form the Porto di Santa Lucia, the castle dates from 1154. To the west of Santa Lucia is the Villa Comunale, a large park with Naples's aquarium.

Extending northward from the piazza is the Via Toledo, also known as the Via Roma. This busy thoroughfare divides Naples in half. To the east is the oldest part of the city, though no classical landmarks remain. Here are the Duomo, or cathedral, begun in 1294 but rebuilt in French Gothic style; the Castel Capuano, a 13th-century royal residence that since 1540 has housed judicial offices; the 14th-century Franciscan church and convent of Santa Chiara; and the various harbor facilities of the port. The University of Naples, founded in 1224, is also in the old part of the city. On the west side are the Castel Sant'Elmo, a 14th-century fortress, and the Certosa di San Martino, originally a Carthusian monastery and now the home of the National Museum of San Martino.

The Via Toledo with its extensions leads northward to two museums. At the Piazza Museo Nazionale is the National Archaeological Museum in a building constructed in 1586. Farther north, on a hill overlooking the city, is a large park housing the Palazzo Reale di Capodimonte.

Begun in 1738 as a summer hunting lodge, now the palazzo houses the National Museum and Gallery of Capodimonte. Museum collections are not as extensive as those of northern Italian cities, but the city has significant antiquities from the archaeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Naples's economy has always been tied to its port. Regional enterprises include ironworks, petroleum refineries, cement works, food processing plants, and automobile and aircraft assembly plants. Tourism is a significant local industry. Naples has been a generally poor city with few jobs and scarce opportunities. Crime has plagued the city for centuries, and overcrowding from inadequate housing facilities has led many residents to the streets. The economy improved with new roads, better port facilities, the modernization of transport and communications, and the expansion of energy production.

Naples's origins extend back to at least 600 BC, when Greek settlers founded Neapolis on the site. Roman control was established in 326 BC, but Neapolis kept its Greek culture and language until the time of Constantine in the 4th century AD. After the fall of Rome, Naples was for a time under Byzantine rule. A period of independence followed when Naples was ruled by local dukes.

Naples fell to the Normans in 1139 and in 1266 to Charles of Anjou, who made the city his capital. During his reign and those of his successors, Naples increased in size, population, and prosperity. The Spanish Hapsburgs ruled from 1503 to 1704. During this period the city suffered from epidemics and political unrest. In 1734 Naples became the capital of an independent kingdom of Sicily under Prince Charles of Bourbon. Despite turmoil during the Napoleonic period, the Spanish Bourbons retained control until it became part of Italy in 1860. I