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Naples Tour
Naples is an ancient city: its origins date
back to the 9th Century B.C. when the city of Parthenope was
founded on the site where Castel dell'Ovo now stands. In the
6th century B.C., this city was abandoned and was given the
name of "Palepolis" (old city) and the new city
of "Neapolis" was founded next to it. Its name means
exactly that, new city.
Under the rule of the Roman Empire, the city of Naples enjoyed
economic and cultural prosperity. The area became popular
for holidays due to its beautiful coastline. Luxury thermal
spas sprung up around Naples which became famous throughout
the empire and which attracted politicians and intellectuals
such as Cicero and Virgil.After the fall of the Roman Empire,
Naples became an independent Duchy of Byzantium (763 A.D.),
and was an essential part of the conservation of Byzantine
dominion in Italy. This autonomous state under Byzantium lasted
for almost four centuries, during which the city of Naples
developed its economic and cultural affairs even further.
The Byzantines were followed by the Normans, who made Naples
a part of the Kingdom of Sicily. The next few centuries were
a mixture of peace and war, until Emperor Frederick II came
to the throne. He started a particularly rich and flourishing
cultural period that culminated in the founding of the University
of Naples (1224).
When the Anjou dynasty took over, the city became the capital
once more and its population, buildings and economy all grew
in size. However, Naples enjoyed one of its most wonderful
periods of artistic and cultural splendor under Aragon rule:
churches and monuments were built and the city became a central
meeting point for many foreign artists.
During the following centuries, the city was ruled by the
Spaniards, against whom there was an unsuccessful popular
uprising led by “Masaniello” (1647).
After a short period of Austrian rule (1707-1734), Naples
finally became an autonomous Kingdom, thanks to Charles of
Bourbon.
In 1806, Napoleon gave the throne of the Kingdom of Naples
to his brother Giuseppe Bonaparte, and thus started a brief
French period for the city (until 1815).
The Bourbon family returned to the throne of the two Sicilies
but their rule ended a few years later when Garibaldi entered
the city in 1860. A plebiscite of the people decided that
the city of Naples should be annexed to the Kingdom of Piedmont,
which then became the Kingdom of Italy in 1870.More info on wikipedia

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