Naples, City

1694. The great historical, geographical and poetical dictionary by Louis Moreri.

Naples, Lat. Neapolis, a great and fair City of Italy, which is the Capital of the Kingdom of Naples. The Italians call it Napoli, and the Spaniards Napoles. Its Name at first was Parthenopea, from a Sirene so called. See Silius Italicus lib. 12. Though Naples be but accounted the third City in Italy for its Bigness, yet for its Strength and Beauty it may well be accounted the first; wherefore also the Italians give it the Name of Gentille, Gentile or Noble: It boasts not without reason of excelling all the Cities of Italy for Beauty, or at least for its Inhabitants and Situation; which is so pleasant, that it allures all the Nobi••ty of the Kingdom; having on one side a most fertile and delightfull Country; and on the other the prospect of the open Sea, which affords it a very safe Haven. The ancient Romans had so high an esteem for the Goodness of the Air about this City, that most of the great ones had their Country-houses in the Neighbourhood of it. There are few Cities in Europe that have more Churches than Naples. The Metropolis is Dedicated to St. January, being one of the 14 Patrons of the City. In this Church is a Chappel built after the Modern way, which is very beautifull and sumptuous, as well by reason of its Statues of Brass as by its extraordinary Painting. The Church also hath a Dome painted by Domenichino. The Egg-Castle, so called, because it stands upon a Rock of an Oval form in the Sea, was built by William III. a Norman. There is also the New-Castle, built by Charles I. of France, and enlarged by Ferdinand of Arragon, which contains the Palace of the Governour, and a vast Magazine, stor'd with all manner of War-like Instruments and Arms. The Castle of St. Elmo is a Fort that overlooks the City, being built on a high Rock, which commands the Country round about, and was built by the E. Charles V. Besides which, there is the Tower of the Carmelites, that of St. Vincent, and the Castle of Capua. The Palace of the Viceroy is very sumptuous and beautifull; next to which, the most considerable are those of Toledo, the Ursins, Cassignani, Caraffa, of the Princes of Sulmona, Stigliani, and those of the Dukes of Atri, Matelona, Gravina, &c. The Street called La-strada di Toledo, is the fairest of all Naples, being paved with hewen Stone, and adorned with a great number of Palaces and Magnificent Houses, most of 'em covered with Plat-forms, where the Inhabitants use to take the fresh Air in the Evening. Naples hath also several fair Squares, surrounded with Iron Balisters, and all painted within, where the Nobility take their Walks. The Mole is an admirable Piece of Work, which runs a quarter of a Mile into the Sea, with a stately Pharos or Light-house at the end of it, where there is a Fountain of fresh water. There are two Academies of Learned Men in this City, Gl' Ardenti and Gl'Otiosi. In 1456. there was an Earthquake in this City which lasted for a Month; and in 1528, it was Besieged by the French, who were forced to raise the Siege by a Pestilence, which consumed above 20000 of their Men. The Kingdom of Naples is the greatest Dominion that is in all Italy; it extends it self in the form of a Peninsula, having the Ionian Sea on the East, the Gulph of Venice on the North, the Tyrrhene Sea on the South, and the Dominions of the Church on the West. It is commonly divided into 12 Provinces, viz. Terra di Lavoro, the hither Principality, the further Principality, the Basilicata, the hither Calabria, the further Calabria, Terra di Otranto, Terra di Barri, la Capitanata, the County of Molisso, with the hither and further Abruzzo. All these Provinces were so well Peopled, that they contained formerly no less than 2700 Cities, Villages or Parishes, though it may be at present somewhat diminished. Besides, there are in this Kingdom 23 Archbishopricks, about 125 Bishopricks, 45 or 50 Principalities, 65 or 80 Dukedoms, 90 or 100 Marquisates, 65 Earldoms, and 1000 Baronies; whereof there are about 400 that are very ancient. The most considerable Cities of this Kingdom, next to Naples, are Acerenza, Amalfi, Lanciano, Capua, Gayeta, Gravina, Cosenza, Otranto, Manfredonia, Nola, Nocera, Rossana, Regio, Salerno, Tarento, Conza, Sorento, Brundusium, Barri, Benevento, which belongs to the Pope, &c. The Lakes of Fundi and Averno, and the Mountains Vesuvius, Posilippo, Falerno, are considerable. Its most noted Rivers are Volturn, Trionto, Offrante and Gallesse. The Air of the Country is wonderfull clear and healthy, and the Soil extreamly fruitfull, affording great plenty of all things; which makes the Italians say, That Naples is a Paradise inhabited by Devils; and another Proverb of theirs saith, Napoli Odorifera & Gentile, ma la Gente cativa; Naples is a sweet and genteel, or noble City, but its Inhabitants are Miscreants. The Neopolitans were always very faithfull to the Romans, but their Country came into the hands of the Goths in the 5th. Century. Belisarius, the Emperour Justinian's General, having made his Souldiers enter by the Conduits, took Naples A. C. 537. but Totilas took it again in 543. Next the Lombards were possessed of it, till their Kingdom was destroyed by Charlemaigne in 774, whose Children shared this Kingdom with the Greeks, who sometime after subdued the whole, but were dispossess'd of the greatest part of it by the Saracens in the 9th. and 10th. Century, who continued here untill the Normans, Fierabras, Dreux and Guischard Duke of Calabria and Puglia, quite drove them away in the 11th. Century, and continued in possession of the Kingdom, till the Marriage of Henry IV. Son of the Emperour Frederick Barbarossa, with Constantia the Posthumous Daughter of Roger Duke of Puglia, in 1186. of which Marriage was Born Frederick II. who was the Father of Conrade, and he of Conradine; but the Kingdom of Naples submitted it self to Manfredus, Bastard to Frederick II. who was dethron'd by Charles of Anjou, Brother to St. Lewis, upon whom the Popes Urban IV. and Clement IV. had bestowed the Investiture of that Kingdom. The Princes of the House of Anjou possessed this Dominion till the time of Queen Joan the II. who Adopted Alphonsus V. King of Arragon, but his Ingratitude made her afterwards declare Lewis III. Duke of Anjou her Heir; who dying, she bequeathed it by her Last Will to Renatus of Anjou, Brother of Lewis, who took possession of it after the Death of Joan, but did not enjoy it long, the Arragonians making themselves Masters of it, who possessed it till the Conquest made of that Kingdom by Charles VIII. and afterwards Lewis XII. of France. But at last the famous Captain Gonsalva expell'd the French under the Reign of Ferdinand King of Spain, and ever since that time his Successors have been Masters of it, who do homage for it to the Pope every year, by presenting a white Hackney and a Purse with 6000 Ducats, being a Fieff of the Church: because the Popes had formerly chased the Saracens thence. The City and Kingdom of Naples have produced many great Men, as Statius, Sannazzarro, Marini, Alexander ab Alexandro, &c. See divers Travels of Italy; and more particularly la Guida de Forastieri Curiosi de vedere le Cose piu notabili della Regal Citta di Napoli, dall Abbate Sarnelli in 12o. Printed at Naples 1686. and the Treatise of Father Cantel the Jesuit, intituled, Metropolitanarum Urbium Historia. It is known to all that the Neapolitans rebelled in 1646, and 1647. and that the Rebellion began in the Market-place by means of a poor Fisher-man, called Thomas Angelo Maja; but for shortness, Masaniello, who for 15 days together Commanded 200000 Men, who obeyed him without reserve. The Number of Kings of Naples from 1055, to 1666, are 48. This City is 125 Miles South-East of Rome, and thought to have been founded by Hercules, A. M. 2725. when Tola judged Israel. The Chalcidians enlarged it, and the Romans took it from the Samnites about the 463. of Rome. It has a Noble Palace, formerly belonging to their Kings, but now the Residence of the Viceroy. It has 110 Magnificent Churches, and 100 Convents very rich and stately, every one of which would be thought worth the seeing in another place; the Mass of Plate laid up in them helps to impoverish the City, and each of the Monasteries having the liberty to buy all the Houses that lie on either side of the Street where they stand, they may come in time to be Proprietors of the whole City, as the other Ecclesiasticks are in a fair way to be of the Kingdom, four Fifths of it being already in their hands, which makes it one of the poorest of Europe. Naples is reckoned to be Situated the best of any City in this part of the World, and is one of the largest and most populous in Italy, being 7 Miles in compass; and besides its advantageous Situation betwixt the Sea and the Mountains, is guarded by fou• strong Castles or Cittadels. It's not above half so big as London or Paris, but more beautifull than either, the Streets being large and broad, and the Pavement great and noble; the Stones of it generally a Foot square. The City abounds with Palaces and great Buildings, and is well supplied by daily Markets, their Wine and Flesh being reckoned the best in Europe. It's scarcely ever cold in the Winter, and the cool Breezes from the Mountains refresh it in the Summer. The Catacombs of this City are more noble and large than those of Rome, both of which Dr. Burnet proves to have been the Sepulchres of the Pagans, and not as was commonly thought, the Works of the Primitive Christians. It has a very safe and capacious Harbour, and much frequented by all Trading Nations of Europe. The Kingdom is the Richest in Italy; the very Mountains which compose near one half, producing Wine and Oyl, the latter of 'em being Exported by the English for Soap, &c. as is their Corn for Spain. The Inhabitants, especially the Women, are very superstitious, and generally so lazy, that they starve in the midst of Plenty; and their Clergy are Ignorant and Covetous. June the 5th. and 6th. 1688. there happened an Earthquake here, which on the 6th. over-turned abundance of the Churches and Religious Houses, particularly the Jesuites Church, destroyed three Ships in the Harbour, and a third part of the City. It continued more or less to the 17th. when the Earth opened in several places, vomiting out Smoak and Flames, like Vesuvius; which so terrified the Inhabitants, that two Thirds of them went to seek new Habitations. Dr. Burnet's Travels, &c.