Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
According to legend, traders from Rhodes established the city on the island of Megaris
(where Castel dell'Ovo now stands) in about 680 BC. Originally called Parthenope, in
honour of the siren whose body had earlier washed up there (she drowned herself after
failing to seduce Ulysses), it was eventually incorporated into a new city, Neapolis, foun-
ded by Greeks from Cumae (Cuma) in 474 BC. However, within 150 years it was in Ro-
man hands, becoming something of a VIP resort favoured by emperors Pompey, Caesar
and Tiberius.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Naples became a duchy, originally under the Byz-
antines and later as an independent dukedom, until it was captured in 1139 by the Nor-
mans and absorbed into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. The Normans, in turn, were re-
