Four Days of Naples

The Capture of Neapolis took place during the Second Samnite War in 327 BC, when the Romans seized the city of Neapolis from the Samnites, an ancient Italic people who lived in Samnium. The city's fall is attributed to treachery committed by some of its citizens.

The Metropolitan City of Naples (Italian: Città metropolitana di Napoli) is an Italian Metropolitan City in Campania region, established on 1 January 2015. Its capital city is Naples; within the city there are 92 comune (municipalities). It was first created by the reform of local authorities (Law 142/1990) and established by the Law 56/2014, thus replacing the Province of Naples in 2015. The Metropolitan City of Naples is headed by the Metropolitan Mayor (Sindaco metropolitano) and by the Metropolitan Council (Consiglio metropolitano). Since 18 October 2021 its head is Gaetano Manfredi, as mayor of the capital city.

The naval Battle of the Counts took place on 23 June 1287 at Naples, Italy, when an Aragonese-Sicilian galley fleet commanded by Roger of Lauria defeated a large combined Angevin (Apulian and Principatan) galley fleet commanded respectively by Reynald III Quarrel of Avella and Narjot de Toucy. Lauria had taken his fleet to Augusta, eastern Sicily, after a report of an Angevin galley fleet landing invasion troops there. He landed his troops, who recaptured the town, leaving the Angevins holed up in the castle. However, the invasion was a decoy and the Angevin galleys had sailed around the south of Sicily and linked up with their allies, forming a fleet about twice the size of Lauria's. Their plan was to land troops in the south-west of Sicily. Lauria searched for the allied fleet and finally found it at Naples. Unable to attack it close to the city, he bombarded the nearby coast to lure it out, as he had done in 1284, and sent in a formal challenge. The Angevin fleet came out arranged in five squadrons, each commanded by a count (hence the name of the battle). They were Reynald III Quarrel of Avella, Hugh of Brienne, the Count of Aquila, Count Jean de Joinville and Guy de Montfort, Count of Nola. Each of their flag-galleys was surrounded to each side by four other galleys and to the rear by two galleys. The fleet flag-galley had two galleys to its front also. This made 63 galleys, and there may have been a small reserve since about 70 of the about 84 Angevin galleys are said to have come out to fight. Two tarides carried the Papal and Angevin banners. Lauria had around 40-45 galleys. He followed his usual tactic and retreated until the Angevin galleys had become disorganized, weathered their initial attack, then counter attacked from the sides, damaging the Angevin galleys oars. In a battle lasting much of the day, Henry di Mari again fled, leaving about 40 Angevin galleys to be captured, along with 5,000 prisoners, including many counts and barons. Ships involved:

Via dei Tribunali is a street in the old historic center of Naples, Italy. It was the main decumanus or Decumanus Maggiore — that is, the main east-west street—of the ancient Greek and then Roman city of Neapolis, paralleled to the south by the lower decumanus (Decumano Inferiore, now called Spaccanapoli) and to the north by the upper decumanus (Decumano Superiore) (now via Anticaglia and Via della Sapienza). The three decumani were (and still are) intersected by numerous north-south cross-streets called cardini, together forming the grid of the ancient city. The modern streets/alleys that overlie and follow the ancient grid of these ancient streets. The length of the modern Via dei Tribunali was determined by the urban expansion requirements of the Spanish starting in the early 16th century. The street runs from the church of San Pietro a Maiella and adjacent Naples Music Conservatory at the west end of the old city for about three-quarters of a mile, passing the central cross-road at via San Gregorio Armeno, then crossing via Duomo near the Cathedral of Naples and ending at what was, until quite recently, the main Naples courthouse (Italian: Tribunale), from which the street draws its name.

The Province of Naples (Italian: Provincia di Napoli; Neapolitan: Pruvincia 'e Nàpule) was a province in the Campania region of southern Italy. In 2014/2015, the reform of local authorities (Law 142/1990 and Law 56/2014), replaced the Province of Naples with the Metropolitan City of Naples.

Spaccanapoli is the straight and narrow main street that traverses the old, historic center of the city of Naples, Italy. The name is a popular usage and means, literally, "Naples splitter". The name is derived from the fact that it is very long and from above it seems to divide that part of the city. This street is the lower (Decumanus Inferiore) and southernmost of the three decumani, or east-west streets, of the grid of the original Greco-Roman city of Neapolis. The central main Decumanus Maggiore is now Via dei Tribunali; while the northernmost or upper Decumanus Superiore is now via Anticaglia and Via della Sapienza. The three decumani were (and still are) intersected by numerous north-south cross-streets called cardini, together forming the grid of the ancient city. Today, the street officially starts at Piazza Gesù Nuovo and is officially named Via Benedetto Croce. Moving east, the street changes name to Via S. Biagio dei Librai and then crosses Via Duomo (named for the Cathedral of Naples) and moves beyond the confines of the old center of town. Spaccanapoli is the main promenade for tourists as it provides access to a number of important sights of the city. These include: Santa Chiara Santa Marta San Biagio Maggiore Santi Filippo e Giacomo San Francesco delle Monache San Domenico Maggiore Palazzo Venezia Palazzo Petrucci Palazzo Pinelli Palazzo Carafa della Spina Palazzo del Panormita Palazzo Filomarino della Rocca Palazzo di Sangro Palazzo di Sangro di Casacalenda Palazzo Marigliano Piazzetta Nilo with the Nile God statue Palazzo of Monte di Pietà, Naples

The 1943 Naples post office bombing occurred on October 7, 1943, after the U.S. Fifth Army had captured Naples (October 1) and reached the Volturno River (October 6). The Palazzo delle Poste, Naples, an imposing structure, completed in 1936 is located in the center of the city, was looted by Nazi troops during the occupation. After their retreat it became occupied by families who were made homeless by the bombing and destruction heaped on the city. This happened during the insurrection that was known as the "Four days of Naples" that had taken place a few weeks earlier. On that morning a series of violent explosions ripped through the building and caused heavy damage to the surrounding buildings and the death of more than 100 people, including women, children and members of a 82nd Airborne Division unit. The unit was commanded by General Matthew B. Ridgway. An investigation determined that the explosion was the result of several time bombs planted by the Germans six days earlier. A reporter from the Time and Life magazines, Will Lang Jr., was no more than 300 feet (90 m) from the explosion when it occurred. The shockwave threw him to the ground, and the impact sprained his right arm. A photographer for LIFE magazine, Robert Capa, and Acme News photographer Charles Corte began taking pictures of the shattered Post Office and the carnage lying in the streets. One of the physicians on hand was Brigadier General Edgar Hume whose office was across the street from the post office.

Borgo Santa Lucia, or simply Santa Lucia ("Saint Lucy [Borough]"), is a historical rione of Naples, Italy, facing the coast. The area rises around the street of the same name, in turn named after the basilica of Santa Lucia a Mare, the presence of which is attested since the 9th century, in spite of legend that would have it founded by a granddaughter of Constantine I.

Santa Maria della Catena or Santa Maria del Porto is a church in Borgo Santa Lucia of Naples, Italy. The church was founded in 1576 by the inhabitants of the quartiere, and dedicated to the Madonna della Catena, an important Marian cult in Naples and Sicily. The legend holds that in 1390 in Palermo, three innocent, yet condemned, prisoners had their execution delayed due to a downpour. While in jail, their chains were broken by the miraculous intervention of the Virgin. The chains were found in the church of Santa Maria del Porto, further corroborating their tale, and led to the cult of Holy Mary of "the Chains" (della Catena). The church here was rebuilt in the 17th century by Carmelo Passero. The decoration of the cupolas was completed by Gabriele Barrile, with collaboration of Andrea Canale. The church has the tomb of the painter Jusepe de Ribera, called Spagnoletto. In the church is buried since 1799, the Admiral Francesco Caracciolo, who was executed by orders of Horatio Nelson. The fishermen of the neighborhood, who considered the admiral one of their own. An epitaph, posted in 1881, recalls that event. The church was linked to the Feast of the Chain, which until thirty years ago took place in early September. During the feast, a boat was burned on the beach, around which were then organized singing and dancing. Santa Maria della Catena was a parish church up to half of the 18th century, today is a rectory for the nearby church of Santa Lucia a Mare.

The Biblioteca nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III (Victor Emmanuel III National Library) is a national library of Italy. It occupies the eastern wing of the 18th-century Palazzo Reale in Naples, at 1 Piazza del Plebiscito, and has entrances from piazza Trieste e Trento. It is funded and organised by the Direzione Generale per i Beni Librari and the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali. In quantitative terms it is the third largest library in Italy, after the national libraries in Rome and Florence, with 1,480,747 printed volumes, 319,187 pamphlets, 18,415 manuscripts, more than 8,000 periodicals, 4,500 incunabula and the 1,800 Herculaneum papyri.

The Royal Palace of Naples (Italian: Palazzo Reale di Napoli, Neapolitan: Palazzo Riale ‘e Napule) is a palace, museum, and historical tourist destination located in central Naples, southern Italy. It was one of the four residences near Naples used by the House of Bourbon during their rule of the Kingdom of Naples (1735–1816) and later the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1816-1861). The others were the palaces of Caserta, Capodimonte overlooking Naples and Portici on the slopes of Vesuvius.

Santa Maria Egiziaca a Pizzofalcone is a Baroque-style, Roman Catholic, Basilica church on the street of the titular name in the hill of Pizzofalcone, in the historic center of Naples, region of Campania, Italy. The church layout was initially designed by Cosimo Fanzago.