This book offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary exploration of Naples, a city of profound historical depth and multifaceted complexity, situated at the crossroads of European and Mediterranean history. Spanning from the Late Middle Ages to the present day, it delves into the intricate relationship between power, society, and urban transformation that has shaped its distinctive identity.
Moving beyond traditional narratives, the volume presents a blend of diachronic narrative and thematic insights into key aspects of political, social, economic, and cultural history. It traces Naples' assertion as the capital of an early-centralized kingdom, charting its physical evolution and economic and social fabric. It also examines the city's complex search for a redefinition of its role in the post-Unification era—a crucial turning point in its history—ultimately providing the reader with the coordinates for deciphering the history of a city whose image is heavily influenced by myths and stereotypes.
The Routledge Handbook of the History of Naples serves as a valuable resource for scholars and postgraduates specializing in urban history, Mediterranean studies, and Italian history, offering fresh perspectives and rigorous methodologies. Its clear approach also makes it highly useful for undergraduates and non-specialist readers, including booksellers and librarians, seeking a deeper understanding of Naples' enduring legacy.
This book offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary exploration of Naples, a city of profound historical depth and multifaceted complexity, situated at the crossroads of European and Mediterranean history.
I. Overviews. From the Anjevins to the 20th century.
1. The Anjevin Naples (1266-1442)
Amedeo Feniello
2. The Aragonese Naples (1442-1503)
Roberto Delle Donne
3. The Kingless Capital. Naples under Spanish and Austrian rule (1503-1734)
Alida Clemente
4. Naples under its own king: the first Bourbon period (1734-1806)
Anna Maria Rao
5. From the French Decade to Italian Unification (1806-1861)
Luigi Mascilli Migliorini
6. The fate of a former capital (1860-1914)
Marco Meriggi
7. A Century of Lights and Shadows. From World War I to the Nineties
Resurgence
Paolo Mattera
II. Urban Nature: The Built City and Its Environment
8. Naples Urban Plan (c.900 - c.1500).
Ronald G. Musto
9. The Early Modern City (16th -19th cc.)
Brigitte Marin
10. The great urban transformation. From Risanamento to the Metropolitan
City (19th -21st cc.)
Roberto Parisi
11. Nature and the City. Uses (and abuses) of environmental resources in
Early Modern and Modern Naples
Ilaria Zilli
12. Disasters. The Physical and Cultural Shaping of Naples
Domenico Cecere
III. Weaving the City: The Economic and Social Fabric of Naples
13. The Hospital Network in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period
Gemma Teresa Colesanti and Salvatore Marino
14. Within Global Networks: The Emporium City and Foreign Economic Elites
(13th 19th cc.)
Alida Clemente and Amedeo Feniello
15. Capital city, ruling city, primary city: a questionable hierarchy in the
economy of Early Modern Naples
Daniela Ciccolella
16. The primary city. Industriousness and economic centrality (18th-19th
cc.)
Daniela Ciccolella and Luigi De Matteo
17. The camorre. A plural phenomenon between reality and representation
Luciano Brancaccio
18. Industry and civil progress: a broken utopia? (20th century)
Giuseppe Moricola
19. The old city centre. Facts and memory of a lived space: 1945-2016.
Gabriella Gribaudi
IV. Mirroring Naples: Cultural Forms, Representations and Self-Image
20. A stage for the sovereignty. Culture and Power in Mediaeval Age
Fulvio Delle Donne
21. Histories and Historians of Early modern Naples
Girolamo Imbruglia
22. Revolts and Revolutions. From the Lazzari to the dangerous classes
(17th 19th cc.)
Franco Benigno
23. The musical city: singing its identity (from the Renaissance to the 19th
Century)
Dinko Fabris
24. The Heavens of Naples. True, Alleged, and Non-Existent Saints, Souls of
Purgatory, and Football Legends
Francesco Paolo De Ceglia
25. Naples narrated: Fiction, Theatre, Cinema (1946-)
Francesco De Cristofaro and Massimo Fusillo
Alida Clemente is Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Foggia. Her research interests focus on the social, economic, and urban history of Southern Italy. She co-edited Microgeographies of the Western City (Routledge, 2019) with J. Stobart and D. Lindstrom.
Amedeo Feniello is Professor of Medieval History at the Department of Human Sciences at the University of LAquila. His research focuses on the study of society and the economy in Southern Italy during Middle Ages. His most recent book on Naples is Naples 1343 (Other Press, 2024).
Paolo Frascani is Emeritus Professor of Economic History at the University of Naples LOrientale. He is recognized as one of the leading experts on the history of contemporary Naples. His research focuses on the economic and social history of contemporary Italy. His most recent book on Naples is Napoli, Viaggio nella città reale (2017).
