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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.
List of contents
Amedeo Feniello2. The Aragonese Naples (1442-1503)
Roberto Delle DonneAlida Clemente4. Naples under its 'own king': the first Bourbon period (1734-1806)
Anna Maria Rao5. From the French Decade to Italian Unification (1806-1861)
Luigi Mascilli Migliorini 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 MatteraII. Ronald G. Musto9. The Early Modern City (16th -19th cc.)
Brigitte MarinRoberto Parisi11. Nature and the City. Uses (and abuses) of environmental resources in Early Modern and Modern Naples
Ilaria Zilli12. Disasters. The Physical and Cultural Shaping of Naples
Domenico CecereGemma Teresa Colesanti and Salvatore Marino14. Within Global Networks: The Emporium City and Foreign Economic Elites (13th -19th cc.)
Alida Clemente and Amedeo FenielloDaniela Ciccolella16. The primary city. Industriousness and economic centrality (18th-19th cc.)
Daniela Ciccolella and Luigi De Matteo Luciano Brancaccio18. 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 GribaudiIV. Mirroring Naples: Cultural Forms, Representations and Self-ImageFulvio Delle Donne 21.
Histories and Historians of Early modern Naples
Girolamo ImbrugliaFranco Benigno23. The musical city: singing its identity (from the Renaissance to the 19th Century)
Dinko Fabris24. The Heavens of Naples. True, Alleged, and Non-Existent Saints, Souls of Purgatory, and Football Legends
Francesco Paolo De CegliaFrancesco De Cristofaro and Massimo Fusillo
About the author
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 L'Aquila. 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
"L'Orientale." 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).
