DK Travel : Naples & the Amalfi Coast : History & Culture

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Petronius

In his saga The Satyricon , only a fragment of which survives, this author (d.AD 66) captures the decadence of the Roman Empire in the villas of Naples.
Phlegraean Fields

Underground cities, craters and mythic ruins all attest to the zone’s rich archaeological heritage.
Piazza Bellini

This square is one of the most appealing places in Naples, lined with inviting cafés, bookshops and the façades of palaces. Of particular note is the monastery of Sant’Antonio a Port’Alba, incorporating 15th-century Palazzo Conca and adorned with busts of the Spanish royal family. At the centre of the piazza, in addition to a statue of the eponymous composer, is an archaeological excavation, revealing 5th-century BC Greek walls of large tufa blocks .
Piazza Bellini

Sections of 5th-century BC Greek walls are found on this square.
Pietro Cavallini

Many scholars now credit this Roman artist (c.1250–c.1330) with much of the St Francis fresco in Assisi, until recently attributed to Giotto. His work in Naples includes Scenes from the Lives of Christ and John the Baptist in San Domenico Maggiore.
Pizzofalcone

Probably founded in the 7th century BC, this was the first settlement in Naples.
Plague of 1656

At the beginning of the 17th century Naples was Europe’s largest city, with a population of some 300,000, but in 1656 a plague struck. After six months, three-quarters of the population were buried in mass graves.
Pliny the Younger

Thanks to this writer (AD 62–113) we know much about the day Vesuvius erupted and buried Pompeii (see The Eruption of AD 79).
Politeama

This large, modern space offers international music, dance and drama. Recent international performers have included German cutting-edge dancer Pina Bausch and US composer Philip Glass.
Pompeii

Certainly no archaeological find is more important than that of ancient Pompeii, where a culture was captured forever by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Not only can we see the streets, buildings, furnishings, art, tools, jewellery, and even the food and drink of the people who lived here, but plaster casts reveal the people themselves. From the ruling class down to slaves, we can see their last moments during those terrible few hours that doomed the city.