Naples, or Napoli in Italian, is the capital city of the Campania region and the province of Naples in the south of Italy. It has a location of outstanding natural beauty by the Bay of Naples and with Mount Vesuvius as a striking but always potentially menacing neighbour.

Nearly 3,000 years ago the Greeks made Naples their new city - Neapolis. Later the Romans made the whole region their own special campania - often prefixed with the word felix, calling it their ‘happy land'. Virgil, the poet of the Roman empire, is said to be buried in the city's Parco Virgiliano.

The city's political history is rather complex. After Roman times Naples has been dominated by Goths, Byzantines, Lombards, Normans, Swabians, Angevins, Aragonese, Spaniards, Austrians, Bourbons and revolutionary French, all of which have left traces in its culture and cityscape.

In 1266 the city became the capital of the Kingdom of Sicily, and after the Congress of Vienna in the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars, it became the capital of the united Kingdom of Two Sicilies. Only with the unification of Italy and the establishment of the Italian state did Naples become an ordinary Italian city.

For much of the period from the Italian unification until the present day, however, Naples has been a troubled city, ridden with crime, poverty, corruption and extremely bad waste management - something that has at times turned the city itself into a dump.

And while in the 18th century Naples was a prime destination for Grand Tour travellers, the city has struggled to regain the old allure, lagging behind many other Italian destinations in terms of visitor numbers.

The times are changing, however, for Naples is now making strides in recovering its eminence as a cultural centre. In 1995 its historic centre was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and increasingly tourists are rediscovering this beautiful city with its vibrant, energetic and at times chaotic life.

Because of its tangled history Naples has an extremely rich heritage, given expression in its fascinating and extraordinarily urban architecture, and it has an amazingly complex culture. Add to that its culinary wealth (from the huge pizzas to the fresh seafood) and it is hardly surprising that tourists are again being seduced and mesmerized by this jewel on Italy's Mediterranean coast.