What is the Historic Centre of Naples UNESCO site?

The Historic Centre of Naples is the oldest part of the city, spanning over 2,700 years of continuous habitation and development. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, it covers approximately 1,021 hectares and is uniquely recognized for the almost total conservation of its ancient Greek road layout. It encompasses iconic structures such as the Galleria Umberto I alongside a remarkably dense concentration of cultural and architectural resources.

What we know

• The historic centre of Naples spans a history of over 2,700 years and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. [2]
• The site covers approximately 1,021 hectares and is noted for its almost total conservation and use of the ancient Greek road layout. [2]
• Naples was founded by Greeks in the first millennium BC, starting as a colony on Pizzofalcone hill before being refounded as Neápolis. [3]
• The 19th-century public shopping gallery Galleria Umberto I is part of the UNESCO listing for the historic centre. [5]

Where to go next

• how it workedHow did ancient Greeks design the road layout of Naples?
• what caused itWhat was the risanamento urban rebuilding project in Naples?
• the bigger pictureWhat other World Heritage Sites are located in Italy?
• a case in pointGalleria Umberto I in Naples
• whenHow did Naples function as the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies?
• an unexpected connectionHow does an American World War II novel connect to a grand 19th-century shopping gallery?The Galleria Umberto I serves as the primary setting for John Horne Burns's 1947 novel The Gallery, drawing on his experiences as an American soldier stationed in Naples after its liberation.

Sources

• [1]Historic Centre of Naples (Wikidata Q832957) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Historic Centre of Naples · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Naples · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]List of World Heritage Sites in Italy · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Galleria Umberto I · CC BY-SA 4.0