What was the Risanamento of Naples?

The Risanamento was a large-scale urban re-planning and renewal effort carried out in Italian cities during the 19th century following unification. Specifically, the Risanamento of Naples involved making the city healthy again, similar to the contemporaneous transformation of Paris led by Baron Haussmann. Naples itself is a historic regional capital in southern Italy with ancient origins that later underwent various phases of expansion and reconstruction.

What we know

• The term Risanamento translates literally to making healthy again. [2]
• The Risanamento named large-scale urban re-planning projects in Italian cities during the 19th century after unification, with particular examples in Florence and Naples. [2]
• The Risanamento of Naples was similar to what Baron Haussmann did to Paris. [2]
• Naples served as the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies until the unification of Italy in 1861. [3]

Where to go next

• compared withHow did Baron Haussmann redesign Paris?
• a case in pointWhat was the Risanamento of Florence?
• what caused itHow did Italian unification affect Italian cities?
• the bigger pictureWhat is the history of Naples as a capital?
• whenHow was Palermo rebuilt after World War II?
• an unexpected connectionHow does 19th-century urban renewal connect to World War II Palermo?The term Risanamento, originally coined for 19th-century post-unification city replanning like in Naples, was reused decades later in the 20th century to describe post-WWII urban renewal in Palermo.

Sources

• [1]Risanamento (Wikidata Q3936397) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Risanamento · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Naples · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]University of Naples Federico II · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Palace of the Bank of Italy (Naples) · CC BY-SA 4.0