Naples (Italian: Napoli [ˈnaːpoli] ( listen), Neapolitan: Napule) is the capital of Campania and the third-largest city in Italy, after Rome and Milan. As of 2012[update], it has a population of around 960,000 within its administrative limits, on a land area of 117.3 km2 (45 sq mi). The wider urban area of Naples extends over 777 km2 (300 sq mi), and has a population of above 3 million, constituting the 10th-most populous urban area in the European Union. Between 4.1 and 4.4 million people live in the overall Naples metropolitan area, which constitutes one of the largest European cities on the Mediterranean Sea.
Founded around the 9th century BC as a Greek colony, Naples is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Originally named Parthenope (Παρθενόπη) and later Neápolis (Νεάπολις – English: New City), it was among the foremost cities of Magna Graecia, playing a key role in the merging of Greek culture into Roman society. Naples eventually became part of the Roman Republic as a major cultural centre; the prominent Latin poet, Virgil, received part of his education in the city and later resided in its environs. As a microcosm of European history, the city has witnessed the rise and fall of numerous civilizations, each leaving traces in its art and architecture. Although many Greek and Roman ruins are in evidence in Naples and its surroundings, the most prominent forms of architecture now visible derive from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.
