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he Greeks founded Naples in the VIth century BC: after having been named Paleopolis, which means "ancient town", it was renamed Neopolis meaning "new town" from where it derives its present name. In 544 Naples fell under the rule of the Byzantine Empire and came under its artistic influence. United with Sicily in 1442 to form the realm of the Two Sicilies, it was crushed shortly afterwards by the Spanish, and then came to life again thanks to the Bourbons who made it into an outstanding cultural centre from 1764 to 1860. From this past we can still see numerous magnificent churches and chapels today, and also superb richly decorated royal palaces with baroque architecture and sumptuous interiors crammed with furniture and paintings originating from Renaissance classicism.
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Pair of Neapolitan sculptures
