Campania’s birth and growth can be traced to the merger of two of the greatest civilizations in world history—the Greeks and Romans. The Greeks initially occupied the region as early as the 7thcentury B.C., at which point it became part of Magna Graecia. Several hundred years later the Romans arrived, and the region assimilated into a Greco-Roman culture. The Romans began to call the territory “Campania Felix,” which meant fertile countryside.

Naples, the capital of Campania, is one of the oldest continually inhabited urban areas in the world. During the 1600s, Naples was the largest city in all of Europe, and one of the major centers for culture and wealth. Naples has more royal palaces than Paris, more world class museums than Florence, and nearly as many churches as Rome.