Papal States, on an arm of the Po; is fortified and garrisoned by Austrian troops. It is the seat of a famous university, at which Ariosto was educated; contains a public library of 80,000 volumes, besides numerous MSS., including some of Ariosto and Tasso; and was for a time the asylum of Calvin, Marot, and other reformers. Bologna (Bononia), once the capital of the Etruscans, and now of a legation. In regard to population, it is the second city of the Papal States; is the seat of a famous university, which in 1841 had 560 students; the birthplace of Galvani, Aldrovandi, Malpighi, the painters Guido, Albano, Domenichino, and the three Caracci. Faenza (Faventia), long celebrated for its earthenware, and supposed to have been the first Italian city in which the manufacture of that article was introduced. It was the birthplace of Torricelli, the inventor of the barometer. Ravenna, a very ancient town, founded by the Pelasgi; the residence of the emperors when Italy was threatened by the barbarians, and one of the principal stations of the fleet. It is rich in antiquities of the early middle ages. Forli (Forum Livii), the seat of a university, and of a cardinal legate; possesses considerable trade and manufactures. Rimini (Ariminum), originally an Umbrian town, was colonised by the Romans B.C. 268; became the seat of a great ecclesiastical council A.D. 359; and has important sulphur mines in the vicinity. Urbino (Urbinum Hortense), capital of delegation Urbino e Pesaro; contains a ducal palace, a cathedral, a college, and a manufactory of pins, and was the birthplace of Raphael in 1483. Ancona, capital of a delegation, and a fortified seaport, which is one of the best frequented in Italy. Loreto owes its origin to a famous chapel of the Virgin, over which a magnificent church has been built. Ascoli (Asculum Picenum), a fortified town, capital of a delegation on the Tronto. THE KINGDOM OF NAPLES, also called the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, contains one hundred and twenty-eight towns of above 5000 inhabitants; sixty-seven above 10,000; sixteen above 20,000; four (Naples, Palermo, Catania, and Messina) above 50,000; and two (the capital and Palermo) above 100,000. Naples (Ital. Napoli, anc. Neapolis, signifying the New Town, to distinguish it from the neighbouring Palæpolis, or Old Town), capital of the kingdom, and by far the most populous city in Italy, is beautifully situated on the northern shore of the bay of same name, and rises in the form of an amphitheatre on the slope of a range of hills. The date of its foundation is uncertain, but it was probably about B.C. 417; came into the hands of the Romans B.C. 290; continued to be a flourishing place till the time of Titus, when it was destroyed by an earthquake; was rebuilt by that emperor. It is now the centre of all the learned institutions, of the kingdom; has five public libraries and many public schools; its university, founded in 1224, had, in 1841, 1550 students. Naples is the principal seaport of the kingdom, possesses several manufactures and considerable commerce; the streets are infested with medicants, called lazzaroni; has frequently suffered from earthquakes, and eruptions of Mount Vesuvius. Here Virgil studied. In its vicinity are the celebrated ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which were buried during an eruption of Vesuvius in A.D. 79, and the existence of which was unknown until 1720, when they were accidentally discovered in sinking a well. Since then excavations have been made from time to time, and many of the most valuable relics of antiquity have been found, which reveal to us more of the private life of the ancients than all other ancient remains put together. Gaeta (Gaïeta), a fortified seaport town, containing a garrison: here Cicero was assassinated B.C. 43, and here Pope Pius IX. found an asylum in 1849. Arpina (Arpinum), the birthplace of Cicero, Marius, and Agrippa. Avellino (Abellinum), a fortified town, capital of the province Principato Ultra; near it the Val di Gargano, famous for the victory of the Samnites over the Romans, who were here compelled to pass under the yoke in the year of Rome 433. Caserta, capital of province Terra di Lavoro; near it is the royal silkfactory of S. Leucio. Aversa, founded in A.D. 1020, and famed for its almond-cakes, which are in great demand at Naples. Pozzuoli or Puzzuoli (Puteoli), originally a Greek colony, founded by the Greeks of Cumæ B.C. 521; visited by St Paul in his first journey to Rome. The city gives its name to a reddish earth or clay found in its vicinity, called pozzolana, which, when mixed with lime, forms an excellent cement. Castellamare (Stabiæ), destroyed by the great eruption which buried Pompeii, A.D. 79. The elder Pliny perished here during the catastrophe. It is now an important place, possessing various manufactures of linen, silk, and cotton fabrics. Sorrento (Surrentum), the birthplace of Tasso in 1544. Sarno: here was fought a battle between the troops of Justinian and the Goths, which ended in the fall of the Gothic sway in Italy. Salerno (Salernum), capital of province Principato Citra, contains a university which in the middle ages had a famous school of medicine. Reggio (Rhegium Julii), capital of province Calabria Ultra I., opposite Messina, and the most southern city and seaport of Italy. It was founded by Greek colonists B.C. 743, and the Greek language continued to be spoken in it till a late period of the middle ages. It was one of the most renowned cities of Magna Græcia-was celebrated for its winesthe birthplace of Agathocles, Hippias, Hipparchus, and of several poets and sculptors-and was touched at by St Paul in his voyage to Rome. Catanzaro (Catacium), capital of province Calabria Ultra II., has manufactures of silk velvet, cloth, and other tissues. Potenza, a fortified town, and capital of province Basilicata. Altamura has a university founded by Charles of Anjou. Taranto (Tarentum), an ancient city of great historic celebrity, founded B.C. 708 by Spartan emigrants; it long exercised a sort of supremacy over all the other Greek cities in Italy; by its commerce and manufactures it acquired immense wealth, a large portion of which was expended in hiring mercenary troops to defend its liberties. Gallipoli (Kallipolis), a fortified seaport town, noted for its cisterns excavated in the rock, and peculiarly adapted for clarifying olive-oil: the port is well frequented, and is the great mart for the oil of Apulia. Lecce (Aletium), capital of province Otranto, has a royal manufactory of snuff, and various other manufactures. Bari (Barium), capital of province Terra di Bari, once celebrated for its fisheries; is a place of considerable importance, with a good quay and roadstead, and a trade in several branches of manufacture. Molfetta (Respa), a seaport town, trading in corn, oil, and almonds. Barletta (Barolum), a fortified seaport town, carrying on a brisk trade with the other towns on the Adriatic. Cerignola maintains a trade in cotton and fruits. Foggia, capital of province Capitanata, in the Apulian plain, is considered the second city in Naples for wealth and importance; it is the entrepôt of an extensive trade in corn, wool, cheese, cattle, wine, oil, and capers. Chieti (Teate), capital of province Abruzzo Citra, on a hill near the Pescara, was taken by the French in 1802. Aquila (Amiternum), capital of province Abruzzo Ultra, one of the most commercial cities in the kingdom birthplace of Sallust. Sulmona, the birthplace of the poet Ovid. Capua, capital of province Terra di Lavoro, on the Volturno, strongly fortified, and is considered one of the keys of the kingdom; for though far from the frontier, it is the only fortress that covers the approach to Naples. Oppido, on the Brandano, destroyed by the great earthquake of Calabria in 1783, which overwhelmed all the towns and villages within a radius of twenty-two miles of this town. Palermo (Panormus), the capital of Sicily, and, next to Naples, the most important city in the Neapolitan dominions; it exceeds Rome in population, has an extensive export and import trade, a cathedral, a royal palace, and an observatory; is the residence of the military commandant of the island, and has an arsenal and shipbuilding docks, a university, which in 1841 had 735 students, a library of 40,000 volumes, a botanic garden, and numerons learned societies. Palermo was founded by the Phoenicians, was long the chief station of the Carthaginian fleet; fell into the hands of the Romans B.C. 254; was afterwards the capital of the Saracen States in the island; was taken by the Normans A.D. 1072; and in 1282 was the scene of the massacre called the "Sicilian Vespers,' which, commencing in the freak of a Frenchman, in which he was held to have insulted a Sicilian lady going to church, ended in the utter extermination of every Frenchman in the island. Trapani (Drepanum), capital of province of same name, has a good harbour and considerable trade; was the scene of a celebrated sea-fight between the Roman and Carthaginian fleets B.C. 249. Marsala (Lilybæum), long the capital of the Carthaginian dominions in Sicily, now chiefly famous for its wine, which it largely exports. Sciacca (Thermæ Selinuntina), a seaport town, forming one of the principal depôts in the island for corn; has an export trade in fruits, anchovies, sulphur, and barilla; birthplace of the historian Fazzello. Girgenti (Agrigentum), founded B.C. 582, soon became one of the wealthiest and most splendid cities in Sicily--a fact still attested by its numerous ruins of magnificent temples and other public buildings: it is the chief port in Sicily for the shipment of sulphur. Terranova, near the site of the ancient Gela, which was founded B.C. 690 by Rhodian and Cretan colonists, and soon rose to great power and wealth, so that its citizens were able to found Agrigentum, which soon eclipsed the mother-city. The poet Eschylus died at Gela B.C. 456. Syracuse (Syracuse), an ancient and famous city, at one time the largest and wealthiest in Sicily, founded by Corinthian colonists B.C. 734. At the time of its greatest prosperity it was 180 stadia or 22 miles in circumference, and is said to have had a population of 1,200,000 souls; was taken by the Romans B.C. 212, by the Saracens A.D. 878, and ruined by an earthquake in 1693; was the residence of Plato, Simonides, Zeno, and Cicero; the place where Hicetas first propounded the true revolution of the earth; and the birthplace of Archimedes, Theocritus, and Moschus. The harbour is admirably adapted for a commercial emporium, but its trade is now nearly confined to a few exports of salt, oil, wine, and fish. Catania (Catăna), at the southern foot of Mount Etna, now the third most important city in the island, was founded B. C. 730; fell into the hands of the Romans at the close of the first Punic war; has been repeatedly ruined by earthquakes and eruptions of the volcano, but always rebuilt in a superior style: the houses are built and the streets paved with lava; various manufactures of silk, and wares made of lava and amber; exports corn, macaroni, potatoes, olives, figs, raw silk, wine, soda, manna, cantharides, and snow from Mount Etna; contains a university, founded in 1445. Messina (Messene and Messana), the most populous city in Sicily, except Palermo; founded at a very remote period by the Siculi, the earliest inhabitants of the island, who named it Zancle, (i.e. a Sickle), from the curved form of its harbour; became a place of great commercial activity until B. C. 396, when it was taken and destroyed by the Carthaginians. The harbour, which is well fortified, is one of the finest in Europe; considerable trade and steam communication with Naples, Marseille, and Malta; an active tunny and other fisheries, and manufactures of damasks and satins. Paterno, with hot chalybeate springs. Lipari exports pumice-stone to all parts of the world, also sulphur, nitre, sal-ammoniac, soda, capers, and fish. In the vicinity are fragments of Cyclopean walls. PRINCIPALITY OF MONACO.-Monaco (Portus Herculis Monoeci), the capital of a small principality on the south coast of Nice, and under the protection of Sardinia, which maintains its garrison of 300 men. The prince resides here six months in the year, and at Paris the other six. It is fortified, has a palace, and two hospitals, and enjoys a healthy climate. SAN MARINO.San Marino, the capital of one of the smallest and most ancient states in Europe, which has an area of only 21 square miles, and a population of 7600 inhabitants, who are chiefly occupied in rural industry and silk-manufactures. It is situated on the Ausa, which enters the Adriatic at Rimini, and is surrounded on all sides by the Pontifical States. 8. Capes.-Cape Delle Melle and Point Venere, on either side of the Gulf of Genoa; Piombino and Argentaro, in Tuscany; Circello, west of the Pontifical States; Campanella, Licosa, Palinuro, and Vaticano, on west coast of Naples; Spartivento, Nau or Colonna, and Leuca, south of Naples; Otranto and Gargano, in the Adriatic; Passaro, San Vito, and Ras Culmo, in Sicily; Teulada and Carbonara, south of island of Sardinia. 9. Islands. The Italian islands are arranged into four groups or clusters-viz. the Sardo-Corsican, Sicilian, Maltese, and Ponza groups. The Sardo-Corsican Islands, separated from the mainland by the Tyrrhenian Sea, are chiefly Sardinia (the second largest island in the Mediterranean; area, 9167 square miles; population, 547,112); Corsica, which belongs to France; and Elba, to Tuscany. The Sicilian Group, which belongs to Naples, and nearly connects the Italian peninsula with the African coast, consisting principally of Sicily (the largest island in the Mediterranean; area, 10,556 square miles; population, 2,091,580); the Lipari Islands (Stromboli, Lipari, Vulcano, &c.), Ustica, Favignana, and Pantellaria. The Maltese Group, belonging to Great Britain, and consisting of Malta, Gozo, and Comino. The Ponza Group, W. of Naples, chiefly Ponza, Ischia, and Capri. 10. Seas, Gulfs, and Straits (all forming parts of the Mediterranean) -viz., 1. Seas: the Tyrrhenian Sea, between Italy and the SardoCorsican Islands; Ionian Sea, between Italy and Greece; Adriatic, between the Italian and Hellenic peninsulas. 2. Gulfs, of Genoa, Gaeta, Naples, Salerno, Policastro, and St Eufemia, on the west side; of Squillace and Taranto on the south, of Manfredonia and of Venice in the Adriatic. 3. Straits, of Messina, between Naples and Sicily; Piombino, between Tuscany and Elba; Bonifacio, between the islands Corsica and Sardinia; Otranto, between Naples and Turkey. Ꮓ 11. Mountain-System.-There are three great mountainranges in Italy: the first separates Italy from the rest of the continent; the second traverses the mainland, in the direction of its greatest length, and extends to the farthest extremity of Sicily; and the third stretches from N. to S. through the Sardo-Corsican Islands. The first and second are the two most important members of the great Alpine system described under "Europe," and repeatedly referred to under the corresponding sections of France, Switzerland, and Austria; but we subjoin here the principal Alpine ranges, with their respective extreme elevations, and enter more minutely into the other two, which belong exclusively to Italy. THE ALPS PROPER, a huge crescent-shaped range, extending as a whole from Nice to Vienna, bounding Italy on the N. W. and N., and separating the basin of the Po from those of the Rhone, Rhine, and Danube. The portions belonging to Italy are the following:Maritime Alps, between Piedmont and Nice, and between the basins of the Po and Var. Highest summits Col de Tende, Col de Maurin, Feet. 5,889 9,786 13,600 Cottian Alps, separating Piedmont from France, and the basin of the Po from that of the Rhone Graian Alps, between Piedmont and Savoy, and between basins of Po and Rhone M. Iseran, Little St Bernard, Feet. 13,282 9,600 Pennine Alps, between Piedmont and Switzerland, and between the Po and Upper Rhone, and containing Feet. M. Blanc, the culminating-point of the Alps, 15,744 11,080 M. Cervin, 14,771 15,208 M. Rosa, culminating-point of Switzerland, Helvetian or Lepontine Alps, extending into Switzerland, and separating the head-waters of the Po, Rhone, and Rhine Feet. 11,510 10,900 Rhatian Alps, between Lombardy and the Tyrol, and between the Po and Danube |