Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preliminary Material -- Introduction: “Naples is the Whole World” / Tommaso Astarita -- 1. Constructing the Past of Early Modern Naples: Sources and Historiography / John A. Marino -- 2. Urban Structures and Population / Giovanni Muto -- 3. Representation and Self-Perception: Plans and Views of Naples in the Early Modern Period / Vladimiro Valerio -- 4. Economy and Finance in Early Modern Naples / Gaetano Sabatini -- 5. Governing the City / Giulio Sodano -- 6. Political History / Aurelio Musi -- 7. Nation and Ceremony: Political Uses of Urban Space in Viceregal Naples / Carlos José Hernando Sánchez -- 8. The Space of Women / Elisa Novi Chavarria -- 9. The Naples Elites between City and Kingdom / Angelantonio Spagnoletti -- 10. A Mediterranean Port in the Confessional Age: Religious Minorities in Early Modern Naples / Peter A. Mazur -- 11. Inquisition and Church in Early Modern Naples / Giovanni Romeo -- 12. Public Rituals and Festivals in Naples, 1503–1799 / Gabriel Guarino -- 13. Tempi sì calamitosi: Epidemic Disease and Public Health / David Gentilcore -- 14. The Visual Arts / J. Nicholas Napoli -- 15. The City’s Architecture / Gaetana Cantone -- 16. Neapolitan Musical Culture in the Early Modern Period / Anthony R. DelDonna -- 17. Royal and Viceregal Art Patronage in Naples (1500–1800) / Diana Carrió-Invernizzi -- 18. The Enlightenment in Naples / Melissa Calaresu -- 19. Literary Culture in Naples, 1500–1800 / Nancy L. Canepa -- 20. Locating the Natural Sciences in Early Modern Naples / Sean Cocco -- Conclusion: Why Naples’s History Matters / Anna Maria Rao -- Glossary of Important Italian Terms Used in Several Essays -- Kings, Viceroys, and Archbishops -- Bibliography -- Index -- Illustrations.

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Naples was one of the largest cities in early modern Europe, and for about two centuries the largest city in the global empire ruled by the kings of Spain. Its crowded and noisy streets, the height of its buildings, the number and wealth of its churches and palaces, the celebrated natural beauty of its location, the many antiquities scattered in its environs, the fiery volcano looming over it, the drama of its people’s devotions, the size and liveliness - to put it mildly - of its plebs, all made Naples renowned and at times notorious across Europe. The new essays in this volume aim to introduce this important, fascinating, and bewildering city to readers unfamiliar with its history. Contributors are: Tommaso Astarita, John Marino, Giovanni Muto, Vladimiro Valerio, Gaetano Sabatini, Aurelio Musi, Giulio Sodano, Carlos José Hernando Sánchez, Elisa Novi Chavarria, Gabriel Guarino, Giovanni Romeo, Peter Mazur, Angelantonio Spagnoletti, J. Nicholas Napoli, Gaetana Cantone, Anthony DelDonna, Sean Cocco, Melissa Calaresu, Nancy Canepa, David Gentilcore, Diana Carrió-Invernizzi, and Anna Maria Rao. The publisher, editor, and contributors mourn the passing of Gaetana Cantone, who died in April 2013.