The transformations of the place names of Naples in historical and contemporary cartography, between landscape changes and territorial identity

Naples, a city with a powerful identity, has become the emblem of the whole of Italy: our nation, through many aspects of its culture (from music, to art, to gastronomy), is internationally known thanks to the symbols of the Neapolitan cultural heritage. The place names of the city, rich in stratifications and multiple influences (coming from both the East and the West), manifest this complex territorial identity, enhancing its geomorphological characteristics (with the mythical volcanic nature) and landscape peculiarities, object of a long process of “territorialization”. This latter underwent an epoch-making change at the end of the 19th century and then went through a phase of profound transformation following the Second World War. The place names are evidence: their disappearance or persistence, in fact, highlighted through a diachronic comparison between historical and modern cartography (supported by an appropriate bibliography), accurately reflects the landscape changes of the Neapolitan urban area in the last two centuries