New book decodes ancient Naples' fractal urban layout

Architect Teresa Tauro's new book 'Napoli Greca' (Edizioni Intra Moenia, 2023) reinterprets the origins of Naples through its ancient Greek urban grid. The volume is split into two parts: the first traces the city's foundation from the 7th-century BC settlement Parthenope on Monte Echia to the 5th-century BC port city Neapolis, using geo-referenced surveys of archaeological sites to map the original street plan. The second part offers 13 walking itineraries with QR codes linking to audio guides. Tauro argues Neapolis was not named in opposition to Palepolis (old city) but because its design embodied a new paradigm brought by Greek architects, mathematicians, and philosophers fleeing Samos. They applied teachings of Thales and Pythagoras to create a grid of 3 plateiai (east-west) and 21 stenopoi (north-south), following fractal logic and golden ratios to harmonize cosmos and microcosm—a model Vitruvius later used in 'De Architectura'. The book includes a 1:4000 scale plan of Greco-Roman Naples and photographs by Sergio Siano. Tauro, who collaborates with the Soprintendenza and Arcidiocesi of Naples, worked with scholars Fausto Longo (University of Salerno), Alfredo Buccaro (CIRICE, University of Naples), and Alfonso Mele. The publication was supported by the Regione Campania.