Campania Culture & Language

Neapolitan pizza follows a specific, defined method -- a soft dough leavened for at least eight hours, topped simply, and baked briefly at very high heat in a wood-fired oven -- recognized by the European Union as a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed since 2010. The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, founded in Naples in 1984, certifies pizzerias that follow this method, though plenty of well-regarded Neapolitan pizzerias operate outside its certification.

Via San Gregorio Armeno, a narrow street in the historic center, has specialized in handmade nativity figures (presepi) since at least the 18th century; workshops there still produce traditional shepherd and Holy Family figures alongside novelty figures of contemporary public figures, a modern addition to an old craft rather than a break from it.

The canzone napoletana tradition -- songs such as «'O sole mio» and «Funiculì, Funiculà» -- developed in Naples in the 19th century and shaped a repertoire still performed locally and recognized well beyond Italy. Neapolitan itself is classified as a vulnerable language in UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger, not simply an Italian dialect; it remains widely spoken in Naples and much of the region alongside standard Italian, particularly in informal settings.

Italian is the official language, but the Neapolitan dialect (napulitano) -- classified as a vulnerable language in UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger rather than treated as a mere accent of Italian -- remains widely spoken in daily life across Naples and much of the region, especially in informal settings, markets, and among older residents. Visitors are not expected to understand it, and standard Italian is universally understood.

English is common in central Naples, on the Amalfi Coast, and on Capri, where tourism supports it, but noticeably less reliable away from major sites and in smaller inland towns. A handful of Italian phrases go further in Campania than in more internationally accustomed parts of Italy, and are generally well received.