, mottoeng = For the inculcation of the sciences and the dissemination of knowledge , established = , type = Public , endowment = €473 million , administrative_staff = 5,517 (2013) , rector = Prof. Matteo Lorito , students = 93,280 (2020) , undergrad = 44,700 , postgrad = 33,600 , city = Naples , country = Italy , campus = Urban , free_label = Sports teams , free
CUS Napoli
, affiliations = Campus Europae, UNIMED,

PEGASUS Pegasus ( grc-gre, Πήγασος, Pḗgasos; la, Pegasus, Pegasos) is one of the best known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine stallion usually depicted as pure white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as hor ...

, Aurora,

BioGeM The BioGeM Institute (''Biologia e Genetica Molecolare'', "Biology and Molecular Genetics") is a nonprofit consortium formed by the National Research Council (CNR), the University of Naples "Federico II", the LUMSA of Rome, the Trieste AREA S ...

, colours = , website = The University of Naples Federico II ( it, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II) is a public university in Naples, Italy. Established in 1224, it is the oldest public or state university in the world. Noted for being the world's oldest public or state-funded university chartered by the head of a state and one of the world's ten oldest universities in continuous operation, it is also believed to be the oldest secular or non-sectarian state university in the world. It was Europe's first university dedicated to training secular administrative staff, and is one of the world's oldest academic institutions in continuous operation. The university is named after its founder Frederick II. In October 2016, the university hosted the first ever Apple iOS Developer Academy and in 2018 the Cisco Digital Transformation Lab. It occupies the 2nd position among the major universities (> 40.000 students) of the Italian universities system (3rd position if we also consider the on-line Pegaso University, also from Naples).

History

The university of Naples Federico II was founded by the

king of Sicily The monarchs of Sicily ruled from the establishment of the County of Sicily in 1071 until the "perfect fusion" in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1816. The origins of the Sicilian monarchy lie in the Norman conquest of southern Italy which occ ...

and

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

Frederick II on 5 June 1224. It is the world's oldest state-supported institution of higher education and research. One of the most famous students was

Roman Catholic theologian Catholic theology is the understanding of Catholic doctrine or teachings, and results from the studies of theologians. It is based on Biblical canon, canonical Catholic Bible, scripture, and sacred tradition, as interpreted authoritatively by ...

and philosopher Thomas Aquinas.

Political project of Frederick II

Frederick II had specific objectives when he founded the university in Naples: first, to train administrative and skilled bureaucratic professionals for the ''curia regis'' (the kingdom's ministries and governing apparatus), as well as preparing lawyers and judges who would help the sovereign to draft laws and administer justice. Second, he wanted to facilitate the cultural development of promising young students and scholars, avoiding any unnecessary and expensive trips abroad: by creating a State University, Emperor Frederick avoided having young students during his reign complete their training at the University of Bologna, which was in a city that was hostile to the imperial power. The University of Naples was arguably the first to be formed from scratch by a higher authority, not based upon an already-existing private school. Although its claim to be the first state-sponsored university can be challenged by Palencia (which was founded by the Castilian monarch c.1212), Naples certainly was the first chartered one. The artificiality of its creation posed great difficulties in attracting students; Thomas Aquinas was one of the few who came in these early years. Those years were further complicated by the long existence, in nearby

Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...

, of Europe's most prestigious medical faculty, the Schola Medica Salernitana. The fledgling faculty of medicine at Naples had little hope of competing with it, and in 1231 the right of examination was surrendered to Salerno. The establishment of new faculties of theology and law under papal sponsorship in Rome in 1245 further drained Naples of students, as Rome was a more attractive location. In an effort to revitalize the dwindling university, in 1253, all the remaining schools of the university of Naples moved to Salerno, in the hope of creating a single viable university for the south. But that experiment failed and the university (minus medicine) moved back to Naples in 1258 (in some readings, Naples was "refounded" in 1258 by Manfred Hohenstaufen, as by this time there were hardly any students left). The Angevin reforms after 1266 and the subsequent decline of Salerno gave the University of Naples a new lease on life and put it on a stable, sustainable track.

From the 13th to the 16th century

Initially the studies were directed towards law (fundamental for the formation of jurists), the liberal arts, medicine and theology: the latter, compared to other subjects, was taught in religious institutions, in particular in the convent of San Domenico Maggiore, where Thomas Aquinas taught from 1271 to 1274. During the Angevin period (1265-1443) the structure and organization of the University remained substantially unchanged.

20th and 21st centuries

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the prestige of the University of Naples increased, particularly in the scientific field: in the field of genetics it was a pioneer, with the establishment of the first chair in Italy. New building and organizational difficulties afflicted the university both during the Fascist period and during the World War II: the headquarters was set on fire by the Germans on 12 September 1943; laboratories and science labs were requisitioned by the

allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

. After the war, following the modern evolution of the university model in general, the University of Naples became the second most important university in Italy in terms of number of students, second only to the Sapienza University of Rome. On 7 September 1987, it assumed its current name as ''University of Naples Federico II'' in anticipation of the establishment, in 1991, through its spin-off, of the

Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli The University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli ( it, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli") is an Italian research university founded in late 1991. Its main seat is in Caserta, but its academic departments are also located in a se ...

Campus

The University of Naples Federico II possesses a vast architectural heritage, the result of acquisitions made over the centuries. Where not specified, the municipality to which it belongs is that of Naples. * Central Headquarters (Palace of the University of Naples Federico II): The headquarters of the University of Naples Federico II is located along

Corso Umberto I Corso may refer to: * Corso (surname) * Corso, Boumerdès, a commune in Boumerdès Province, Algeria * Council of Organisations for Relief Service Overseas, see Jenny Gill * Via del Corso, a main street in Rome * "CORSO," a song by rapper Tyle ...

, at the corner with Via Mezzocannone, at number 40. The building is in neo-baroque style and was erected during the ''Risanamento'', between 1897 and 1908, based on a project by the architects Pierpaolo Quaglia and Guglielmo Melisurgo. The headquarters, as it is commonly and widely known in the university environment, stands close to the original university complex (which since 1777 had found its place in the Casa del Salvatore, no longer owned by the Jesuits). However, the new building was not isolated from the complex behind it as the architects took care to connect it with the pre-existing offices behind it through the so-called ''Scalone della Minerva,'' which originates in the courtyard of the University building and ends in the Jesuit courtyard, overcoming a height difference of more than 7 m. The site houses the offices of the central management of the university (Rectorate, Academic Senate, Treasury, etc.) and the Department of Law. It is also the secondary seat of the Department of Humanities. * Policlinico – Cappella Cangiani Complex ( Federico II University Hospital): The Cangiani Chapel Complex, so called because it is located in the Cangiani district in

Rione Alto Rione Alto is a district of Naples, built at the turn of the 1960s and 70s in the Arenella district, near the hospital area. Etymology and history It owes its name to the fact that it is located in the highest (in Italian, ''alto'') part of ...

( 5th Municipality), covers an area of 441,000 m² on which 21 buildings stand for a covered area of 57,086 m² (and a total floor area of 257,118 m²). The main entrance to the university hospital complex is located in via Pansini; three other secondary entrances can be used on certain days and times. Mobility within the vast complex is ensured by a free mini-bus service which connects the main entrance with the various pavilions. The Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, the Department of Pharmacy, the Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, the Department of Neurosciences and Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences and the Department of Translational Medical Sciences. * "Porta di Massa" Complex (Complex of San Pietro Martire): The Porta di Massa office is so called as it is located in Via Porta di Massa, 1. The Department of Humanities is located here, which includes the degree courses in Modern Literature, Languages, Cultures and Literature and Philosophy. * Monte Sant'Angelo complex: seat of the scientific and economic area departments, it is located in Via Cupa Nuova Cintia, 21.

Organisation and governance

Faculties

The university has 13 faculties: * Agriculture * Architecture * Biotechnology * Economics * Engineering * Law * Letters and philosophy * Mathematical,

physical Physical may refer to: *Physical examination In a physical examination, medical examination, or clinical examination, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a medical condition. It generally co ...

and natural sciences * Medicine and surgery *

Pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

Political sciences Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

* Sociology * Veterinary medicine

Notable people

Alumni

Among those who have attended the University of Naples Federico II are Italian presidents Enrico De Nicola,

Giovanni Leone Giovanni Leone (; 3 November 1908 – 9 November 2001) was an Italian politician, jurist, and university professor. A founding member of the Christian Democracy (DC), Leone served as the President of Italy from December 1971 until June 1978. H ...

and

Giorgio Napolitano Giorgio Napolitano (; born 29 June 1925) is an Italian politician who served as president of Italy from 2006 to 2015, the first Italian president to be re-elected to the presidency. Due to his dominant position in Italian politics, some critics ...

;

mayors of Naples In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

Luigi de Magistris and Gaetano Manfredi; CEO

Fabrizio Freda Fabrizio Freda (born 31 August 1957 in Naples) is an Italian business executive. Biography Freda was born in Naples and graduated from University of Naples Federico II in March 1981. Career He was appointed president and chief executive officer ...

; and philosophers

Benedetto Croce Benedetto Croce (; 25 February 1866 – 20 November 1952) was an Italian idealist philosopher, historian, and politician, who wrote on numerous topics, including philosophy, history, historiography and aesthetics. In most regards, Croce was a lib ...

and

Nicola Abbagnano Nicola Abbagnano (; 15 July 1901 – 9 September 1990) was an Italian existential philosopher. Life Nicola Abbagnano was born in Salerno on 15 July 1901. He was the first-born son of a middle-class professional family. His father was a practi ...

. * Samantha Cristoforetti, astronaut and commandor of the International Space Station *

Saint Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wit ...

, philosopher and theologian *

Leonardo Bianchi Leonardo Bianchi (5 April 1848 – 13 February 1927), an Italian neuropathologist, politician, and writer from San Bartolomeo in Galdo in the Province of Benevento, earned fame from his work on cerebral functions and diseases of the nervous sys ...

, physician and politician * Amadeo Bordiga, politician and political theorist *

Giordano Bruno Giordano Bruno (; ; la, Iordanus Brunus Nolanus; born Filippo Bruno, January or February 1548 – 17 February 1600) was an Italian philosopher, mathematician, poet, cosmological theorist, and Hermetic occultist. He is known for his cosmologic ...

, philosopher, Dominican friar, mathematician and astronomer *

Renato Caccioppoli Renato Caccioppoli (; 20 January 1904 – 8 May 1959) was an Italian mathematician, known for his contributions to mathematical analysis, including the theory of functions of several complex variables, functional analysis, measure theory. Life a ...

, mathematician *

Antonio Cardarelli Antonio Cardarelli (29 March 1831, Civitanova del Sannio – 8 January 1927) was an Italian physician remembered for describing Cardarelli's sign. Biography Antonio Cardarelli trained at the ''Collegio Medico di San Aniello'' of the Universi ...

, physician and politician *

Ernesto De Martino Ernesto de Martino (1 December 1908 – 9 May 1965) was an Italian anthropologist, philosopher and historian of religions. He studied with Benedetto Croce and Adolfo Omodeo, and did field research with Diego Carpitella into the funeral rituals o ...

, historian of religion and folklore scholar *

Francesco De Martino Francesco de Martino (31 May 1907 – 18 November 2002) was an Italian jurist, politician, lifetime senator (1991–2002) and former Vice President of the Council of Ministers. He was considered by many to be the conscience of the Italian Social ...

, eminent jurist, intellectual and politician *

Fabrizio de Miranda Fabrizio de Miranda (30 October 1926 – 21 January 2015) was an Italian bridges and structural engineer and university professor. Career He graduated with a degree in civil engineering in 1950 from the University of Naples. Beginning in 19 ...

, structural engineer * Gaetano Filangieri, jurist and philosopher *

Marta Filizola Marta Filizola is a computational biophysicist who studies membrane proteins. Filizola's research concerns drug discovery the application of methods of computational chemistry and theoretical chemistry to biochemical and biomedical problems. F ...

, computational biophysicist *

Nicola Fusco Nicola Fusco (born August 14, 1956 in Napoli) is an Italian mathematician mainly known for his contributions to the fields of calculus of variations, regularity theory of partial differential equations, and the theory of symmetrization. He is ...

, mathematician *

Pietro Giannone Pietro Giannone (7 May 1676 – 17 March 1748) was an Italian philosopher, historian and jurist born in Ischitella, in the province of Foggia. He opposed the papal influence in Naples, for which he was excommunicated and imprisoned for twelve yea ...

, historian, philosopher and jurist * Nunziante Ippolito, physician and anatomist * Antonio Labriola, philosopher * Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Catholic Church *

Vangjel Meksi Vangjel Meksi (1770–1823) was an Albanian physician, writer, and translator. One-time personal physician to Ali Pasha, the 19th-century Albanian ruler of the Pashalik of Yanina, Meksi produced the first translation of the New Testament into Alb ...

, Albanian physician, translator and philologist *

Attilio Micheluzzi Attilio Micheluzzi (11 August 1930 - 20 September 1990) was an Italian comics artist. Born in Umag, at the time part of Italy, Micheluzzi graduated in architecture and worked for several years in Africa. Returned to Italy in the early 1970s, in 19 ...

, comics author-artist, graduate in architecture * Giuseppe Mingione, mathematician *

Giuseppe Moscati Giuseppe Moscati (25 July 1880 – 12 April 1927) was an Italian doctor, scientific researcher, and university professor noted both for his pioneering work in biochemistry and for his piety. Moscati was canonized by the Catholic Church in 198 ...

, Roman Catholic saint, physician, educator, and scientist * Francesco Saverio Nitti, economist and politician * Umberto Nobile, aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer *

Luigi Palmieri Luigi Palmieri (22 April 1807 – 9 September 1896) was an Italian physicist and meteorologist. He was famous for his scientific studies of the eruptions of Mount Vesuvius, for his researches on earthquakes and meteorological phenomena and for i ...

, physicist * Luca Parmitano, astronaut *

Raffaele Piria Raffaele Piria (Scilla 20 August 1814 – Turin 18 July 1865) was an Italian chemist from Scilla, who lived in Palmi. He converted the substance Salicin into a sugar and a second component, which on oxidation becomes salicylic acid, a major comp ...

, chemist * Roberto Saviano, journalist and novelist *

Athanas Shundi Athanas Shundi (18 October 1892 – 18 February 1940) was an Albanian patriot and an important member of the autocephalist movement of the Albanian Orthodox Church. In his last years of life he was also involved in politics, as a member of the ...

, Albanian pharmacist and politician *

Vincenzo Tiberio Vincenzo Tiberio (May 1, 1869 – January 7, 1915) was an Italian researcher and medical officer of the Medical Corps of the Italian Navy and physician at the University of Naples. Observing that people complained of intestinal disorders after th ...

, physician *

Anna Tramontano Anna Tramontano (14 July 1957 – 10 March 2017) was an Italian computational biologist and chair professor of biochemistry at the Sapienza University of Rome. From 2011 to 2014 she was a member of the Scientific Council of the European Research ...

, computational biologist *

Cinzia Verde Cinzia Verde is an Italian researcher in marine biochemistry at the National Research Council (CNR), Institute of Biosciences and BioResources (IBBR). Early life and education Verde received her Degree (equivalent to a PhD) in Biological Scie ...

, marine biochemistry researcher * Giambattista Vico, philosopher, historian, and jurist *

Giuseppe Zaccagnino Giuseppe Zaccagnino (June 28, 1945) is an Italian diplomat and art collector. Early life He was born in Potenza, Italy in 1945. He went to Rome University and graduated in Law from the University of Naples in March 1968. He passed the Bar examina ...

, diplomat and art collector *

Nicola Romeo Nicola Romeo (; Sant'Antimo, 28 April 1876 – Magreglio, 15 August 1938) was an Italian engineer and entrepreneur mostly known for founding the car manufacturer Alfa Romeo. He served as a senator in the 18th Legislature of the Kingdom of Italy (X ...

, founder of Alfa Romeo * Franzo Grande Stevens, chairman of Juventus F.C.

Presidents of the Italian Republic

* Enrico De Nicola *

Notable professors

* St. Thomas Aquinas, influential philosopher, saint, influential theologian *

, physician and politician *

, mathematician *

, physician and politician * Domenico Cotugno, physician *

, mathematician *

Antonio Genovesi Antonio Genovesi (1 November 171322 September 1769) was an Italian writer on philosophy and political economy. Biography Son of Salvatore Genovese, a shoemaker, and Adriana Alfinito of San Mango, Antonio Genovesi was born in Castiglione, near ...

, philosopher and economist *

Giovanni Filippo Ingrassia Giovanni Filippo Ingrassia or Ioannis Philippi Ingrassiae (1510–1580) was an Italian physician, student of Vesalius, professor at the University of Naples, ''Protomedicus'' of Sicily and a major figure in the history of medicine and human anatomy ...

, physician *

Stefania Filo Speziale Stefania Filo Speziale (1905–1988) was an Italians, Italian architect, the first woman to graduate from an architecture program in Naples, Italy. She was born in Naples and graduated from the Regio istituto superiore di architettura in Naples i ...

, first woman to graduate in architecture in Naples * Ettore Majorana, physicist * Macedonio Melloni, physicist * Giuseppe Mercalli, volcanologist *

Vincenzo Monaldi Vincenzo Monaldi (16 April 1899, in Monte Vidon Combatte, Province of Fermo – 7 November 1969) was an Italian physician and physiologist. His family lived in Grottazzolina, some of his relatives still live there, two brothers Giulio and Frances ...

, physician and physiologist. First Italian Minister of Health * Francesco Saverio Nitti, economist and politician *

, physicist and meteorologist * Alessandro Piccolo, Italian chemist and agricultural scientist *

Nino Salvatore Gaetano "Nino" Salvatore (28 July 1932 – 25 June 1997) was an Italian endocrinologist known for his extensive research on the thyroid gland. He spent the majority of his career in Naples' Stazione Zoologica and the University of Naples Federico II ...

, physician * Giosuè Sangiovanni, zoologist, founder of the Faculty of Natural Sciences *

Filippo Silvestri Filippo Silvestri (22 June 1873 – 10 June 1949) was an Italian entomologist. He specialised in world Protura, Thysanura, Diplura and Isoptera, but also worked on Hymenoptera, Myriapoda and Italian Diptera. He is also noted for describing an ...

, entomologist * Giambattista Vico, philosopher, historian, and jurist

Honoris Causa graduates

* John Nash, awarded 1994 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics *

Franco Modigliani Franco Modigliani (18 June 1918 – 25 September 2003) was an Italian-American economist and the recipient of the 1985 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics. He was a professor at University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Carnegie Mellon Uni ...

, awarded 1985 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics *

Richard Meier Richard Meier (born October 12, 1934) is an American abstract artist and architect, whose geometric designs make prominent use of the color white. A winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1984, Meier has designed several iconic buildings ...

, winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize * Umberto Veronesi, Italian oncologist, physician, scientist and politician *

Louis Ignarro Louis J. Ignarro (born May 31, 1941) is an American pharmacologist. For demonstrating the signaling properties of nitric oxide, he was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Robert F. Furchgott and Ferid Murad. Curr ...

, awarded 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine * Riccardo Muti, Italian conductor * Takaaki Kajita, awarded 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics * Paolo Sorrentino, Italian film director, screenwriter, and writer * Tim Cook, CEO of Apple

References

External links

University of Naples Federico II Website
* Girolamo Arnaldi
Studio di Napoli
in '' Enciclopedia Federiciana'', Rome,

Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana The ''Enciclopedia Italiana di Scienze, Lettere e Arti'' (Italian for "Italian Encyclopedia of Science, Letters, and Arts"), best known as ''Treccani'' for its developer Giovanni Treccani or ''Enciclopedia Italiana'', is an Italian-language en ...

, 2005. {{authority control Universities and colleges in Naples 13th-century establishments in the Kingdom of Sicily Naples Federico II, University of 1224 establishments in Europe Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor

History

Political project of Frederick II

From the 13th to the 16th century

20th and 21st centuries

Campus

Organisation and governance

Faculties

Notable people

Alumni

Presidents of the Italian Republic

Notable professors

Honoris Causa graduates

See also

References

External links