“Un piano da raddrizzare gli avanzi delle cattive forme”: Giuseppe Maria Galanti e il disordinato sviluppo della città di Napoli.

“Un piano da raddrizzare gli avanzi delle cattive forme”: Giuseppe Maria Galanti and the chaotic development of Naples In a “tourist guide” of Naples, published in 1792, Giuseppe Maria Galanti, a well-known intellectual of the Enlightenment, analyzes the chaotic development of the Bourbon capital . He describes an urban landscape without green areas, with narrow streets and high-rise buildings, lacking of architectural harmony . At the end of the Eighteenth century the city had already its main landmarks affecting its future history . Galanti analyzed, therefore, the historical and political reasons causing such a situation. He proposed to the city council some investments to improve the lives of its inhabitants. He suggested assigning to some architects the task of creating a “master plan”. Galanti’s recommendations are included in the debate of the Enlightenment intellectuals on the Neapolitan urban development: they mention the influence of urban areas on the moral order in the society. Throughout the eighteenth century the urban areas were perceived as diachronic and social places regulated on the basis of political projects based on evolving technological knowledge.