Iohannes Pontanus and the Aragonese Kingdom of Naples as a new Greece

The scholars at the Aragonese court of Naples facilitated the creation of a new geographical image that celebrated the Neapolitan kingdoms’ splendour and justified the Aragonese power according to the contemporary humanistic cultural parameters. In particular, Iohannes Pontanus became the author of a new myth of Naples: he celebrated the greatness and beauty of its landscape, following in classical authors’ footsteps. They had attributed an elevated stature to Greek places and enlightened Greek mythical, cultural, and intellectual traditions. Pontanus performs the same cultural operation with Naples and its traditions. So, the new myth of Naples was born as a new Greece, from the shores of which the image of Aragonese greatness and magnificence was spread throughout Europe in light of the wisdom tradition of the ancient Gulf of the Sirens