One of the most prominent port cities of the Mediterranean at least since Medieval times, Napoli today is the third largest city of Italy, a sprawling port city known for its characteristic culture and its many contradictions. A major commercial hub, the city is considerably socially stratified between the wealthy hilltop quarters and the impoverished suburban sprawls: the rich elite controlling the business of the port and real estate development has long held Naples in its stranglehold via both legal and illegal means.