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Parigi, antica metropoli, è piena di cultura.

Parigi, antica metropoli, è piena di cultura.
Paris, an ancient metropolis, is full of culture.
From Lesson 465:Dropping articles in appositives (Roma, capitale...)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Parigi, antica metropoli, è piena di cultura.

Why is there no article before antica metropoli?
In Italian, when you use an apposition (a descriptive noun phrase set off by commas) to define a proper noun like Parigi, you must drop the article. While in English you say "an ancient metropolis" or "the ancient metropolis," Italian strictly requires you to omit it here.
Could I put the adjective after the noun and say metropoli antica?
You could, but it changes the nuance. Placing antica before the noun is descriptive and highlights it as an inherent, well-known quality of Paris (perfect for this kind of apposition). Putting it after the noun would sound more restrictive, as if you were distinguishing this ancient metropolis from a modern one.
Why is the preposition di used in piena di cultura instead of con?
The adjective pieno (full) always dictates the use of the preposition di in Italian. It maps perfectly to the English phrase "full of," so you will never use con (with) in this context.
Why doesn't cultura need a definite article here?
After the expression pieno di, you generally omit the article before abstract, uncountable, or mass nouns when speaking in a broad, general sense. Because the sentence refers to culture in general rather than a specific type of culture, piena della cultura would be incorrect.

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