Naples: "A Paradise Inhabited by Devils”
Alfredo Cafasso Vitale
Naples is a city that can easily fall into stereotypes, but these can never begin to capture the social and cultural complexity of this ancient metropolis.
A view onto the Gulf of Naples from the National Ceramic Museum at Villa Floridiana
Image | Alfredo Cafasso Vitale
In recent years, both local politicians and the national government have, for the most part, failed the city and its 960,000-odd inhabitants. In 1993, when Antonio Bassolino became mayor, it looked as if Naples would undergo a renaissance during his two terms of office—however this optimism was short-lived. Political inactivity resumed with the election of Mayor Rosa Russo Iervolino, who took over when Bassolino became governor of the region of Campania in 2001. The current Mayor, Luigi De Magistris (elected in 2011). has also failed to effectively address the deterioration of the city and the challenges faced by its infrastructure and green areas, contributing to its negative image in both the national and international media. Little of note will remain of his tenure except, perhaps, the improved system of rubbish collection and recycling in central neighbourhoods, which has reduced the huge amounts of waste that famously fouled the streets in the past. Reduced but not resolved, the problem is ongoing and will remain a key issue for the council after the local elections in 2021.
In light of such failings, the Neapolitans have learnt the hard way to rely on their own resources and creativity to improve not only their own lives, but that of their city.
An Intriguing Pattern of History, Traditions and Contradictions
Built according to the design of a Greek architect and pupil of Pythagoras, Neapolis was an important commercial center where the Greek language and customs were long maintained. For the Romans, it was a paragon of Greek civilisation, much favoured by the Empire’s highly cultured aristocracy, and this stratification is brought to light particularly vividly in the archeological digs at San Lorenzo Maggiore. Even today, a Hellenistic finesse and elegance, as well as a passion for the arts, dialectic and theatre, lives on in the Neapolitan people.
Then there is the influence of three centuries of Spanish domination, which left an indelible imprint on Naples’ layout and urban planning. The best-known example of this is the Quartieri Spagnoli, the grid of narrow vicoli (lanes) overshadowed by the medieval Castel Sant’ Elmo. Many noble palazzi (mansions) were built in this area which once served as quarters for the Spanish troops.
Quartieri Spagnoli, The Spanish Quarters
Image | Enzo Abramo, Pixabay
The life that fills the streets of Naples has always intrigued visitors to the city, and it was German philosopher Walter Benjamin who first defined the city as “porous,” much like the tufa and the black piperno volcanic rock of Vesuvius on which it rests. It is in the Quartieri Spagnoli (focus of rehabilitation projects during Bassolino’s tenure), that the porosity of Naples is most obvious. Here, the ground floors of the palazzi are made up of bassi (one-room apartments where the poorest inhabitants live) while the upper floors house the wealthier signori. Even today, these two diverse groups of people still cohabit the same buildings in an everyday dynamic unknown in any other city in the world—although nowadays a much more eclectic mix of immigrants from African, Asian and Eastern European countries share life with Neapolitans in the bassi.
Thanks to the influx of B&Bs, more and more tourists now venture into this fascinating labyrinth of vicoli and palazzi. They gape in bewilderment while dodging buzzing scooters ridden by two or three Amazonian women squeezed onto one saddle, chasing the boys. They also need to dodge the locals who indulge in the infamous scippo (scooter-propelled purse snatching) as tourists are especially easy targets, their attention diverted on all sides by soaring church façades and frenetic traffic.
“A Paradise Inhabited by Devils”
This expression, often incorrectly attributed to Goethe, was first used by Bernardino Daniello, Dante’s commentator of 1500. It captures part of the truth about this astonishing city today in that areas such as La Sanità (north of historical center, near Capodimonte hill), Forcella (in the historic center), Ponticelli (east) and Scampia (far north) still cope with the strong presence of the Camorra, the mafia-style criminal organization with roots dating as far back as the 1600s.
Father Alex Zanotelli, a local priest working in the Sanità, points out that the social decay that exists in much of Naples means that young people are easily recruited to a life of crime. “Here in La Sanità, there are 70,000 people living in five square kilometers, without a single nursery or junior school, and with a secondary school that is ranked the second worst in the country. Where are kids going to end up if not in the clutches of the Camorra?”
Following a recent increase in the number of shootings in the area, Roberto Saviano, author the best-selling exposé of the Gommorah (a riff on the name of the crime syndicate) dismissed the promise of extra police as a “political pantomime.”
Architecture in Scampia
Image | Mirko Bozzato, Unsplash
Yet there is a glimmer of hope. Some of these young people are now at the centre of an interesting project that promotes the treasures of the Sanità, such as the San Gennaro catacombs and the Fontanelle cemetery, to tourists. Others have joined the theatre school of the excellent Nuovo Teatro Sanità. Scampia is what poverty looks like when Corbusierian (functional modern design style named for Swiss architect, Le Courbusier) city planners try to impose their utopias on people’s lives. But even in this troubled neighbourhood, important initiatives are involving the local teenagers. One outstanding example is Arrevuoto, a theatre project wherein some of Italy’s best known actors and directors are attempting to provide local youngsters with some tools for their future.
Youth perfomers from Arrevuoto
Image | Arrevuoto
Once again, we see a city of huge contradictions.
‘Mangia, Mangia!’
“Eat, Eat!” This typical adagio of Neapolitan mothers, could be a suitable anthem for the city, with its infinite variety of markets and street food stands, trattorias and classy restaurants. A recent addition to the food scene is the “home restaurant”—a similar idea to the guerrilla eateries that first sprung up in New York a decade ago—where any keen cook can host friends, acquaintances and travelers for a meal around their dining table. This type of conviviality, which transcends social class and status, is a strong characteristic of the Neapolitans, again rooted in Classical times.
So much to choose from at this local fish market
Image | Alfredo Cafasso Vitale
Fish markets are spread out all over the city, and going to the mercato to choose fish for Sunday lunch, listening to the droning sales pitch of the fishmongers perfected over centuries, is a ritual that Neapolitan men still follow. The men not only select the fish but, if only on this one day of the week, also painstakingly prepare it for their families.
From Baroque to Contemporary: Underground, Galleries and Festivals
Baroque may be the defining style of art in Naples, but a strong dialogue with contemporary culture has developed since the late seventies, when the enlightened art dealer Lucio Amelio brought Andy Warhol and Joseph Beuys to the city. Antonio Bassolino, during his years as Governor of Campania, promoted the Metro dell’Arte, an innovative scheme to use underground metro stations as platforms for contemporary art installations that has become one of the most talked-about projects in Italy. Above ground, the MADRe contemporary art gallery, housed in Palazzo Donnaregina and redesigned in 2004 by Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza Vieira, was one of the first of a new generation of museums in Italy.
An installation at Stazione Università—part of Metro dell’Arte
Image | Visit Naples
The city's growing reputation for contemporary art has also attracted exciting private galleries and dealers: the Lia Rumma gallery, for example, with its cutting edge agenda, is now an institution in the city. While Artecinema—an important international festival of films on contemporary art directed by curator Laura Trisorio—will celebrate its 25th year in 2021.
A City Struggling for Sustainability and a Political Future
A constant struggle for a more sustainable way of living, especially in terms of traffic and pollution (viabilità, as it’s called), is a central theme of everyday life here. Once the major road works in Piazza Garibaldi and Piazza Municipio are finished, things should improve significantly, especially if the Neapolitans are willing to make greater use of the metro system now that it is almost complete. But the reduction of car traffic in the city center due to the ZTL (limited traffic zone) has been controversial for its commercial implications, and is unfortunately less effective than it might be because the locals use scooters so extensively. Major “unfinished business” includes the transformation of the waterfront area near the Molo Beverello and the conclusion of the restoration of the vast Real Albergo dei Poveri on Via Foria.
The political future of Naples is uncertain. If the Neapolitans continue to look for a “Saviour” rather than taking responsibility themselves, it is hard to imagine that there will be any social improvement. Naples is the cultural and economic capital of the Mezzogiorno (Southern Italy); the city must revive its role before there can be any real progress in the fortunes of that very significant part of the country.
A new dawn for Naples
Image | Judi Smith
Alfredo Cafasso Vitale, is an Italian journalist, curator and professional tour guide. Born and raised in Napoli, he has lived in South Western France, Barcelona, Berlin, and Athens. He speaks several European languages and leads tours in Europe for GoAhead Tours / EF, and in Italy for Rick Steves. Farming, cooking, gardening, painting and writing are his passions, and he loves to share them with people. His cooking classes are great fun. You can follow him on Instagram @cookingwithalcavi and Twitter @Alcavi.
