RIONE SANITA'

September 17, 2024

Rebirth. There is no more appropiate word to describe what is happening to the Sanitá district, the area between Capodimonte and the back of the Archeological Museum.

In the past, this part of the city was very dangerous and very poor. Famous to be the set of many old movies and to be the birth place of the most popular Neapolitan comedian, actor and poet of all time ‘Totó’, where today you can visit his old home.

Situated in the Stella-San Carlo quarter, Sanitá as we see it today was developed in the 16th century on land north of Napoli outside the walls of the city.

Originally, Sanita was a wooded area with springs of pure water (probably from this it took the name Sanitá, health) and it started off as a greek-roman burial area and this is where you can find the greek and early christian catacombs of San Gennaro and San Gaudioso and also the Fontanelle Cemetery, where victims of the plague were buried in 1656. This might be another theory about the origin of the name. Not only the health of the living but also of the dead. This is explained by the deep connection between Neapolitans and the after life. The Fontanelle cemetery is a typical example of this where people used to come to the cemetery and ‘adopt’ a skull or a skeleton in order to look after it and ask for a ‘miracle’. You can read more about the cemetery here.

Centuries after centuries, Sanitá became very poor and dangerous, even though royalty and aristocratic families built their palaces in the area and many religious orders settled there too. This is the reason why Sanitá has the highest number of churches in Napoli.

Only in recent years have things started to change for the better in Sanitá. Inhabitants started to tire of the increasing crime rate and decided to try and improve the area themselves. This part of Napoli, completely abandoned by institutions and politicians for so many years, is improving thanks to the courage and industry of many young Neapolitans, who instead of move abroad (like many) decided to work hard and make the area a better place to live and more pleasant for tourists to visit and see all the amazing things this zone has to offer.

Lots of things to see in Sanitá then. First of all the Fontanelle Cemetery, which is planned to reopen soon after a restyling of the entrance by the world renowned Italian architect Lorenzo Piano.

As I have already mentioned, the key of this rebirth is the younger generation which made possible the restoration and the reopening of the San Gennaro and San Gaudioso catacombs. It is called the Cooperative of the Paranza. To know more about the catacombs and this project visit their official website here: Catacombs of Naples.

This Cooperative is also responsable for the restoration of Sant' Aspreno ai Crociferi church, where the sculptor Jago based his studio and his permanent exhibition of sculptures. His art is deeply inspired by the classical sculpture of the greatest Italian sculptors such as Michelangelo. Jago is so deeply inspired by this area and and Napoli which is visible in his works of art, in particular the Veiled son, a clear reference to the Veiled Christ in the Sansevero chapel. Jago is also working on a very ambitious project for Sanitá: making a giant David statue like Michelangelo’s statue in Florence, but in the guise of a woman.

The model of Jago's statue in Sant' Aspreno ai Crociferi church.

You can visit the the Jago Museum and the catacombs with the same ticket and it is valid for one year.

There is also the restoration of the abandoned church of Santa Maria Maddalena ai Cristallini (also known as Chiesa dei Cristallini). The church reopened as an art gallery after being closed for 40 years. Locals contributed in creating their own works of art inspired by the life and people of the area. It is filled with portraits of the same residents you can see on the streets of Sanitá, who have lived here with their families all their lives.

A little hidden gem of Sanitá is the Palazzo dello Spagnolo, in via dei Vergini. The Palace was built in 1738 for an aristocratic family and is an exquisite example of Neapolitan Rococo style. Today the palace is divided into apartments although it is open to the public for guided tours.

The younger generation as well as students moving in and immigrant communities settling there as well as tourists visiting is creating a new dynamism in Sanitá then. Thanks to them many abandoned churches or convents have now been converted into bed and breakfasts and hotels in order to attract tourists. This definitely seems to be working! A big advantage of Sanitá is that is a cheaper area to stay in although at the same time it is very central. This has led to many a new opening of pizzerias and typical Neapolitan food restaurants. One pizzeria even has a Michelin star ‘Michelin da Concettina ai Tre Santi’. Enjoy!.

Nativity in one of the shops on San Gregorio Armeno.

PRESEPE NAPOLETANO

November 16, 2023

The Christmas tree in many parts of the world is the symbol of Christmas. Not in Napoli. Here we have a very old and deep tradition: The Presepe, the Nativity.

There’s no Neapolitan house that doesn’t have their own version of the Presepe: small or large, simple or elaborate, modern or classical. In fact, one of my oldest memories as a child was of my grumpy uncle who turned into a happy child when he showed you his presepe, ‘his masterpiece’, which he displayed the whole year round in the living room.

Some people go mad decorating their homes and lawns with Christmas lights and decorations. Neapolitans go crazy with the nativity.

We need to go back in history to really understand the deep connection between this tradition and the Neapolitans. The 17th century is the golden age of the Presepe, however the origins date back far longer, as they were first documented in the 11th century.

The first known church to display a Presepe was in the 15th century when San Domenico Maggiore church displayed the Nativity scene inside a cave made with real stones rumoured to have been brought from Palestine. Since then until now every church in Naples displays its own Presepe.

The figures of the Neapolitan Presepe include the traditional statues of the Holy Family and also of the ‘Pastori’, which are made up of the shepherds, as well as lots of characters found on the old streets of Naples such as fishermen, merchants, bakers and ordinary men, women and children. Eventually these Presepe became status symbols where aristocrats and rich merchants began to commission pastori with their own features to display in their extravagant nativity scenes and a whole industry sprung up to meet this growing demand. Many workshops started to specialise in making these statues and you can still find them in the old town on the street known as San Gregorio Armeno. Even King Charles III of Bourbon was a fan who actively encouraged the practice. The 17th century was when the technique of making the statues was perfected. The faces were made with terracotta, which could give them a realistic range of facial expressions, then glass eyes were added. The bodies were constructed of bound string, richly dressed in expensive fabrics.

Today in the shops on San Gregorio Armeno you will find statues of figures from contemporary life such as footballers which include of course Maradona, the royal family, celebrities from the world of music and film and even pizzaiolo’s (pizza makers). Here you can also purchase the scenes to place them in which often resemble Neapolitan alleyways. If you go in the month of December expect to encounter large crowds. Be warned, it gets very busy!.

Nowadays, some of the most magnificent Presepe in Napoli are the ones exhibited inside the Museum of San Martino and at the Royal Palace on Piazza Plebiscito. The most spectacular one in San Martino is known as Presepe Cuciniello named after the nobleman who commissioned it in 1879 and it still sits in its original position. This Presepe is a unique example of the technology of its day. It sits inside a cave behind huge glass windows and a machine recreates the different stages of the day, from sunrise to dusk and throughout the night-time, all in a matter of minutes. The Presepe includes all manner of figures and every type of animals, as well as exquisitely crafted fruits and vegetables and meats and fish.

See more in the section I wrote about San Martino here.

*Presepe Cuciniello*, dated 1879 in San Martino.

Part of the collection of the Presepe section of the museum in San Martino.

The Presepe on display at the Royal Palace, belongs to the Banco di Napoli and it is a collection of several Neapolitan artists, like Giuseppe Sanmartino (sculptor of the breathtaking Cristo Velato in the Sansevero Chapel). It is a 17th century Neapolitan scene in which all the figures wear oriental and elegant clothes and which even includes Vesuvius in the background.

If you want to make your own Presepe, these are some of the characters of the tradition which you must be include in your scene. Benino (or Benito) is the young sleeping shepherd, which represents the awareness of the birth of Jesus. The vintner, to represent the wine, the blood of Jesus. The fisherman, always a reference to the Gospel. I due compari, two men at the tavern playing with cards, who represent Carnival and death. Last but not least i Re Magi, the three kings, which according to tradition, arrived in Jerusalem with gifts for the baby Jesus. For those fanatical about Presepe, it is very common to place three small kings in the background at the start of the festive period as they are coming from far away and then every few days they are replaced with bigger and bigger statues until January 5th when they finally arrive at the stable to visit baby Jesus, whose statue is only put in the scene at midnight on Christmas Eve.

Benino (or Benito), the sleeping shepherd.

Details of the precious clothes of some *pastori*.

As I previously mentioned, you can visit the San Martino museum and the Royal Palace Presepe, but the best way to experience the real Presepe Napoletano is to visit ‘Christmas Alley’ San Gregorio Armeno. This is one of the alleys in the old town, famous for all its shops where they sell and make all the statues of the presepe. You can find here any type of statues, from the cheapest (only few euros), to the most expensive (thousands of euros). You can also find elaborate pieces such as waterfalls with real water, mills, ovens, and all you can put in a nativity scene.

The famous Christmas alley, San Gregorio Armeno.

The amazing shops in San Gregorio Armeno.

You don’t need to be religious to appreciate The Neapolitan Presepe. When you walk around San Gregorio Armeno and all the other Presepe in Napoli, I’m sure you will be amazed by this fascinating world of tradition and modernity and by the the skills and the dedication of the artists who have created these wonderful things, generation after generation. These shops are open all year round and every January these presepe makers start to plan and work on the new presepe for the next Christmas.

One of the oldest workshops in San Gregorio Armeno.

You can make your own presepe with some barn/villages.

Barns like a traditional Neapolitan house.

Vegetables & fruits. All hand made and painted.

The incredible expressivity of the pastori in the San Lorenzo church.

Details of the pastori in the San Lorenzo church.

Religion and Devotion in Napoli.

March 27, 2017

Easter is just around the corner, and like Christmas, it's a festival that's very important in the Neapolitan life. That's why I thought it would be very interesting to write about religion in Napoli and how deep the connection is between religion and the city. As soon as you step into Napoli, it's everywhere, not only in the churches but also in the streets.

During the centuries, an incredible number of churches (over 448) have been built in the heart of the city, to control the criminality and to comfort and help the people against poverty and the plague. That's why today we have real treasures in every street which makes the city even more special. Many Neapolitans, are still very religious and express this sentiment in many ways as public and private devotion, not only in the churches, but also in their own homes and even in the street.

A modern type of aedicula on on via Girolamo Santacroce.

A modern aedicula in the narrow alleys of the inner city.

If you have a wander around the city, you will certainly bump in to an aedicule on a street, it's like a shrine but different. It's an architectural structure which might contain images, statues, flowes, lights and candles. Its origin is very old and can be traced back to the greeks who used to distribute images of gods along the old city of Neapolis. During the time of King Charles III of Bourbon in the 18th century, many aedicules were built, not only for religious purposes, but also to light up the narrow dark streets during the night due to the candles.

Some aedicules have statues in terracotta with the shapes of naked men and women burning in flames. They are the 'anime pezzentelle', the poor souls' of sinners in Purgatory waiting for absolution, in order to enter Paradise. These statues have the features of real people, made for the relatives from the workshops in San Gregorio Armeno, in order to ask the people to pray for their lost souls. You can find many of these aedicules in the Spanish Quarter, Pizzofalcone and in the inner city.

The collection of ex-voto in Gesú Nuovo Church.

Another expression of devotion is the ex-voto, a votive offering to a saint or divinity in fulfilment of a vow, a gift of devotion or gratitude. For example, people used to and still do, offer a letter and a metal plate with the shape of a body part or organ to a saint, or the Virgin Mary in order to receive healing. Many of these plates can be found in churches around Naples, like at the Gesu' Nuovo in the centro storico.

Ex-voto at the back of the glass case, offered to St. Francis Xaverio in the Gesú Nuovo Church.

Guglia dell'Immacolata in piazza del Gesú.

The guglia is some of the most interesting religious structure in Napoli. It is a pinnacle or obelisk with saints, putti and angels raised to the sky. There are quite a few in the city. The most important is the Guglia dell'Immacoltata (Obelisk of the Immaculate Mary). Situated in piazza del Gesu' in the heart of the old city, it was commissioned by the Jesuits in 1743 and funded by donations. This theatrical obelisk dominates the square with its rich decorations of statues, reliefs and medallions. It was designed by the architect Giuseppe Genuino and decorated by Matteo Bottigliero and Francesco Pagano in the rococo style. At the top is the gilded copper statue of Mary. Still today, on the 8th of December every year, the day of the celebration of the Immaculate, the mayor and the cardinal place a ladder against the monument and climb up to place a crown of flowers on the head of the madonna.

The second most important and ancient guglia is the Guglia di San Gennaro, dedicated to the patron saint of Naples Saint Gennaro. It is situated in piazza Sisto Riario Sforza, near The Pio Monte della Misericordia (the church with Caravaggio's painting seven acts of Mercy, see my blog) and not far from the Duomo, where the celebrations of the saint still take place. This guglia was made by Cosimo Fanzago, one of the most important Neapolitan sculptors, a few years after the eruption of Vesuvius in 1631. The Neapolitans believed (and still do now) that Saint Gennaro protected the city from the eruption. A group known as The Delegation of the Treasure of San Gennaro decided to raise a statue to the saint. The guglia is a celebration of the baroque style. The base is decorated with volutes and sirens and at the top stands a bronze statue of San Gennaro, looking out watchful over his city.

San Gennaro Guglia in Sisto Riario Sforza.

The third guglia is the obelisk in piazza San Domenico, built in 1656 by the Neapolitans for the Dominican order to prevent the plague. For the importance of the work was called initially Cosimo Fanzago, whom was already working at the San Gennaro's guglia, and completed by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro in 1736.

San Domenico guglia in piazza San Domenico.

It is so strong in our culture that even today we Neapolitans create new symbols of devotion. It is not a scandal to find in the old town the aedicule dedicated to Diego Maradona, the Argentinian footballer who played for Napoli in the 80s. Yes, why not?. For many Neapolitans he is the greatest football player they ever had, who made Napoli title winners. He is a little bit like Saint Gennaro who protected the city from the volcano, isn't he?

The aedicule dedicated to the football player Maradona, in the centro storico.

Very popular is jewellery inspired by the ex-voto. The Neapolitan artist Daria Cadalt is the designer of the La Petitpoup Accessories, a handmade collection of necklaces, made out of gypsum with the shapes of small body parts, arms and hands. If you are interested in Daria's work, have a look at her Facebook page or her youtube channel, La Petitpoup Accessories.

Jewellery inspired by the ex-voto culture, La Petitpoup Assessorise.

'A proper homage from a nation... to these fine arts that we have inherited and whose splendor gives prestige to Italy and to modern Europe'. — **'A proper homage from a nation... to these fine arts that we have inherited and whose splendor gives prestige to Italy and to modern Europe'.**

National Archeological Museum.

February 24, 2017

The National Archeological Museum is one of the most important museums of classical archeology in the world and it is absolutely a MUST SEE when you are in Napoli.

The building was originally constructed as a calvary barracks and then was used to house a university, before it was finally turned into a museum. Over the centuries it has had many alterations for the purpose of housing its immense collection.

In the mid 18th Century, King Charles of Bourbon made available to the public his collection of antiquities inherited from his mother, 'the Farnese collection', which consisted of many amazing statues from Roman and Greek Antiquity. The king himself was a collector of fine archeological treasures, especially from the nearby buried cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. He promoted the excavations of the two cities which were covered up by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD. From these, he gained a large number of marble and bronze sculptures, inscriptions, mosaics, pottery, jewellery, wall paintings, and Roman knick-knacks of every kind. This is the collection we still admire today.

The model of Pompeii on the second floor, made in 1879.

A papyrus unrolled from the Villa dei Papyrus.

Nowadays, the museum is organised on four floors. I personally would suggest that you start from the top floor, which has the stunning collection of frescoes from Pompeii and Herculaneum, the hall of the Temple of Isis in Pompeii, and a model of the city of Pompeii before being destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius.

On the same floor in the western halls there are collections from the cities of Ancient Greece and also Etruscan and Roman cities, such as Pozzuoli, Capua, Baia, Miseno and Capri.

In the others halls there is the history of Naples and the magnificent collection of the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum. Discovered in 1750, this was a typical private villa. Very impressive is the high number and fine quality of the statues found in the villa, intense portraits of ordinary people, athletes, dancers, philosophers and gods. I always find it incredible how detailed these statues are, their faces, their hands, and their hair. They still seem to be alive to me.

Also housed here is the reason of the villa's name, the spectacular collection of more than 1000 papyrus rolls from the villa's library which survived the eruption, despite the fragile material of the scrolls and the high temperature of the lava. When first discovered many people through curiosity tried to unroll them in order to read them, but all were damaged. Only thanks to the invention of a machine in 1754 was it possible to open the rolls and read many of the most important texts of Greek literature, which otherwise would of been lost.

One of the statues of a dancer from the Villa dei Papiri.

Philosophers and athletes from the Villa dei Papiri.

The intense and dramatic bust of Seneca.

Pan and the goat from The Villa dei Papiri.

Continuing the journey down to the first floor is the reconstruction of the Casa del Fauno (house of the Faun) from Pompeii, which has the original pavements, columns, mosaics (including the famous Mosaic of Alexander) and all the original artefacts from the villa. It is amazing that most of the features of the house still have all their splendid and vivid colours.

From these rooms it is possible to enter into the Gabinetto Segreto (Secret Cabinet). This is the collection of erotic artefacts and mosaics from Pompeii as well as a reconstruction of a typical brothel. It is very interesting to see the Roman's take on sexuality.

The original statue of the Faun from Pompeii, on the first floor.

The mosaic pavement of Alexander, from the House of the Faun in Pompeii.

Amazing colourful features from the House of the Faun.

On the ground floor, where the entrance to the museum is, you can visit the Giardino delle Camelie (Garden of Camellias) and the Giardino delle Fontane (Garden of Fountains). Here is also the famous Farnese collection, which includes the gallery of Roman Emperors, Philosophers and mythological figures, like the giant Hercules at rest and the monumental Farnese Bull (both dated around the end 2nd/early 3rd century AD and discovered around 1545-46 in the Caracalla baths). Continuing on your journey you will then come across the Gem rooms.

The giant Hercules at rest at the ground floor. — The giant *Hercules at rest* at the ground floor.

Detail of the Hercules at rest. — Detail of the *Hercules at rest*.

The Farnese collection on the ground floor.

The Farnese Bull, made from a single block of marble. — The *Farnese Bull*, made from a single block of marble.

To finish your visit, you will go down to the basement where you will find the Egyptian and Epigraphs collection. To know more about it, check out my blog Egypt in Napoli.

Museo Archeologico Nazionale

Piazza Museo 19 - 80137 Napoli.

Tel: +39 06 39967 050

Tickets: € 12 / Concessions € 6 / Evening entry € 2 - Promotions are applied to Trenitalia and Frecciarossa customers, see the website.

Free entry every first Sunday of the month.

Opening hours: 09.00 - 19.30. Closed Tuesdays.

Closed December 25th and January 1st.