Knock, Knock

These are the bronze doors from the Castello Nuovo in Naples. Apparently someone wanted in and fired an iron cannon ball at them and the cannon ball got stuck in the doors. I’m not sure if that means it was a lousy cannon ball or a strong door. Either way, there it is. I’m not sure who fired it, but Napoleon comes to mind as a possible culprit. I’ll have to do some research on that. If anyone knows, tell me. The doors themselves are covered in wonderful reliefs produced during Alfonso I’s reign as king of the two Sicilies. They show his military campaigns juxtaposed with scenes from the Trojan War. Alfonso wasn’t shy about self-aggrandizement.

Another Napoli Shop

Here’s another storefront in Naples that caught my eye this morning. They’re so inviting. It’s good marketing, to make such a warm looking place along the streets. In truth, the streets of Naples often have lots of garbage and dirt in them. They’re not the most beautiful in the world, but shops like this shine like little commercial beacons.

St Gennero

St Gennero is the patron saint of Naples. I took this picture in his chapel in the Naples cathedral. It was near closing time, and the guardians were rushing me, but I snapped this picture with the hand of a life-size silver statue of the Virgin Mary–or her hand, at least–gesturing with a colourful Baroque painting in the background. I tried to make it look like the figure in the painting was reacting to the Virgin’s blessing hand.

Ferdinand I

Ferdinand I (1751-1825), who, somewhat amazingly, was also known as Ferdinand III and Ferdinand the IV (history does get complex sometimes) had this bronze equestrian statue made. I tried to make him as heroic as I could. He charges into space in the Piazza Plebiscito in Naples. What or who he’s after I can only guess. I think he must be chasing the pigeons who like to sit on his head.

Jesuit Dome

This is the dome of the Jesuit church in Naples, Il Gesu. Its interior is a smaller version of St Peter’s in Rome and just as ornate. The dome is impressive and the light particularly beautiful today. I had my share of churches; I think I visited about seven today. Enough even for me.

Proud Lion

This lion seems very proud and content. He rests at one side of the huge, sweeping colonnade of the Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples. The temple-like structure on the left is the entrance to the church of San Francesco de Paolo, like the colonnade, an unapologetic Neo-classical  monument not far from the Palazzo Reale and the Teatro Carlo, both currently under restoration. The church is based on the Pantheon in Rome.

Expressionist Napoli

The graffiti and myriad posters on the walls of Naples’ buildings are to me sort of beautiful. The graffiti artists are often good, and somehow their work has risen from vandalism to the realm of street art. That, with the torn posters and notices pasted up then worn down, create visual compositions that many modern artists strove for in their collages. Every once and awhile one section catches my eye.

Galleria Umberto I

The Galleria of Umberto I (king at the time of the building’s construction) is one of Naples’ great 19th century masterpieces. Built between 1887 and 1891, by the architect Emanuele Rocco, it imitates Milan’s Galleria of Vittorio Emanuele II. This picture is of the dome at the center of the cross-shaped plan, with one of the halls extending off to the right. It’s a marvelous sight. The light today was diffuse but bright, making this a tough exposure. But as black and white it brings out the patterns of the iron supports for the glass panes. It hardly does the place justice. It’s under restoration now, with lots of scaffolding up. I look forward to coming back again next year and being able to take some new pictures of it. It’s one of Naples’ most compelling interior spaces.

Devotion

This was another painting in the galleries of the Castello Nuovo. This one was a 15th century altarpiece. The gold in the work was rich and warm. The dove of the holy spirit is supposed to be emitting light, but it looks more like it’s exploding. The worshipper seems to be a pope; at least that looks like a papal tiara, but the labels weren’t great at the museum.

Angelic

In the Cappella Palatina in the Castello Nuovo I took this picture of three angels from a 15th century tabernacle. The angels worship the Host (Eucharistic bread) that resides in the tabernacle. It was a pretty detail.

A View from the Top

Today I took one of Naples’ funicular tramcars up to the Piazza Fugo. There are several of them in the city. From there I walked to the Castello St Elmo, which was closed today. Still, nearby there was the small piazza St Martin, named after the church there. The piazza provided a beautiful panorama of the city, even though it was pretty cloudy. Vesuvius loomed. It looked so close. Millions live within range of that infamous volcano’s wrath.

Maidens in Distress

One of the fresco cycles in the Cappella Palatina in the Castel Nuovo in Naples depicts scenes from the life of William of Gellone, by the painter Niccolo di Tommaso (1346-76). This detail is from a scene where William, a hero of the Carolingian period (he was a cousin of Charlemagne) defeats a giant Moorish soldier. I’m presuming, like Perseus and St George, he also frees a maiden; though in this case there appears to be three of them. Though the middle one doesn’t look that maiden-like. All three kidnapped, no doubt, by the marauding Moorish warrior.

Castello Nuovo Again

I went back to the Castello Nuovo again this morning, but this time paid the entry fee to see the museum part on the inside. It was full of wonderful things, including the original bronze doors from the mid-fifteenth century (today replicas take their place in the front of the castle). The big surprises were the frescoes and sculptures in the Cappella Palatina, the Palace Chapel, which is as big as many churches. There were frescoes from the 14th and 15th centuries. Many were partial, but they’d been cleaned and conserved. I also took the wonderful funicular to the Piazza Fugo. Funiculars are not just a tourist thing in Naples, there are several of them and they play an important role in the city’s public transport system. It was fun and something I didn’t expect. Another great day in Naples.

A Bird on the Wing

Today I went to two ancient Roman villas that were destroyed by Vesuvius in the eruption of 79 CE, just like Pompeii and Herculaneum. The Villa Poppaea is in Oplontis (sometimes it’s just called the Villa Oplontis). Later in the day, I visited the Villa Arianna at Stabia, which even today has a million dollar view of Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples. It must have been stunning in antiquity. The Oplontis site was fantastic, with many frescoes still in situ. I took this detail, of a small bird flying in a garden. It struck me as marvelous that I was looking at it 2000 years after it was painted, and was able to take a picture of it and share it with the world on my blog. I think the painter would have liked that. He captured a beautiful animal flying through space, a brief instant in time, held for all time in mid-flight. Even the destruction of the volcano could not destroy it. These are treasures.

Surreal Naples

I can’t think of any city that offers so many surrealist images. Naples is special, that’s for sure. The oddest things, and the oddest juxtapositions of things are found in the streets of this wonderful city.