First Edition: 22 April 2018 A new update to this post born three years ago: in May 2021 after a long restoration work, the fresco by Mattia Preti placed above the arch of Porta San Gennaro, which was mentioned in the first edition of this post, was finally returned to the city:
The work was born as an ex voto to ward off the plague that infested the city of Naples in 1656. The scene is divided into two registers. In the upper one, the Virgin and Child dominates the center of the scene and rests on a crescent moon, a typical iconographic attribute of the Immaculate Conception. Accompany the Madonna in the intercession for the salvation of Naples San Gennaro (left), San Francesco Saverio (right) and Santa Rosalia (half hidden behind San Francesco Saverio). The lower register depicts the terrible hardships suffered by the inhabitants of the city during the epidemic (note the woman on the right with her mouth and nose covered by a bandage to defend herself from the infection). The statuette that blesses, thanks to the motto “Divo Januario - apotropaco - Sospes Neapolis“, makes it clear that it represents San Gennaro. ***************************************************************************************************************************************
September 2020: still news at the Rione Sanità, which is confirmed as a place where initiatives and artistic expressions flourish that generate enthusiastic discussions and adhesions; however, in our opinion it is worthwhile to visit them and to realize what the healthy forces of this neighborhood have been trying to do for so many years. Let's start with two new murals created this year, after the pandemic. The first is the one created by the artist Tono Cruz and which reproduces a scene from the famous film La Banda degli Onesti, the one in which Totò explains to Peppino De Filippo his ideas on the greed of men using sugar in coffee:
The other mural, made by Mono Gonzalez, represents two human figures looking upwards:
A photographic installation that we missed in 2019 is Fontanelle Terminal, by the artist Stefania Zamparelli, which represents a particularly suitable subject for inclusion in the Fontanelle Cemetery area. These are the mummified dromedaries in the Oman desert, photographed in such a way that they almost look like sand sculptures:
But the two most significant innovations of recent times are these: the marble sculpture The Veiled Son, exhibited in the Bianchi Chapel of the Basilica of San Severo, which has already been discussed in this post. The sculpture is the work of the artist Jago and further information can be found on the website https://www.catacombedinapoli.it/it/eventi-catacombe-napoli/mostra-jago-il-figlio-velato. We limit ourselves to noting, in addition to the evident inspiration from Sammartino's Veiled Christ, how much this touching sculpture makes us think of the many dramatic images, which shock us every day, of children fleeing from wars and hunger.
The other most significant novelty is the so-called Vicolo della Cultura. This is an initiative carried out by the Opportunity Onlus (www.opportunityonlus.it) with the patronage of a Neapolitan coffee brand, the Round Table Clubs of Naples, Caserta and V Zona and the Rotaract Clubs of Naples and Naples West, and inaugurated in December 2019. What does it consist of? An intervention was carried out on Via Montesilvano of the Rione Sanità, in which "cultural newsstands" were installed, similar to the votive ones that in the past centuries have dotted the alleys of Naples, only that these newsstands contain books available to those who want to read them and quotes from the works of Neapolitan artists such as Di Giacomo, Troisi, Eduardo.
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Below is the November 2019 update of the post:
An update to this post more than a year ago: on the lift that leads to the Rione Sanità from Ponte Maddalena Cerasuolo (heroine of the Four Days of Naples in 1943, when the Germans were driven out) the mural Tieneme ca te tengo by the Philipines artist Jerico Cabrera Carandang was painted; the painting was made in collaboration with the guys from the La Tenda Center, which we will talk about later:
From here we start with the original text of the 2018 post, with some changes and additions: ********************************************************************************************************* Today we direct our seated warriors towards one of the most famous neighborhoods, richest in history and popular and most tormented traditions of Naples, the Sanità; in recent years the district has provided the whole city with remarkable examples of civil society organization through combative and culturally well-equipped associations, which have made the most of their territory and its immense historical-artistic resources. We will talk about these associations and their activities later on; for the moment we give some general guidelines for the visit to the district. Basically we will propose two itineraries, for two different days: - the first itinerary develops mainly on the street: the electric wheelchair is preferable, as it is a long and constant, albeit slightly sloping route; however, we recommend a companion, for the reasons that we will see later; keep in mind that the sidewalks are largely impassable in wheelchairs; - for the second itinerary, it is preferable to take your car to the parking lot near the entrance for the disabled of the Catacombs of San Gennaro, which can be visited in a wheelchair. Another necessary premise: it is in any case an ongoing proposal, still to be perfected with the indications of the restaurants with equipped bathrooms, which at the moment we have yet to identify.
1st ITINERARY: AROUND THE RIONE For this itinerary, we assume that we have alighted at the MUSEO station of Line 1 of the Metro; we are in Piazza Cavour and we go through it all. Arrived at the end of Piazza Cavour we take a look to the right at the Porta San Gennaro, open in the Aragonese city walls; it is the only one of the four surviving doors that is still dominated by an aedicule, built as an ex-voto after the plague of 1656 and which bears a fresco by Mattia Preti "Madonna and saints imploring the end of the plague":
We now turn left into Via Fuori Porta San Gennaro and we are immediately immersed in the climate and the animated life of Sanità, and more precisely in the Borgo dei Vergini which, since the Greek-Hellenistic period, housed the underground tombs located outside the walls. of Neapolis. But before turning into Via dei Vergini, if we take a look on our left, we will find a first example of a mural painted in a side street:
The Borgo dei Vergini is very rich in historical, architectural and religious testimonies ranging from the Hellenistic Necropolis of Neapolis to the Augusteo Aqueduct to the Church of the Vincentian Fathers and the Church of Santa Maria della Misericordiella. Unfortunately, almost all of these sites are inaccessible by wheelchair, so we suggest consulting the borgovergini.it portal which illustrates the history of the various sites and the work that the individual associations are carrying out for their enhancement and use by the public. One thing we can do in a wheelchair is to visit the courtyard of the splendid Palazzo dello Spagnuolo, built in 1738 on a project by the architect Ferdinando Sanfelice and characterized by the monumental double flight staircase defined as "hawk wings":
Continuing along Via dei Vergini you pass to Via Arena alla Sanità. If you want, with a detour that takes you quite far, you can take Via Santa Maria Antesaecula; here is the birthplace of Totò, remembered with a plaque and with one of the monuments installed in 2017, the year in which the 50th anniversary of his death was celebrated:
While we're at it, let's also take a look at the Basilica of San Severo, to access which we need the help of a ramp or sturdy companions, due to the steps at the entrance. Built in 1573 and rebuilt in 1680, it was restored to its former glory in 2017. The Basilica of San Severo is an important meeting point, because it is the home of the Sanitansamble orchestra and the Apogeo Records recording studio, two of the main initiatives for the children of the district. Outside the church, the Perseverance mural by Matias Noguera Matu, a Chilean artist who worked with one of the church's volunteers, Salvatore Bakalù, was created. For further information refer to the website: http://www.catacombedinapoli.it/it/luoghi/catacombe-di-san-severo-napoli#
the Bianchi Chapel:
Continuing along Via Arena alla Sanità and Via Sanità, we can see the Palazzo Sanfelice, which the architect built as his home and which today deserves a restoration similar to that carried out on the Palazzo dello Spagnuolo:
We stretch for a moment to reach Largo Totò: here we meet this nice installation also inaugurated in 2017 in memory of the prince of comedians:
We go down again along Via Sanità and arrive at Piazza Sanità. Let's take a look at the murals found in the square: let's talk about Luce, by the artist Tono Cruz, which occupies almost the entire facade of a building:
And on the side wall of the basilica there is Resis-ti-amo by Francisco Bosoletti:
But the highlight of the square is the Basilica of Santa Maria della Sanità:
To enter the wheelchair, the companion must go through the main entrance with the staircase to the ticket office and ask for the side door to be opened which allows entry into the church through the cloister. The religious complex of Santa Maria della Sanità was built starting from 1577, as a short time before, in the area where the Catacombs of San Gaudioso are, the table with the image of Mary datable to the 5th-6th century was found, now in the church, and the faithful asked the bishop to build a church dedicated to Mary. Once the monastery was completed, between 1602 and 1614 the basilica was built by the architect and Dominican friar Giuseppe Nuvolo, while in 1809 much of the monastery was demolished to make room for the road commissioned by Giuseppe Bonaparte to reach the Royal Palace more easily. Capodimonte. Let's see some images with the arches of the bridge hanging over the cloister:
The monochromatic fresco decorations were carried out by Giovanni Battista di Pino in the cloister and in the sacristy:
The interior of the basilica is very rich and has impressive and suggestive architectural solutions, such as the pincer staircase leading to the apse area and the crypt built on the early Christian basilica:
In the basilica there are numerous works of art of the '600 and also contemporary works; among these we show you the Mensa degli Angeli, by the famous architect and designer Riccardo Dalisi:
The basilica also contains the entrance to the Catacombs of San Gaudioso, unfortunately inaccessible by wheelchair; by way of illustration, we show you one of the many vertical sepulchres of characters of the nobility, leaving the field free to your imagination:
At the end of the visit to the Basilica, we continue our journey along Via Sanità, until we come to another beautiful mural:
This is Hidden Hope by Francisco Bosoletti, created at the entrance to the La Tenda Center, an association that has been present in the Sanità area for almost forty years and has always stood out for its commitment to fighting drug addiction and recovering children. with drug problems (see the website www.centrolatenda.org). It is on the entrance wall of the center that a woman's face is returned which, painted in negative, is visible in its real aspect through the application of a filter. All the news on the murals are taken from the site https://www.travelfashiontips.com/2017/02/tour-piedi-tesori-nascosti-del-rione-sanita-napoli.html of the blogger Anna Pernice. We continue along Via Sanità and turn into Via Fontanelle until we arrive at the Fontanelle Cemetery. Immediately before we take a look at two other murals: the first depicts the face of Demeter, painted by Mimmo Iodice, one of the greatest Italian photographers; some works by Iodice are visible on a stable plan at the exit of the Museum station of Line 1 of the Metro:
The second installation is a mural by the artist Mono Gonzalez made on the external walls of the adjacent church of Maria SS. del Carmine:
For the Fontanelle Cemetery, a premise is a must: the site is accessible by wheelchair only with the help of a lift which, however, often breaks down, so you run the risk of getting there and being disappointed. You can try to inquire in advance on the site http://www.cimiterofontanelle.com. The place is an ancient tuff quarry, used from the second half of the 17th century to collect the remains of the dead during the great plague and cholera epidemics. In particular, the victims of the plague epidemic of 1656 and of the cholera epidemic of 1836 were buried here; Giacomo Leopardi also died during this epidemic, but he is buried with a monument worthy of his fame in the Vergiliano Park in Piedigrotta. The cemetery is known because the rite of the "pezzentelle souls" took place here, ie the adoption and care by a Neapolitan of a specific skull (called "capuzzella") of an abandoned soul in exchange for protection. At the end of the first itinerary, we leave the floor to some images taken in the Fontanelle Cemetery:
2nd ITINERARY: THE CATACOMBS OF SAN GENNARO They are the only Sanità catacombs accessible to the disabled; to visit them it is necessary to arrange an appointment with the organization of the visits, since the entrance for the disabled is at Vicoletto San Gennaro dei Poveri and not at the Basilica del Buon Consiglio in Capodimonte; however, all practical information can be found on the website http://www.catacombedinapoli.it/it/luoghi/catacombe-di-san-gennaro-napoli. We take this opportunity to talk about the La Paranza Cooperative, which since 2006 has been carrying out a qualified cultural and social organization and promotion activity in the neighborhood. To put it in their words, our cooperative was born in one of the districts of Naples where the coexistence between great socio-cultural differences and enormous resources is most evident. It is from these that we think that a path of self-development should begin, and that is why we have decided to put our individual experiences at the service of the Rione Sanità, not to change the city, but to change the city. In addition to organizing guided tours in the Catacombs and in the Basilica of Santa Maria, the La Paranza Cooperative has published a magnificent, richly illustrated booklet entitled "The Rione Sanità yet to be discovered" (Intra Moenia editions); The book, agile but very rich in information, can be easily used as a tourist guide and also as a gastronomic guide, as well as to check the references to the many films shot in the district "in the field". The detailed history of the catacombs can also be found on the website http://www.catacombedinapoli.it/it/luoghi/catacombe-di-san-gennaro-napoli. Suffice it to say here that the original nucleus of the Catacombs of San Gennaro dates back to the 2nd century AD. It is probably the tomb of a noble family who later donated the spaces to the Christian community. The expansion began in the 4th century AD. following the deposition of the remains of Sant'Agrippino, the first patron saint of Naples, in the underground basilica dedicated to him. The entrance for the disabled leads to the Basilica of San Gennaro Extra Moenia, which was built in the 5th-6th century near the Catacombs where the patron saint was buried, whose remains were in fact moved to the upper catacomb in the 5th century AD. Let's leave room for some images of the basilica and the catacombs, with their wall paintings:
You cannot close a post on Sanità without mentioning another very significant experience that has developed in the ward. We are talking about the Nuovo Teatro Sanità, a theatrical structure located in Piazzetta San Vincenzo and housed in a church (there is a second entrance with a slide for wheelchairs). The structure is managed by the Collettivo Nuovo Teatro Sanità, and there are regular theatrical seasons with self-produced shows, prestigious guests and workshops for children (their website is https://nuovoteatrosanita.it). We give some pictures:
And to close, let's use their mural painting with Totò and Pasolini:
