Naples - December 31, 2011 - Centro Direzionale

Looking north-west in the Centro Direzionale. The north
Enel Tower can be seen on the far left.

Just to the north of the train station is “Modern Naples”, in actuality known as the Centro Direzionale.

Funnily enough it covers a smaller area than the train station and rises out of the center of Naples like a phoenix from the ashes of a million burger wrappers.




To be perfectly frank, I think it looks like one of those western American cities, the ones built on the plains in the shadows of mountains. Like Denver or Calgary, where all of the tall buildings are huddled together, clinging close as if they are afraid of their surrounding suburbs. In the case of Naples this just might be true.

The Centro Direzionale is the administrative hub of Naples, and many of the buildings are local or national government organizations. National Italian corporations also make their southern home here, with Telecom Italia occupying the tallest building in southern Italy.

Stark, clean-ish (just don’t look at the escalators) and modern (but a little dated) the area lacks any and all of the enchantment of Naples proper. It makes up for this by being in a high crime area and bordered on the north by the largest prison in Italy and on the south by the train station. The prison is rather fascinating, being of the nineteenth century type with the addition of brushed metal gun turrets. It also seems appropriate to build the new city hall, law and government offices so close to the prison, considering that is usually where Italian (and other nations too) politicians tend to live when they are not in office.

Looking east into the Centro Direzionale from the Enel Towers

The district starts with a dramatic entrance from the old city framed by the twin Enel towers, each 400 feet tall which form a gateway into this strange and alien landscape (at least strange and alien compared to the rest of Campania). It’s all very shiny.

Enel Towers looking west with old Naples beyond

 We visited on a Saturday so the district was understandably empty. this had the effect of upping the creepiness factor from abandoned Victorian house to "Collection of headless manikins dressed in bloodstained formal wear...in an unfinished basement...lit by one bare flickering light bulb...swinging back and forth...". Actually the quiet was kind of nice.

View from eastern end of the Centro Direzionale looking north toward modern church and prison

The whole area is designed on a pair of axis very much like the nave of a church and the transepts.  The vistas are impressive with their little "Leonardo trees" poking up all over the landscape.

In another reference to Leonardo da Vinci there is a large spherical sculpture made out of a sort of 3D mosaic of various marbles. In the center is a rendering of da Vinci's famous "Man in His Perfect Proportions", it was quite worth the trip into the district for that alone.

3D mosaic sphere with rendering of "Man in His Perfect Proportions"