Naples - Piazza Dante

Piazza Dante, Christmas time 

Like Vittorio Emanuele, Umberto I and Garibaldi nearly every Italian town of any consequence has to have something named after Dante.

In Naples it is a semi-circular piazza off the Via Toledo not too far from the Palazzo di Capodimonte.    

Constructed in the 1760's the east side of the piazza is a range of columns topped with a dozen or more statues with a central tower of ingenious construction.

The square was recently remodeled into a pedestrian zone and at the time of our arrival the giant statue of Dante was swaddled in scaffolding and tarps.

To the north there is a gate topped with flying cherubs and cartouches which leads to the Piazza Bellini and the music conservatory.

Bordering on the south and facing the Via Toledo is the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, where my traveling companions great grandparents may have been married. I have to say I love the magic mushroom windows on this building. Very Mario.

On the right, gate that led to lovely secluded street on the way to Piazza Bellini

Super cute street heading east from Piazza Dante to Piazza Bellini

Naples - University of Naples Federico II

University Facade from Hotel Naples 

The University of Naples was founded by Federico II in 1224 after a rocky start it became the largest university in the south of Italy with a student body of nearly 100 thousand as of 2010.

Expanded many times since its founding (the current Archaeological Museum was built as the new university in 1615). It’s currant 1777 façade on Corso Umberto I is just that, a facade. It hides behind it and amazing hodgepodge maze of 15-16th century towers, gates and random brick buildings. 

The facade is very well done in the early neoclassical style. Built out of lovely grey and white contrasting stone starting with a ground floor of rustic ashlar work with alternate rows of pedimented and round arch topped windows above. in the center is a projecting pavilion with engaged Corinthian pilasters and a large pediment with over life-size statues of the arts. The whole is flanked by two projecting pavilions of three bays with Corinthian pilasters at the corners. 

Winged Sphinxes guard the entrance and the whole is smothered in that carefree graffiti that the Neapolitans apply with such endearment to their monuments. 

Facade of the University of Naples Federico II 

My hotel was directly across the street from this building and from our room we had a birds eye view of the sculptures on the pediment.

Naples - Santa Maria Maggiore

Santa Maria Maggiore 

Unfinished baroque facade on
S. Maria Maggiore

From the piazza in front of San Domenico a short walk in the right direction will lead you to the Piazza Luigi Misaglia (I have no idea who he is when he’s at home) from the take a right and walk north westish on the Via del Sole on your right will be the very old looking Chiesa Santa Maria Maggiore, and an even older looking bell tower (funny after research discovered the reverse is true, but they are both very old). At some point during the renaissance baroque era someone decided to remodel the facade. The got up to the second story and then it just sort of stops. It's still an interesting play of light and shadow with the columns and the staircase that has this fluid rounded edge that is almost architecturally perfect.

First the Chiesa Santa Maria Maggiore: Built in 533 it is one of the oldest churches in Naples. Here is how it came to be….in 533 the Virgin Mary appeared to the Bishop of Naples and told him that he needed to chase away a pig the possessed by the devil and had been frightening the peasants.   The good ,bishop strapped on his six shooter and went a'huntin'. Soon enough he chased away the demon pig and had this church built on the foundations of an old temple to Diana. The church was remodled a bit in the 17th century but still has that edict of Constantine look to it. Here is the remarkable thing. 

The brick belfry that is next to the church was built in 900 CE. That’s right 900 CE, not 1900, 900.

That is very-very old for such a tall freestanding building made out of bricks and mortar instead of stone. The base of the tower is made up of bits of old roman buildings, apparently from the aforementioned temple of Diana.  There always seems to be a temple of  Diana nearby, or Venus. Even my grandparents lived next to a temple of Venus that was found in a field in Chester. Popular Goddess there...can't imagine why.

In the picture below you can clearly see the hodgepodge of old Roman marble incorporated into the belfry structure. Bits of column, cornice, dentil and egg and dart molding, even what look to be bits of the old altar, it's all here. 

Waste not, want not...

Naples - Palazzo Saluzza di Corigliano

A palace on the San Domenico square that was entirely rebuilt after the earthquake of 1688. For some reason I did not get a good picture of it. Though I did capture the beauty of one of the ground floor windows with an inspirational quote applied in paint to enliven our progress through the city.

It was even in English.

Inspirational Writing in Naples on the Palazzo Saluzza di Corigliano

Naples - Church of Sant'Angelo a Nilo

Faux Brickwork on Sant'Angelo a Nilo

Sant'Angelo a Nilo (and hard to sell flat)

I almost completely overlooked this church and yet I photographed it twice the first full day we were in Naples. The name Sant’Angelo a Nilo comes from the fact that it is right next to the Piazetta del Nilo and being dedicated to Sant’Angelo. St. Angelo (as in Castel Sant’Angelo) was born in Holy Land the rock (stoning) and roll (head rolling)era of the late 12th century. He and a twin brother entered the Carmelite order and he was eventually ordained. He traveled around the eastern Mediterranean performing odd job miracles and denouncing wickedness as he went. Until he got to Sicily, whereupon he dissed the wrong wicked man and was brutally and publicly murdered while preaching in front of the Cathedral in Licata. Alternately the story goes that he caused Berengarius’ (AKA: “Wicked Dude”) partner who was living in sin, to get up and go away. This of course made Berengarius very angry and he publicly and brutally murdered Saint Angelo while he was preaching in front of the Cathedral in Licata. Either way the end result was the same. As the saint lay dying in the street (or in some stories four days later as he died of his wounds) he prayed for forgiveness for his murderer, which is a very saintly thing to do.

The Plague of 1656 mentioned in this blog was supposed stopped by his intersession, but I thought that was Saint Dominico? Maybe it was a joint effort.

The church itself was built in the 14th century (begun 1384-85) though estensivly remodeled in the  1500’s. In appearance it is more like a Russian Palace than a church? Perhaps this is because the long side is the most visible. Overall it is grey (for the architectural details) on a background of red, sort of a dark almost blood red the colour of the Terem Palace at the Kremlin or a smoky brick terraced house in Newcastle. There are two baroque niches on the façade flanking the portal on the long side of the church each with a statue, above there are three windows that have been accosted by several cherubs (I believe a gang of four). The pilasters appear to be made out of stone, however the rest of the grey and red appears to be just stucco. The red background is scored to resemble brick, and it does actually fool the eye from a distance. However when you get close up you can see the rubble wall behind where large sheets of stucco have fallen off the walls.

The church has the cutest little bell tower, it’s so itsy bitsy. And connected to a residential building. In fact the bells are right next to the wall of the fourth floor of said residential building. I wonder how the real estate agent deals with that situation?

Church of Sant'Angelo a Nilo, PIazetta Nilo Facade. Cherubs of doom! 

Naples - Piazetta Nilo

Nile Statue, Piazetta Nilo

Sant'Angelo a Nilo in Piazetta Nilo

This tiny Piazza (Piazetta) is home to an anthropomorphic personification statue of the Nile. The river god is shown reclining with a overflowing cornucopia and two animals. One a sort of crocodile like thing with lion paws and lacking a dead and another headless thing with paws that I can’t quite identify. Most likely from a Temple of Serapis or Isis that was built nearby. The statue was lost for a while then set up again in the 12th century. During the baroque era someone restored the missing head, giving it a sort of “Old Man River” look. The twisted tresses are like something one might see in a William Blake Illustration.

On a fun note: Since Medieval times it has supposedly whispered to passersby (apparently especially women). I haven’t found any records of what it allegedly said. More than likely it said (go away from here swiftly or you will be mugged) slightly sketchy area, but not more so than other parts of the historic district of Naples. All the more charming for that.

In fact there are some delightful streets radiating off the square that personify old Naples.  Via Paladino Giovanni is lovely (in the right light).


Looking into Via Paladino Giovanni


Nile statue with the five story renaissance Palazzo Parnormita in the background

Naples - San Domenico Plague Column

San Domenico Spire

In the square in front of San Domenico Maggiore is the San Domenico Spire. Sometimes referred to as the plague obelisk, though there is more than one plague obelisk in Naples.  Built over a period of 70 years beginning in 1658, it refers to the plague of 1656. I read that it commemorates St. Domenico who interceded on behalf of Naples by being miraculous and performing the miracle of making the plague go away by brining a freak snowstorm to town.

The carving is rather restrained, only four giant crowned cartouches and four cherubs. Only four cherubs? No idea how the designer could live with himself with only four cherubs. The shaft of the obelisk has bas relief grotesques and the whole ensemble is topped off with a bronze statue of San Domenico doing Dominican things. 

It makes quite a spectacular exclamation mark along the Via Benedetto Croce, which we continued to traverse on our way to the Piazzetta del Nilo. Which is just as it sounds, the little Nile Piazza