Naples

12–2022 - 01-2023

01 _ VESUVIUS // HERCULANEUM

We walked around the crater of Mount Vesuvius with Inter 7. Mostly we were totally within the clouds but occasionally we were above them.

In the crater, fumeroles gave off steam

At sea level we saw how the Herculaneum archeological site sits beneath the contemporary city

The destruction/preservation at Herculaneum has a different quality to Pompeii
Less lava from the eruption made its way to this region (mainly pyroclastic material) you can see this deposit below in the right hand arch

The large frescoes in Sacello degli Augustali are remarkably well preserved and parts of charred timber beams are still lodged in walls

As I am always reminded when I return to Italy, the floors everywhere are exquisite

02 _ CAPRI // VILLA JOVIS

The view down, and out, from Villa Jovis on Capri
Villa Jovis is a Roman villa built into the rock on a high point in the east of the island

Towards the south of the island we visited Casa Malaparte - also built into the form of the rock, like Villa Jovis

03 _ PALAZZO STAIRCASES AND SANFELICE

On the afternoon of the 31st December, INTER 7 walked through Naples in search of the baroque staircases we had all read about.
The first images below are by Sue Barr

In AA Files 69, Fabrizio Ballabio cites Bernardo de Dominici’s classification of Sanfelice’s stairs into that of the Snail or the Hawkwing.
His essay is titled Snails and Hawkwings, extracts below..

Palazzo San Felice

Palazzo dello Spagnolo

Palazzo Palmarice // Palazzo Mastellone // Palazzo Trabucco

Very much enjoyed these handrail details

04 _ PIAZZA GRANDE (ALDO LORIS ROSSI)

A little further north of where the A56 flies over 9 and 10 story buildings is Ponti Rossi - we traveled here to see the Aldo Loris Rossi project Piazza Grande

Piazza Grande is predominantly a housing project but also features some integrated services.
It is laid out in a circular plan form and the circle returns as a motif everywhere from windows and staircases to the car park beneath.