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Pizza and mandolin? Only a tourist in a hurry could have such a simplistic approach, when visiting Naples. The capital of southern Italy is a modern city of art and gastronomy. Here is an itinerary to discover new flavors, artistic innovation and experimental design. Starting from the subway…
text and photos by Massimiliano Rella
The cost of a subway ticket is all you need to visit one of the most interesting decentralised museums of contemporary art. More than 180 art works are located along the tracks or next to the ticket offices, in the waiting rooms or near the escalators: sculptures, murals, photographs, architectural installations. Quite a number of famous artists gave their contribution to the art collection in Naples subway, from Sol LeWitt, the father of minimal art, to Italian artists, such as Mimmo Paladino, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Enzo Cucchi, together with emerging artists, some of them still unknown to the general public. This is Naples, the city often associated by superficial tourists to the pizza and mandolin clichés; the city, known all over the world for its garbage problems; the city which loves living and eating well, full of restaurants and pizza parlors, happy and busy beyond measure. But Naples is also a city of art, with the most original subway in the world. We visited it during the mild days of early November, looking for chefs and pizza makers, for artists and cultural spaces.
Naples is a creative city, where new trends are often anticipated. “This city is like an artist who thrives in disorder, using it as a fertilizer for ideas and inspiration”, observes Sergio Fermariello, a 50-year-old Neapolitan painter. His artistic research is based on certain elements which keep returning in all his works, with an echo-effect, like threads of a cloth, which are first unraveled and then manage to get reassembled from their natural disorder. Fermariello lives in a very beautiful seventeenth-century mansion, Villa Belvedere, with a breathtaking view of the Gulf from its terrace. We met him in his home-studio, among paintings, beautiful furniture and installations that reveal his taste and personality. But this is his private space. One of his works (two steel wind chimes, “The knight and his shadow”) can be admired in the hall of the Romeo Hotel, a five star hotel, close to Castel dell’Ovo, boasting a rich collection of art works, designer objects and artistic furniture. This is an address for art lovers and gourmets. In this museum-hotel, Il Comandante restaurant offers a panoramic view and a traditional cuisine of seafood and meat, reinterpreted in a contemporary context. It is possible to taste, as first course, the “Paccheri di Gragnano“, a regional type of pasta with celery, shrimps and lemon verbena; and a main dish of monkfish with rye bread, creamy parsnip, bacon and pioppini mushrooms (average bill 85€ www.romeohotel.it).
Another place not to miss, for gourmets enjoying fish dishes, is La Cantinella, where you can also taste some local specialty foods, like the famous “mozzarella di bufala“, soft cheese from cow buffalo‘s milk. The kitchen is under the supervision of young chef Agostino Iacobucci, while Antonio Busiello is responsible for the desserts. His “Babà “dessert is unforgettable (average bill 60€ www.lacantinella.it). The Palazzo Petrucci restaurant, in the historical center, close to the church of San Domenico, offers regional cuisine reinterpreted by thirty-year-old chef Lino Scarallo, originating from the Sanità district. Among his best dishes are “Lasagna with mozzarella di bufala and raw shrimps” and the irresistible “Timpano di paccheri all’impiedi”, a timbale of tube-shaped pasta, stuffed with ricotta and topped with “ragù”, the authentic Neapolitan meat and tomato sauce (average bill 55€ www.palazzopetrucci.it). At Timpani and Tempura, we can sample Neapolitan street food, but in a gourmet version, thanks to chefs Antonio and Lucio Tubelli, who use high quality ingredients, such as cold-pressed frying oil. Here you can enjoy “Sartù di riso”, a Neapolitan rice timbale, “pasticciotti “or spaghetti balls, “polpettoncini” or meat croquettes, “timpani” in various versions, flans of carrots, zucchini and tomatoes (average bill 25€ www.timpanietempura.it). George’s is definitely a refined restaurant, located on the terrace of the Grand Hotel Parker’s, a luxurious five-star hotel in the elegant via Chiaia, with a breathtaking panoramic view. Here, local traditional dishes are reinterpreted by chef Vincenzo Bacioterracino, known as Baciot. An interesting first course is the “pizzelle e foglie”, from an old peasant recipe. Among the main dishes: roasted gray mullet soaked in a sauce of artichokes and potatoes or artichoke candies with ricotta di bufala, pumpkin cream and liquorice; (menu 70€ www.grandhotelparkers.com). In via Costantinopoli, after visiting the Madre, the most important contemporary art museum in Naples, stop for a break at the La Stanza del Gusto, run by chef Mario Avallone, a passionate gastronome. The restaurant upstairs offers a more elaborate cuisine, while at ground floor level, in the Cheese Bar, simpler dishes can be had. And if you win the sympathy of Avallone, you can ask to visit the cellar, holding a treasure trove of goodies (tasting menu from 35€ to 65€ www.lastanzadelgusto.com). For wine lovers, a new venue is the Uno Barrato, in the Chiaia district, along the tram 1 barrato route, hence the name of this modern wine bar-restaurant, with a glass ceiling, through which dozens of bottles placed crosswise can be seen. Among the dishes in the menu are the “Schiaffoni di Gragnano”, a regional type of pasta with mantis shrimp, and, as main dish, “Twice-baked suckling pig with endive tart“. Also the bill is “molto buono": 35€ (www.unobarrato.it).
However, Naples remains the city of pizza. The addresses to recommend are many. Here is a partial list and some that are not mentioned, are equally good. At Sorbillo, in via dei Tribunali, for two generations, even before the arrival of new chef Gino Sorbillo, the menu has included over 20 versions of pizza, each one identified with a person’s first name (bill 10€ www.sorbillo.it). Bruno, at Riviera di Chiaia 213, is a pizzeria-restaurant offering seafood at low prices, from raw fish “carpaccio” to seared tuna (bill 20€ - 40€, tel 081.2512411). At Al Poeta, a restaurant with regional cuisine, nice pizzas, garlic bread and rice croquettes can be tasted (bill 20€, piazza Di Giacomo 134/135, tel 081.5756936). The Antica Osteria del Gallo, in the popular Sanità district, close to the Fontanelle cemetery, has been open since 1898 and is famous for its pizzas and “pizzicotti”or small stuffed ravioli. (bill 15€, via Telesino 21, tel 081.5441521). And of course the Arte della Pizza, true to its name, is the place where pizzamaker Gaetano Esposito offers quite a number of very good pizzas, like the Campagnola, or the Luna Rossa (bill 20€, via S.Maria della Libera 5, tel 081.2411907). We can end our list with Capasso, at the Porta San Gennaro, where you can eat delicious pizzas (bill 10€ - 15€, via Porta San Gennaro 2, tel 081.456421).
Art stations
Enjoy all the famous sights of Naples: walk around piazza Plebiscito, admire the Maschio Angioino, walk along via Caracciolo and then go up to Posillipo and shoot a postcard - photo. But don’t miss a ride on the subway, where you can enjoy one of the most original decentralised museums of contemporary art in the world, run in collaboration with the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples and consisting of more than 180 works of art. At the Università station, between via Marina and corso Umberto I, a colorful and casual environment, with signs referring to the new digital age, has been created, as part of an artistic project to communicate with the young people who live and study in that area. The station was planned by Karim Rashid, an eccentric Anglo-Egyptian designer living in the States. At the Piazza Dante station, planned by Gae Aulenti, art objects by Carlo Alfano, Joseph Kosuth, Jannis Kounellis, can be admired. The Salvator Rosa station, planned by the Atelier Mendini, houses works by Enzo Cucchi, Lello Esposito, Mimmo Rotella, Ernesto Tatafiore, Renato Barisani, Gianni Pisani. The playful sculptures by Salvatore Paladino and a monumental “Hand” by Mimmo Paladino are in the square, just outside the station, while inside you can see four Fiat 500 cars, covered with sheets, a work by Perino & Vele, titled "A subway è chiù sicura“. At the Vanvitelli station, planned by architect Michele Capobianco, there are works of Mario Merz; ironic installations by Giulio Paolini (Off Limits, a giant boulder that appears on the verge of breaking the transparent fence imprisoning it); a long strip by Vettor Pisani with images from different epochs; and photos of buildings in Naples by Gabriele Basilico and Olivo Barbieri, showing different aspects of the city’s architecture. The Materdei station is home to works by Sandro Chia (a mosaic with marine representations on the base of the spire inside the station), by Luigi Ontani (a large marine expanse in which fantastic creatures splash together with street urchins and a Punch with the artist's face) and by Sol LeWitt, the father of minimal art, author of the fiberglass sculpture down the hall. Info www.metro.na.it
Museums and contemporary art
The PAN, Palace of Arts in Naples, exhibits works of emerging artists, like Christian Leperino, Fulvio Merolli, Alessia Forconi (www.palazzoartinapoli.net). Do not miss a visit to the Madre, close to the Museo subway station, which exhibits photos by Mimmo Jodice. The Madre Museum, located in an ancient palace, redeveloped by famous Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza Vieira, contains interesting works, such as the Venere Nera or Venus of the Rags, by Michelangelo Pistoletto and Il Cavallo, by Mimmo Paladino, on the terrace of the museum, in the open air (www.museomadre.it). Other horses by Paladino (Prove d’Orchestra) have adorned, for more than a year, the courtyard of Palazzo Reale, which can be entered from piazza Plebiscito.
Art Venues
In Naples, there are a number of places for alternative culture, outside the institutional circuits. Close to Porta Capuana, Lanificio25, a former factory which used to produce military uniforms for the Bourbons, now houses exhibitions and artistic performances. In connection with Lanificio25, in the Chiaia district, the Trip is the right place for a brunch (www.cra.na.it). Art and food can be enjoyed at the Kestè (www.keste.it), a pop space organizing aperitifs and exhibitions, in the Porto district; or at the Arteritivo (www.arteritivo.com), a place for art aperitifs, created by architect and designer Francesca Maione. Finally, close to the PAN, the ISI–Arti Associate is a gallery and bistrot, opened in October 2010, where you can eat and admire thematic exhibitions of art and design (www.isiartiassociate.net).
The Business and Office District by Kenzo Tange
The Business and Office District in Naples was designed in the ‘80s by renowned Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, with the aim of creating a citadel of offices and services and reducing traffic congestion. Completed in the 90s, it is still considered an avant-garde project in the field of urban planning. It is located near the Poggioreale station. In addition to Kenzo Tange, who was responsible for the master plan, architects like Renzo Piano (the Olivetti building), Massimo Pica Ciamarra (the Enel towers), Nicola Pagliara (the towers of the Banco di Napoli) and Pierluigi Spadolini (the Uomo Vitruviano sculpture and the futuristic Church of San Carlo Borromeo) contributed to its realization.
The Gateway to the Park (the Bagnoli Hub)
There is a recreational and wellness area on three floors, with cafés, an auditorium, swimming pools and saunas, where the Ilva factory once used to stand. It is The Gateway to the Park, a new multi-functional center and an example of contemporary architecture, between via Cocchia and via Nuova Bagnoli. It was planned with Silvio D'Ascia, as consultant, the architect who also designed the Montesanto subway station. The former Italsider area, historically intended for industrial use, is a large urban territory, which has been preserved from building speculation. Today it is one of the few industrial sites in Italy, included in the national plan of reclamation. The transformation of the Bagnoli area started in 2007, with the opening of the first three building sites: the Gateway to the Park, the Sports Park and the Thematic Aquarium. Info www.bagnolifutura.it e www.portadelparco.it
Where to sleep If you are looking for luxury and an artistic environment, you can choose the Romeo Hotel, opened in 2008 and planned by the Tange Associates architecture studio. Contemporary artworks, images of great photographers, unique pieces of design, antique furniture and objects related to the symbolic and artistic Japanese universe, create an elegant blend, connecting a Western city, like Naples, with Kenzo Tange’s Eastern cultural background. Double room from 210€ (www.romeohotel.it). A cozy hotel is the Micalò, located in a seventeenth-century mansion along the Riviera di Chiaia. It offers luxurious, modern rooms, and the possibility to have a drink or a meal at the Art Bar, graced by works by Neapolitan contemporary artists. Double room from 165€ (www.micalo.it). The Grand Hotel Parker’s, in the Chiaia district, has a wonderful panoramic terrace and spacious, cozy rooms, elegantly furnished in classical taste. Among the spa offers are: wine therapy, with extracts from Campania wines; treatments based on citrus fruit from the Amalfi Coast or on minerals from Vesuvius; packages for couples, with Champagne treatment. Double room from 190€ (www.grandhotelparkers.com).
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