Spaccanapoli - 

A day in the beating heart of Naples

 

Stefano Santos

 

Spaccanapoli can be translated as “[the road] that splits Naples”. When standing at the beginning of the road, one can usually understand why. It is, basically, an alley that stretches for two kilometers into a city that is made mostly of narrower and shorter alleys. But it is also a testament and container at the same time of the long history of the city.

 

For a great part of its history Naples was limited to the area that was first colonised by the Greeks, and Spaccanapoli was conceived as the third main road that would serve the settlement. The other two, via dei Tribunali and via Anticaglia, still exist to this day and together they constitute the most fundamental part of Naples' historical centre (declared world heritage by the UNESCO). In fact, up until the seventeenth century  the Neapolitans were forced to construct only within the city limits marked by the walls. So, during a process that lasted roughly two thousands years, people started to construct over the existing buildings in order to solve overcrowding, and as Naples lasted through several domination – by the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Normans, the French and the Spaniards – such stratification produced a variety of building styles and a cultural heritage unique to this part of the world.

 

But, in this collection of images I focus on another aspect: the daily life. Being a focal point in Naples' history, Spaccanapoli and its surrounding helped to shape Neapolitan tradition and lifestyle at its core. It is in fact one of the most lively and vibrant parts of the city. As everything tends to be close together, it is a kaleidoscope of influences and lifestyles. Here aristocratic families had their residence, but it has also a distinct working class character; it hosts the headquarters of two universities, and as such can be crowded with students and young people in general; the market in via Pignasecca, where the ingredients for traditional dishes and everything needed is sold; the craftsmen alley in via San Gregorio Armeno and their nativity creations, always crowded in the build up to Christmas; the labyrinth of alleys that beg to be explored, and can provide a moment of solace for those who want to escape from the crowd. Even if today Spaccanapoli is 'lost' in the middle of the great urban sprawl that is Naples, it still remains a fundamental place for all who want to discover its history and its spirit.

 

 

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