Naples, Italy, owns a reputation for being wicked, ridden with crime, but it’s also home for faith and families.
By David Stone
Photography by Deborah Julian
The complexity of things making Naples the city it is can make your head spin, but whether wicked, violent, artistic or faithful, it’s a city you shouldn’t miss.
Wicked, Sensual Naples, But Home for Faith & Families
Photographer Deborah Julian walked the centuries old streets of Naples and returned to New York with a pair of iconic images.
Julian’s photo of a nun, symbol of faith and purity, walking grimy streets glistening with rain captures the conflicting elements of Naples.
2,600 years ago, Naples was Neápolis, a Greek commercial port. Development never stopped as the city passed hands from Greek to Roman to Sicilian and finally Italian. Today, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Read more on Wikipedia.
Naples: Not just faith, family too
When you walk the narrow Spaccanapoli, dodging Vespas you find the world’s best pizza. Or you may sing along with locals over pasta and red wine in an outdoor café.
Yes, Naples is wicked, has been for centuries and nobody denies it, but it’s faithful… to food.
Thirsty after walking the hot streets, I stopped at a coffee shop and asked for “Americano.”
“No!” the man protest. “You take good espresso, and you put water in it. No, no, no!”
He was really offended. And the idea of customizing your own pizza is a sin waiting to happen.
Into The Neighborhoods
Naples is a very old city with roots extending back hundred of years before the Common Era, but family trees weave through the neighborhoods over many generations.
In neighborhood alleys, small businesses form a nucleus of supply within communities. And generations of families have lived in the walkups above for decades.
There’s a sense of family lost in most modern cities.
