In Napoli

Visiting Naples for the first time was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Last week we posted a story about the adventure, but I really want to say (and show) more about it because the sites and encounters were so beautiful, so rich—and my guide, artist-designer Andrea Anastasio, couldn’t have been more perfect.

I went to Naples for two reasons: first, because I wanted to see Andrea’s studio and become better acquainted with this immense talent (after initially falling in love with his work last April during Salone); and, second, because Fabrica approached me to do the pilot of a new video series on craft production around the world, and I knew Naples would be full of exquisite but still relatively unknown artisanal resources. The trip delivered beyond my expectations on both accounts.

Andrea knows the ins and outs of Naples like the back of his hand, and, thanks to him, I visited churches, workshops (usually in private homes), markets, vineyards, bakeries, and more. I also saw the dark, rougher side of the city, which is infamous for its crime, violence, poverty, and all around chaos, and met a number of amazing people who are working to change this—like a man who has taken it upon himself to look after the children who live in a derelict social housing block and have nowhere to play but a parking garage.

Naples is a truly Mediterranean metropolis; it resembles Beirut more than Rome or Milan. I witnessed visions of an Italy I thought were long gone, like old men sitting on the side of the street in makeshift chairs and religious shrines that were actively and passionately attended. I loved the streetscape, too; crumbling, ancient and modern architecture intermixed with busy local markets and scooters constantly whizzing by. There is no other Italian city like it.

Andrea Anastasio in Naples