Memories of... Napoli

This posting was drafted after a trip to Napoli in February 2009.  It had started out as weekend jaunt to see Peter Grimes at San Carlo, my favourite opera house in Italy, and a planned excursion to Herculaneum.  But there was so much to do and see in Napoli itself that the entire weekend was spent exploring the city including a visit to the world famous Il Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli. My one regret is that I only got back to there once after that - and then only for an evening.  It is a city I longed to explore.

Sunday at the Colesseo

Roma - Tuesday, February 10th 2009

No I didn't go to the Colesseo in Roma again on Sunday, though I did go passed it several times in the last week but without going in. Now that I've been through it 8 times in the last 18 months I'm not sure I'll ever step foot in the place again. Famous last words! (Strangely I was to keep to those words and never did go into it again.)

However when we were at the Museo Archeologico in Napoli last weekend they had a special exhibition on Gladiators and the Colesseo in Pompeii.  Many of the items had survived the famous eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE and were in remarkable condition.  For me, at least, one of the most fascinating items amongst the swords, shields and general paraphernalia of the arena was this elaborately worked bronze helmet dating between 50 and 74 CE.

Found at the Quadriportico of the Theatres,  it is a stunning example of the artistry involved, and money invested, in garbing gladiators for battle. Unfortunately Christian mythology, Gibbon, Jean-Léon Gérôme and Hollywood has handed down this impression of the wholesale slaughter of the vanquished at the end of a contest. And though combatants did die, as I mentioned in my post on The Boxer, athletes and gladiators were highly skilled athletes who were too expensive an investment to allow for frivolous deaths. And many gladiators were prisoners of war but as many others were volunteers who had chosen fighting as their profession.  And even a gladiator who was past his prime could be valuable as a trainer for the young fighters entering the schools and arenas, as a bodyguard or even as a household slave.

Jean-Léon Gérôme's Pollice verso (1872) did much to influence 20th century ideas and ideal concerning Gladiators and the Roman Games.  The triumphant Murmillo stand over the defeated Thraex awaiting the pleasure of the crowd - who in this case seem to be calling for the blood of the vanquished.

The owner of the gladiator who wore this helmet must have spared no expense in outfitting his prize fighter.  The bronze helmet would have been worn by a "murmillo" as part of his equipment which would have included a broad sword, a loincloth, a belt, short greaves on his lower legs,  a linen arm protector, and the curved rectangular shield of a Roman legionnaire.  The murmillo derived his name from his helmet - vaguely fish shaped it appears to be a variant on the Greek word for a type of salt water fish.  Normally his opponent would have been a Thraex or Thracian - armed with a small round shield and a curved sword - or a Hopolomachus or Hoplite - using a spear, a sword and a small round shield in the Greek fashion.  The analogy was obvious to the crowd - the Roman legionnaire (murmillo) against a foreign enemy.  Perhaps it is more patriotic propaganda than actual records of combats but in early frescos, carvings and bas-reliefs the murmillo often appears triumphant!

This helmet is a large hemispheric dome with a grated visor and the broad brim surmounted by a crest which has holes on either side used to insert feathers and a horsehair plume to add further adornment to the elaborate relief work on the crown.  And no doubt it added a further fearsome aspect to the advancing combatant if not to his opponent then to the spectators.

The cap is decorated in relief with the personification of Roma Victorious, dressed as an Amazon, with her right leg slightly bent.  Fasces in her left hand - symbolizing power and jurisdiction - a sceptre in her left she stands in Imperial glory between two kneeling male figures.  Their tunics and trousers suggest they are barbarians who, having seen the error of their ways, offer tribute and homage to victorious Rome.

Two prisoners, their hands tied behind their backs, adorn the sides of the helmet.  A male on the right and a female on the left they are amongst the spoils of a battle won by the Empire.  Heaps of weapons form the traditional trophies of a triumph - armour, shields, spears, shin guard and banners.   Is it perhaps semi-biographical in nature - was the gladiator who wore this into the arena among the vanquished in a recent war?  Or was it just a reminder to the citizens of a fashionable resort town of Pompeii of the power and glory of their Empire?

It would be fascinating to know the story behind this amazing piece of metal work - the man who made it, the man (men?) who wore it.  How often had it been worn in triumph? Or in defeat?  Was the last gladiator to wear it one of the 16,000 who were buried in the lava flows and ash showers that reached temperatures of up to 700c.  Or as a valued piece of property had he been taken when his owner made his escape?  Or, in a more romantic vein, had he used the hysteria and confusion as thousands tried to leave the doomed city to make a bid for freedom and a return to his homeland?

The helmet reveals much about the rituals and craftsmanship of the time but reveals little of the people who made and used it leaving it up to our imagination to fill in the missing pieces.


A few other posts that actually made it up about that wonderful weekend in Napoli:

Of Cabbages and Kings

Sunday Stroll in Santa Chiara

Sharing - Napoletano Portals

11 ottobre/October - San Alessandro Sauli

I Was Wrong ... Make That Really Wrong...

... about, well many things but in this case, Napoli.

Last May the trip we made down was for the opera on Saturday afternoon, a pizza that night then Pompeii with our friend Marc-Aurele the next day. I had heard so many horror stories about the place from ex-pats and others that I didn't want to spend anymore time there than I had to. Apparently no one had ever gone there without being pick-pocketed, robbed or murdered in their bed. It was unwise to wear rings, watches or carry bags on the streets, in fact the only way to prevent being robbed was to strip down to your knickers. There wasn't an honest cab driver in town nor a street that wasn't clogged with panhandlers. And if something dreadful hadn't happened to the teller it had happened to their brother/sister, their brother's/sister's best friend or a friend of... you can pretty much figure it out from here.

Well to quote a friend of mine who is decidedly Napoletano that's strunzate*. This time we went down with a positive attitude and some advise from that friend. We stayed in a very nice hotel in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele area, wore our watches and rings, were not robbed or accosted, had two reasonably priced cab rides with polite drivers, saw many incredible things, ate several wonderful meals and had conversations with some very charming people.

I'm trying to get the 270 odd pictures I took into something resembling a logical order but in the meantime here are a few that capture a bit of the flavour of the city.

Of course everyone takes pictures of Mount Vesuvius so why would I be an exception? I hadn't realized it has a snow cap in the winter months. That large cruise ship was just pulling out of harbour - not doubt filled with happy campers comparing digital shots of Pompeii.

No photo album of Napoli would be complete without the requisite shot of a street in the Quartieri Spagnoli off Via Toledo. This past weekend the New York Times Travel section had an interesting article comparing this fascinating area with a more upscale neighbourhood just a funicular ride up the hill.

The Teatro San Carlo has long been known as one of the most beautiful - and acoustically perfect - opera houses in the world. Sadly when we were there in May it showed all the effects of years of neglect. However in the succeeding 8 months, while the opera house was closed, the first stages of a massive restoration has been going on. The auditorium interior was addressed first and has resulted in the reemergence of all the glory of this wonderful theatre. It is absolutely stunning. Sadly, because of government budget cuts, the season has been reduced to three operas and one ballet but during the lengthy periods of inactivity restoration will continue. I can only hope that once it's completed in 2010 there will be more opportunities to see it as it was meant to be seen - a working theatre.

All over the Centro Storico restoration is in high gear. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele (in this photo) is being restored as is the Galleria Principe across from the Museo Archeologico. These early 19th century shopping malls are once again becoming the centre for upscale shops and watering holes.

Earlier today I posted Marco Beasley singing Il Monastero di Santa Chiara, a ballad almost as romantic as the real thing. Again restoration work is being done to return it to its glory days when the entire garden was composed of pillared pergolas, walls and benches covered in Majolica tiles. And what isn't tiled is frescoed with bibical scenes from the Old Testament. We spent over an hour just wander through the cloister and small museum. I'm hoping to post a slideshow of some of the wonderful tiles.


On Sunday another two hours were spent doing one floor and a special exhibit at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale. Recognized as one of the World's leading museums it alone would be worth a visit to Napoli. From the mamoth Farnese Farnese Hercules and Farnase Bull to the smallest fresco from Herculaneum (such as the lovely little basket above) it is an overwhelming collection that it is best viewed and appreciated over several visits.

Which just means we will have to go back to revisit the Museo and take in more of the city. And to anyone who in hallowed tones relates the misadventures of every foreigner who has stepped foot on Via Toledo I have a new word to use, thanks Marco I think it may come in handy for all sorts of things.

*Being a family blog - yes your Holiness we are a family - I won't translate that but say it out loud to get the full flavour of the word - and the "z" has a sort of "sh" sound to it.

04 febbraio - San Giovanni di Britto