Sacred space and literature, Naples, what a passion!

In this episode, I present two volumes from the NapoliStoria Pocket series published by La Valle del Tempo, on the occasion of the celebrations for the 2,500th anniversary of the city of Naples.The first volume, "Sacred Space in the Changing City: The Churches of Naples Through the Centuries" by Francesco Divenuto, is an innovative guide describing Neapolitan urban history through its sacred buildings, from the arrival of the new religious orders in the 16th century to contemporary transformations.Divenuto analyzes each building in relation to the history of the place and urban transformations: from the 17th-century Baroque dominated by Cosimo Fanzago, defined as the "absolute protagonist of Neapolitan Baroque," to the 18th-century with the great masters Ferdinando Fuga, Luigi Vanvitelli, and Mario Gioffredo. There is also a critical analysis of the post-1884 Risanamento, which radically transformed the historic center despite the protests of Benedetto Croce and Matilde Serao.The crucial question that runs through the work is a compelling one: is it more logical to build new sacred buildings or to reclaim unused ancient monuments? The author offers virtuous examples such as the Humanities Library in the former convent of Sant'Antoniello in Piazza Bellini, demonstrating how intelligent reuse can save buildings of great historical importance.The second volume, "One, None, Two Thousand Five Hundred Naples. Literature that Tells the City" by Francesco Divenuto, Clorinda Irace, and Mario Rovinello, reopens the game of reflection through literature. The book examines the city in its complexity and elusiveness, addressing themes such as the "city that heals" with the Ospedale degli Incurabili and San Giuseppe Moscati, mass tourism, the Neapolitan "musical vortex" from its origins to Geolier, and even football as an identity-defining phenomenon.As Rovinello observes: "The image of a stagnant city is untenable; rather, multiple realities emerge, coexisting within the same urban body. A Naples that is both a genius loci, a lifeblood and a source of dissolution."The volumes will be presented as part of the Books & Museum event at the Monumental Complex of Santa Maria la Nova, directed by Professor Giuseppe Reale.A podcast for those who want to understand Naples beyond stereotypes, questioning the relationship between past and future, between preservation and transformation, between identity and change.