A picture is worth a thousand words but, in this case, a picture is not enough. To get the full potential of this street art project organized by Inward you must walk around Parco Merola (Ponticelli), a disadvantaged area in the eastern outskirts of Naples. You must step into the decaying courtyard, meet the people living here and see the neglected buildings with your own eyes to understand that everything that has been written about the Neapolitan outskirts isn’t just words in a newspaper, but actual social contexts that, with a thoughtful work based on street art but also on discussion and understanding, can change.
I’m back in Naples, and on a very special day too! September 19th is San Gennaro, the patron saint of Naples, and on this day thousands gather in Naples Cathedral to witness the liquefaction of what is claimed to be a sample of Januarius’ blood. If the liquefaction happens fast, it means that is going to be a very prosperous year but, being not superstitious, I was hoping it would have happened somewhere after 4pm, as I was arriving with an afternoon train and I wanted to take part in the procession and witness the alleged miracle.