The Coast of Posillipo in the Voyage pittoresque

Abstract

In the 18th century, the Posillipo coast seemed far from the splendor of the previous century, when it had been livened up by the Spanish Viceroy court and especially by the presence of Donna Anna Carafa. There still was not a road, many places were accessible only from the sea, and the Golden Mile (Miglio d’oro) near Vesuvius attracted the best financial and artistic resources. Nevertheless, the work of the Saint-Non artists shows that they found it extremely interesting thanks to the beautiful landscape, classical memories, and ancient Roman ruins. Starting from the Mergellina area, where the famous Crypta Neapolitana can be found, some palaces of the first coastal tract – among them Palazzo Donn’Anna itself – and then some “archaeological sites”, such as the Vergil School (Scuola di Virgilio) and the Villa di Lucullo, were drawn. In the engravings published by Saint-Non, there are also scenes of everyday life that, together with the attention for the physical morphology and local history, can form what we could call today a “cultural landscape”. Even though it is separated from the rest of the city, Posillipo possesses a clear identity that, also thanks to the work of artists, writers and travelers, from many points of view, displays the typical traits of the entire city.