100 Cities

Naples|Tomba di Virgilio

Polaroids of the tomb inscription

In The Melting I speak of running my hands across the inscription on Virgil’s tomb. While there I took several images of the wall. Virgil wished to be interred in Naples, saying “Mantua bore me, the Calabrians snatched me away, now Naples holds me”

I love Naples, a mystically gritty city. The massive tomb carved within the eastern slope of Posillipo, across from the Mergellina train station, is one of my favorite places to visit and spend time in its enclosed park. Shown below is also a monument to the beloved poet Giacomo Leopardi who died young. I don’t have my original of the bust of Virgil but I am showing it from my Italian catalogue of photographs. One day when we can freely travel I will return. For now I recommend Herman Broch’s lyrical masterpiece The Death of Virgil and some good Italian espresso.

Monument to a young poet

Bust of Virgil

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