Details

EXCLUSIVE WEBINAR | “Naples: Between the Sacred and Profane”
Presented by Dr. Paolo Alei
with Additional Commentary by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

This webinar lecture will lead you into the mysterious meander of subterranean Naples. We will explore the so-called terre sante (holy lands), namely underground cemeteries, where for centuries Neapolitans have amassed dead bodies especially in times of pandemics. The Cemetery of the Fontanelle, a former monumental Greek quarry, is not only the biggest among the terre sante, but also the most fascinating one. In the last centuries, men and women have come to the Fontanelle to adopt skulls whose souls, ideally in Purgatory, would have established an intimate relationship with the living. The empathetic reciprocity between the dead and the living, united by the same condition and grief, led to the adoption of thousands of dead bodies in hope their souls would offer protection in exchange of prayers. Through anthropology, myth and faith, the Fontanelle shows how the sacred and the profane have coexisted in the entrails of one of the oldest cities in the world up until the 21st century.

The webinar will include a 45-minute lecture followed by 15-minutes of Q&A.

Please note:

• Your participation is confirmed once you have purchased your ticket. You will receive the Zoom link to join the presentation circa 30 minutes before the start time.
• VIDEO RECORDING of the webinar will be available for unlimited streaming at your convenience for 7 days after the event.

Lecturer

Paolo Alei is an art historian from Rome. He is Professor of art history at the University of California (the UCEAP academic program in Italy) and Curator of the Museum of the Castle of Bracciano near Rome. He has a Master from Columbia University where he specialized on Venetian Renaissance Painting and a PhD from Oxford University where he completed a dissertation on the influence of the Natural History by Pliny the Elder on Italian Renaissance art. He has published several essays on Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, and a book on the history of the Venice Carnival. Recently, he coedited a monumental book about the patronage of the Orsini family in Central Italy. He is co-organizer of EMR (Early Modern Rome), one of the greatest conferences about Renaissance and Baroque culture.