Rione Sanità (literally "Health Neighbourhood" in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

) is a neighbourhood in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, part of the

Stella Stella or STELLA may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Comedy *Stella (comedy group), a comedy troupe consisting of Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black and David Wain Characters *Stella (given name), including a list of characters with th ...

quarter. It is located north of Naples' historical centre, adjacent to the Capodimonte hill.

History

What is now Rione Sanità was a burial place in

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

and

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

times, as witnessed by the discovery of Hellenistic

hypogea A hypogeum or hypogaeum (plural hypogea or hypogaea, pronounced ; literally meaning "underground", from Greek ''hypo'' (under) and ''ghê'' (earth)) is an underground temple or tomb. Hypogea will often contain niches for cremated human rema ...

and

Paleochristian The history of Christianity concerns the Christian religion, Christian countries, and the Christians with their various denominations, from the 1st century to the present. Christianity originated with the ministry of Jesus, a Jewish teache ...

catacombs Catacombs are man-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place is a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etymology and history The first place to be referred ...

. The area was settled in the late 16th Century. Some local traditions and places, such as the rite of the Pezzentelle (see below), witness a cultural attitude towards death that may be related to the area's original use. While the settlement in Rione Sanità was originally established as a home for noble and rich families of Naples' aristocracy (as witnessed by palazzi such as Palazzo Sanfelice and Palazzo dello Spagnolo), the area eventually turned into one of the most infamous and degraded of Naples. Unemployment, poverty, and the widespread presence of

Camorra The Camorra (; ) is an Italian Mafia-typeMafia and Mafia-type orga ...

have long characterized the quarter. The dramatic situation of the area has attracted volunteer and humanitarian efforts, such as those of the

Comboni Missionaries The term ''Comboni Missionaries'' can refer to either of two religious orders founded by Saint Daniele Comboni: * Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus * Comboni Missionary Sisters The Comboni Missionary Sisters (S.M.C.; it, Suore Missionarie ...

that have been operating for years in support of Rione Sanità's population.

The rite of the "pezzentelle"

One of most peculiar traits of Rione della Sanità is a unique cult and ritual that takes place in the

ossuary An ossuary is a chest, box, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the ...

of the

Fontanelle cemetery The Fontanelle cemetery in Naples is a charnel house, an ossuary, located in a cave in the tuff hillside in the Materdei section of the city. It is associated with a chapter in the folklore of the city. By the time the Spanish moved into the cit ...

. The cult dates back to the 17th Century and involves the ritual burning of candles dedicated to the so-called "pezzentelle" ("little wretches"), i.e., the soul of the "nameless dead" whose bones are preserved in the ossuary. More specifically, Neapolitan families traditionally "choose" one specific skull from the ossuary and take care of it (cleaning it up, repositioning it properly in the ossuary, and so on), with the intent that the "adopted" nameless soul will repay those attentions with good luck and blessings. While the cult has a general Christian-Catholic frame (as the "pezzentelle" are usually identified as

Purgatory Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...

souls), many of its elements are rather

pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...

in nature, so that it can be classified as a

syncretic Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thu ...

cult.Il cimitero delle Fontanelle
/ref>

Historical buildings

* Ospedale di San Gennaro dei Poveri * Palazzo dello Spagnolo * Palazzo di Majo * Palazzo Sanfelice * Palazzo Traetto Altaremaggiore sanità

* Basilica of

San Gennaro extra Moenia San Gennaro Extra moenia, extra Moenia ("San Gennaro Beyond the Walls") is a church in Naples, Italy. It is located in the Rione Sanita on the large road that leads up to the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Capodimonte museum and is an example of s ...

* Chiesa del Santissimo Crocifisso ad Antesaecula * Church of Santa Maria Antesaecula * Church of Santa Maria della Sanità * Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vita * Church of the Immacolata e San Vincenzo * Chiesa di Sant'Aspreno ai Crociferi * Chiesa di Santa Maria della Misericordia ai Vergini * Church of Santa Maria dei Vergini * Chiesa della Missione ai Vergini * Chiesa di Santa Maria Succurre Miseris ai Vergini * Church of San Severo fuori le mura * Cloister of Santa Maria alla Sanità * Complesso dei Cinesi

Notable people

Probably the most famous person from Rione Sanità was the 20th Century actor, poet, singer, and writer

Totò Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi de Curtis di Bisanzio (15 February 1898 – 15 April 1967), best known by his stage name Totò (), or simply as Antonio de Curtis, and nicknamed ''il Principe della risata ...

, who was born in Via (street) Santa Maria Antesaecula.

References in popular culture

As Rione Sanità is somewhat a symbol of the poorest, most degraded (but also most "picturesque") character of Naples, the place is widely referenced in popular culture. In particular, it was chosen as a setting for a number of movies from the

Italian neorealism Italian neorealism ( it, Neorealismo), also known as the Golden Age, is a national film movement characterized by stories set amongst the poor and the working class. They are filmed on location, frequently with non-professional actors. They pri ...

era. Movies set in Rione Sanità include

Vittorio de Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: ''Sciuscià'' and ''Bicycle Thieves'' (honorary) ...

's ''

The Gold of Naples ''The Gold of Naples'' ( it, L'oro di Napoli ) is a 1954 Italian anthology film directed by Vittorio De Sica. It was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. Plot The film is a tribute to Naples, where director De Sica spent his first years, ...

'' (1954) and ''

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow ''Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow'' ( it, Ieri, oggi, domani) is a 1963 comedy anthology film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It stars Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. The film consists of three short stories about couples in different ...

'' (1963). Another notable portrait of Rione Sanità in art is

Eduardo De Filippo Eduardo De Filippo (; 24 May 1900 – 31 October 1984), also known simply as ''Eduardo'', was an Italian actor, director, screenwriter and playwright, best known for his Neapolitan works ''Filumena Marturano'' and '' Napoli Milionaria''. Consid ...

's play '' Il sindaco del rione Sanità''.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rione Sanita Rioni of Naples