Discovering Naples, with Jean-Noël Stefano

The Louvre receives Naples until January 2024, an extraordinary exhibition on this Mediterranean city. The opportunity to receive Jean-Noël Stefano, author of Naples lovers dictionarywho had directed the French Institute of Naples and who is the only French citizen of honor of this city.

franceinfo: You published this Naples lovers dictionaryin Italian, thanks to the participation of the city of Naples and its artists?

Jean-Noel Stefano: Absolutely, I know Naples viscerally. The Neapolitans, the Neapolitans and all those who think and move in Naples know me in an extraordinary way and they wanted to know what I had written in this dictionary. They wanted the translation, so all the Neapolitan artists gave a work that was sold very, very cheaply compared to the market price. And then, the Neapolitans themselves, whoever they were, gave something for the book to be translated and for them to be able to read it. And I’m very happy about it because it’s a reflection.

Naples, before, was called Paleopolis?

Yes, it is a Rhodian foundation. And the heart of the city is exactly where the castle of The Egg and Platamon are now – which means caves in Greek – but it’s the hill where the villa of Lucullus used to be. In this villa, Virgil wrote, under the portrait of Homer, part of theAeneid. Throughout the duration of the Roman Empire, the Romans – who imposed the Latin language throughout the world – respected the Greek language in Naples: all acts were in Greek.

Thanks to you, we meet extraordinary characters, like Carlo Gesualdo, an immense forgotten composer from the time of Caravaggio?

Exactly. Caravaggio painted his finest pictures in Naples. Moreover, the Louvre will have new paintings to show us, including The Flagellation of Christ which is wonderful. Musician Carlo Gesualdo introduced the scream of murder into his music, the scream of the murder of his wife and lover. He surprised them both. It’s a story of murder and remorse. There is always this contrast between death, blood, life, desire and then eternity. Because Naples isn’t just a city, it’s a civilization, it’s a state, it’s something completely different. There is the “carpe diem” which is very important, it is fundamental. You know that Neapolitan grammar has no future tense. This is because the time of the future is completely hypothetical.

Another character, the actor Toto?

Not only does he make people laugh, but I believe he is the greatest Italian philosopher of the 20th century. Toto has the Polichinelle half-mask, there also fundamental, that is to say that everyone can put themselves behind the mask. It is a half mask at eye level. And then there is the sensuality of the mouth and the chin. The coat is white. You can see Pulcinella’s white coat, you can see his black mask, you can see his white miller’s hat too, but you can’t see that he has a red singlet under his coat, close to the collar, as if had a trace of blood from a blow off. And we join the blood of Saint January, also taken off in 350 AD, a saint refused by the Vatican. You have this permanent rebellion of Naples, where no inquisition could set foot. You have to go to Naples knowingly, let yourself be carried away by the city, be completely open, listen to the Neapolitans. And you will be in total happiness…