Bellisimo

Archival Pigment Print

Neapolitans are intensely proud people – “Vedi Napoli e poi muori” goes the local proverb (see Napoli and die). That pride is well deserved given the city’s unique well-worn beauty, the visual splendour of Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples and then the palpable sense of community that has been consistently nurtured generation after generation. Throw in the archaeological treasure trove of Pompeii, culinary preeminence, Diego Maradona and Napoli FC and this is an ancient city that never stops giving.

Like being Texan, being Neapolitan assures a certain state of mind, but unlike Texas, that state of mind may have been on offer for 3000 years. The area has been continuously inhabited since 1000 BC – one of the oldest such cases in the world – and this has probably worked against radical urban redevelopment. I sense that there has never been a real window of opportunity to establish modernity and the reward is what we can now all see.

Undeniably poor in parts, and chaotic almost everywhere, Napoli is raw and untamed, but that is what makes it artistically captivating. What the inner city lacks in serenity, it makes up for in adrenalin. Driving a car here is a combative Olympic sport, not just a means of getting from A to B.

In filtering down to what is truly core to the city, I sense that two constituents simply cannot be removed – food and football. That is not to say that the other associations are emphatically weaker, but these two are surely integral to the fabric of the Paris of the South.

I was fortunate to be working in town last Friday when Napoli FC landed the Serie A title for the 4th time in the club’s history. Forza Napoli and Forza Scott McTominay. And it was also a treat to work with Alessandra Ambrosio, who despite huge fame, has never really changed at all.

There have been many photographs taken in the Bay of Naples of girls eating pasta over the years and I wanted a fresh composition. This image of the celebrated Alessandra Ambrosio eating vongole on the roof of the famous Grand Hotel Parker’s has a definite sense of place for sure.

It’s always the small things and I like the one glass in this shot – the most notorious volcano in the world and we get to see it twice in one frame.

Procida, Italy – 2025

Archival Pigment Print

In Roman times, the island of Procida, in the Bay of Naples, became a renowned resort for the patrician class of Rome. Over time, however, industry replaced leisure and Procida became a shipbuilding hub and, at one point in the 18th century, over 17,000 shipbuilders were employed on the tiny island. That compares with a total population today of 10,000.

Shipbuilding faded here in the last century, but it does remain a place of boats – small islands without airports tend to be that way. In the making of Antony and Cleopatra, with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Cleopatra’s barge was filmed against the timeless harbour in the island. It is very difficult to put an age on any building here, which presumably was why the producers were drawn to Procida and neighbouring Ischia.

The long thin multi coloured harbour is one of the most visually captivating sights in southern Italy. It certainly makes for a good backdrop and my leaning was to film at dusk so that we could add some energy from the house lights in town. This strategy always tests camera capability, and indeed the cameraman, and most of the photographs don’t stack up, but I consider it better than playing safe during normal daylight hours. All you really need is one shot.

Alessandra Ambrosio and the Riva work well together, she has an elegance and allure that Elizabeth Taylor would have appreciated.

Summer Holiday

Archival Pigment Print

The Grand Hotel Parker’s in Napoli is the city’s oldest luxury hotel dating back to 1870. Its original owner succumbed to gambling issues and, in 1890, it was bought by a regular guest – a British marine biologist called George Parker. Presumably he rather liked the view of the ocean.

Certainly, as hotel views go, Parker’s takes some beating from its balcony floor. There is a perfect outlook to the city, Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples and then, as one’s head turns clockwise to 2 pm, there, in all its splendour, amidst the azure sea, is the fabled island of Capri. We have all seen many contextual photographs of this storied summer paradise, but I had not seen one taken from the mainland at this elevation. I spotted an opportunity.

Alessandra Ambrosio is one of the leading supermodels of her generation and she took to this role at Parker’s with the playful ease that is her hallmark. I thought it would be fun to have her eat pasta. Afterall, we were where we were.

The chefs at Parker’s are lauded and they can make 5-star spaghetti alle vongole blindfold and drunk. That prop was never going to be a challenge. I just needed to find some compositional balance in the frame and a sunbed to complement Capri away in the distance.

This region of Italy is a very special part of the world. The topography, the islands, the sea, the food, the people and the culture combine to offer the perfect holiday. To not find it totally intoxicating suggests a lack of some sort of sensibility, either that, or an allergy to pasta and boats. It is the perfect summer holiday.