Bellissimo (Colour)

"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."

- David Yarrow