Reframing Naples

“Timely and comprehensive, this book offers compelling new perspectives on Naples’ cultural, historical, and social traditions, reassessing the city’s urban space in a global context.”

—Gaetana Marrone, Professor of Italian, Princeton University


“An intriguing, passionate reading of Naples as an ‘expanded border,’ where art reclaims its ethical role and creativity thrives through fluid identities and chosen kinships.”

—Peter Carravetta, Professor of Philosophy, Stony Brook University 


“Fresh and multi-faceted, Reframing Naples moves beyond clichés to show the city’s shift from cultural colony to decolonizing force, redefining Southern culture for the future.”

—Fred L. Gardaphé, Distinguished Professor of Italian American Studies, Queens College, CUNY 


“La Trecchia illuminates Naples’ porosity and vitality through its explosion of film, literature, public art, and music, revealing a model for future cosmopolitan cities.”

—Arielle Saiber, Charles S. Singleton Professor of Italian Studies, Johns Hopkins University 


This book tells the story of Naples as a city shaped by migration, creativity, and cultural resistance. It reframes Naples within global conversations about identity, mobility, and belonging, offering a South-centric perspective that challenges dominant narratives. Through vivid examples from film, music, literature, and public art, Patrizia La Trecchia explores how Naples defies stereotypes and redefines Italian national identity. Each chapter highlights the city’s contrasts—beauty and decay, tradition and innovation—as reflections of broader experiences across the Global South. With a focus on resilience and transformation, Reframing Naples invites readers to see the city not as a forgotten corner of Europe, but as a vibrant crossroads of global culture. Blending scholarly insight with personal storytelling, and featuring original photographs and archival materials, this book is both a cultural study and a personal archive of resistance.

Patrizia La Trecchia is Associate Professor and Head of Italian Studies at the University of South Florida, United States. She founded the Environmental Humanities Initiative and researches food studies and environmental humanities. Author of three books, a TED speaker, and board member of the Association for the Study of Food and Society.