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The Via Toledo Metro Station: Where Citizens Live Art
The Via Toledo metro station is truly a work of art in its own right, so much so that, in 2013, it won the Emirates Leaf International Award as Public Building of the Year and, later, the ITA – International Tunnelling Association award, the so-called Oscar of underground works.
by Alessia Giannino
By now, it’s impossible not to know Toledo station, designed by the Catalan architect Oscar Tusquets Blanca and opened in 2012. It was described by the British newspaper Daily Telegram as: “The most beautiful in Europe”.
The setting
Every day it enchants thousands of citizens and tourists with its scenography and its varying shades of colour, featuring a series of references to the local landscape and architecture. Going down into the station, you can see the different layers of earth, all the way down to the sea, and the whole scene is enriched by mosaics by William Kentridge, which evoke Mediterranean myths, Mount Vesuvius and Neapolitan iconography. There are also lenticular panels by Bob Wilson, which reproduce the waves of the sea.
The station is 50 metres deep and, inside it, preserves remarkable evidence of the city of Naples’ past, brought to light during the excavations: from the first ploughed soil of the Palaeolithic era to the Aragonese-era walls, restored and incorporated into what are now the station’s own finishes.
Toledo station is certainly a great example of art and design, but also of history. It can be considered an “open-air museum”, accessible to everyone. Besides its artistic value, however, it was also awarded for the innovative technology used in carrying out the excavation and for the regeneration of the area, which made it possible to open the stop in the Quartieri Spagnoli (Spanish Quarters) area.
If you haven’t been through it yet, we recommend you put that right as soon as possible. You certainly won’t regret it!
Posted in:
Places in Naples
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