Jaw-droppingly gorgeous and architecturally impressive underground stations can be found in cities all over Europe – just think of the Olaias metro station in Lisbon or Westminster Tube Station in London – and a brand new one is about to open in Naples.
Monte Sant’Angelo Station is in the Traiano district of the city, and has been given a huge revamp as part of an urban and cultural regeneration project, but we’re not just talking about a new lick of paint or some fresh tiles and floors – it’s actually been designed by none other than world-renowned sculptor and leading contemporary artist Anish Kapoor.
That’s right – the guy behind ‘Cloud Gate’, a shining, seamless mirror sculpture in Chicago, and a bounty of other works which reflect the formless, deceptively simple style which has made him one of the twenty-first century’s biggest creative names, has designed a striking new station which will formally open tomorrow, on September 11.
The university entrance to the station is made from weathering steel which balloons from out of the ground, transforming a daily trip down to the platforms into what feels like a journey to the underworld, whereas the Traiano entrance, which appears to turn inside out, features smooth, tubular steel.
‘In the city of Mount Vesuvius and Dante’s mythical entrance to the Inferno, I found it important to try and deal with what it really means to go underground,’ said Kapoor. Scroll on for some snaps.
Sick, right? Make sure to check it the next time you’re in Naples, and have a look at our roundup of all the other brilliant things to do in the city.
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