NAPOLI NOBILISSIMA Napoli nobilissima is a Neapolitan scholarly
journal featuring material on the
history, archaeology, topography and visual
arts of Naples. It has had various editorial
phases: (1) from its founding in 1892 to 1907;
(2) from 1920 to 1922; (3)from 1961
to the present,with brief interruptions. The pauses in the last 50 years
account for the fact that the current (2009)
incarnation refers to itself on the cover as
“the fifth series.”
The journal was
founded in 1892 by a group of literati
and historians, most well-known of whom are Benedetto Croce and Salvatore di Giacomo.
It appeared as a monthly and was published by a
local publisher, Pierro. It bore the sub-title “rivista d'arte e
topografia napoletana” [Review of
Neapolitan Art and Topography]. The first issue
included, among many other items, an article on
the churches that were being demolished in order
to go through with the great urban renewal of
Naples, the risanamento.
The journal ceased publication in 1907 when
Croce withdrew his support in a discussion over
the editorial direction the journal should take.
It was refounded in 1920 but lasted only two
years.
Napoli
nobilissima was revived in 1961 under
the direction of Roberto Pane, an architect and
university professor. It was published once
every two months and bore the subtitle “rivista
bimestrale di arti figurative, archeologia e
urbanistica" [bi-monthly review of
figurative art, archaeology and urban studies].
Editorially, it spoke out against urban decay
and abuse, a particular sore spot with the
editor, Pane. He died in 1987 and the journal
passed into the hands of Raffaele Mormone, who
more or less continued the same editorial line.
The journal had another crisis in 1997 but
renewed publication in 2000 and is currently a
quarterly bearing the sub-title "rivista di arti,
filologia e storia" [Review of Art,
Philology and History]. Recent issues include a
survey of museums in the Campania region of
Italy and an article on the tavola Strozzi;
from 1473, it is the oldest known map of the
medieval city of Naples.
In 2003 there appeared an interesting
book about the beginnings of the journal: Rileggere Napoli
nobilissima. Le strade, le piazze, i quartieri
[Rereading Napoli
nobilissima, the streets, squares and
quarters] by R. De Fusco (pub. Liguori, Napoli).
Here you can read some of the original articles
from the turn of that century plus modern
editorial updates on the items discussed. Also,
the Digitized Italian Journals section of BiASA
(Biblioteca di
Arte, Archeologia e Storia dell’Arte)
[Library of Art, Archaeology and Art History) in
Rome has digitized the years 1892 through 1922.