“Naples is you, it is not Gomorrah, it is not Mare fuori or the Boss of ceremonies”. He said so Ludovica Cutolo, speaking into a microphone from the altar of the church of Gesù Nuovo in Naples, before the funeral of his brother, Giovanbattista.
“I use the present because it's the only tense you know” says Ludovica reading the letter written for Giovanbattista. “I use the present because it's the only tense I know too with you” reiterates before concluding: “Mom is fighting for you, with the strength of a hundred men because you cannot be defined by what happened to you. I am not an only child. We are always Giogió and Lulù”.
“I don’t want to describe you because I never did, I always just said that you were the most sensitive person. You were my little shadow, the gentle giant. You are a man of honor, the best. How many times have you created little traps in the house, engineering works. And all the pranks. We were always a team. You never cared what I wanted, you fulfilled it”, reads the text.
And yet: “You talk to everyone, you are curious about everything. I use the present because it is the only one you know. Imitating you I learned that no one should ever be left alone. Why do you play the horn? Because no one plays it. You are a gentle giant, always holding everyone up. You are a permanent center of gravity. You love this city and you would never have left it even though I told you to do so. Naples is you, it is not Mare fuori or Gomorra or the Master of Ceremonies”.
Photos and text by Alexander Memoli
EDITORIAL TEAM
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