Grim is probably the best word to describe La Vicaria. It certainly has a grim past... and, as I found, a grim present too.
Just a few minutes's walk from my apartment in Forcella, the Vicaria – officially known as the Castel Capuano – has played a major role in the history of Naples.
Originally a Norman castle, it was used as the Court of Justice from the 16th century until the end of the 20th. Long after medieval times, "justice" at the Vicaria included the accused being locked up and tortured prior to their trial... and then afterwards imprisoned in the basement cells there (if they were allowed to live),
Its more than solid walls reinforce the feeling that this is still not a place one would want to be inside.
After pausing to puzzle over its ornamented facade (where the arms of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V are still visible), I turned a corner to walk along the building's perimeter and saw in the distance at the next corner a furtive-looking man talking to a woman sitting by a line of rubbish bins.
As I continued, the man melted into the shadows of the Vicaria and disappeared.
I suppose that I shouldn't have been shocked when I drew level with the woman, but I was... She was slumped by the bins, emptying a needle into one of her slender, bare arms. She was young, still beautiful, well-dressed... but also looked ravaged and unaware of her surroundings.
The scene had a midnight feel to it... but this was midday. And this was a tableau of the darker side of Naples...
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