Naples exists on its own terms. With Vesuvius looming in the distance and the Mediterranean at its feet, the city pulses with an electric charge that seeps into every corner of Neapolitan life — from its cuisine and craftsmanship to its sport and creative output. The city that gave us Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Novels and Paolo Sorrentino's The Hand of God is, in many ways, considered a world apart from Italy entirely.

Writer Cesare Cunaccia guides the journey through this one-of-a-kind destination, while photographs by Herbert List, Mimmo Jodice, and Ferdinando Scianna sit alongside contemporary work by Sam Gregg, Ciro Pipoli, and Brett Lloyd — together painting a portrait as layered as a sfogliatella and as compelling as a Caravaggio.