Underground Odyssey: The Anish Kapoor-Designed Monte Sant’Angelo Subway Station Opens Today
A weathered-steel plaza portal and sunken aluminum tube evoke volcanic geology and Dante’s Inferno at Naple’s latest station.
Summary
- The Anish Kapoor-designed Sant’Angelo subway station officially unveils today in Naples, Italy
- The station features two distinct entrances: one in weathering steel and the other in aluminum
- Fusing art and infrastructure, its inspiration is derived from Naples’ geology and mythology
Today in Naples, Italy, the Sant’Angelo subway station, designed by renowned sculptor and artist Anish Kapoor, has been unveiled. Commissioned in 2003 as part of the Traiano district’s urban regeneration, the project seamlessly merges essential infrastructure with monumental public art. Kapoor’s conceptual vision was brought to life by Amanda Levete’s AL_A studio, building on an initial collaboration with Future Systems.
The station features two sculptural thresholds that transform routine transit into an immersive architectural journey. At the university plaza entrance, a weathering-steel entrance rises from the pavement in organically swelling panels. Its pebble-like texture and inverted funnel draw visitors downward, evoking geological strata as they descend into the underground.
By contrast, the Traiano portal presents a sunken, tubular aluminum void whose precise brushed finish mirrors the surrounding low-rise context. Both thresholds take inspiration from Naples’s volcanic geology and Dante’s mythical descent into the Inferno, framing each entry as a ritualistic passage between the surface world and the subterranean.
Beyond these dramatic gateways, Kapoor repurposes a network of abandoned tunnels, leaving raw concrete walls deliberately unfinished to underscore material honesty. Through this fusion of art and utility, Monte Sant’Angelo Station redefines civic infrastructure — turning daily commutes into moments of discovery and inspiration that resonate long after the journey ends.
