Charlotte Foster
Art

Why a gazebo railing in Naples has gone viral

A photo of an unsuspecting hand railing in Naples, Italy, has gone viral for a very unexpected reason. 

The railing sits on top of a hill that is connected to the popular tourist destination St Elmo’s castle. 

Each year, thousands of people trek up the stairs to observe the picturesque view from the top that overlooks the Tyrrhenian sea and Italy’s Mount Vesuvius. 

However, instead of the view catching a Twitter user's attention, it was the detailed hand railing. 

The 92-foot-long piece of steel is etched with braille, describing the stunning view for the blind. 

The unique railing was installed in 2015 by artist Paolo Puddu and is titled “Follow the Shape”, which has been a permanent fixture of the castle ever since. 

Blind visitors are encouraged to run their hands along the railing to read verses from The Land and The Man: a poetry series from Italian author Giuseppe de Lorenzo. 

The inscription is carved in both Italian and English, as tourists are prompted to imagine the stunning view in front of them. 

Twitter user, Rob N Roll, shared the image online, which welcomed a flood of messages praising the unique art installation. 

He captioned his image, “This railing on a gazebo in Naples has braille describing the view for blind people. More of this please.”

Image credit: Twitter - Rob N Roll

Tags:
Art, Italy, Naples, braille, blind