Over the past decade, the city of Naples, Italy, has been transforming sections of the subway system into full-fledged art galleries by contemporary artists to make the urban area’s public transport centres more attractive. Under the direction of Achille Bonto Oliva, former director of the Venice Biennale, a total of 14 stations (as of 2014) distributed along the lines 1 and 6 of the Metro network, have been decorated with over 200 works by more than 100 artists and architects such as Alessandro Mendini, Anish Kapoor, Gae Aulenti, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Karim Rashid, and Sol LeWitt.

Possibly the most beautiful of them is the Toledo Metro Station opened in September 2012, and designed by the Spanish firm of architect Oscar Tusquets Blanca. Designed around the theme of water and light, it features two mosaics by South African artist William Kentridge, as well as works by Francesco Clemente, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, Shirin Nehsat and Oliviero Toscani.

Toledo Metro Station