Lucca, Cathedral apsidal area turned into emoticon with invasive Amazon box

Have you ever seen a cathedral apse transformed into a smiley face? Those who want to try the experience need only travel to Lucca, where an invasive Amazon box has been installed next to the Cathedral of San Martino, a cathedral in the Tuscan city, famous for its elegant Gothic marble lines, and also because inside it houses a masterpiece by Jacopo della Quercia, the monument of Ilaria del Carretto. And, moreover, also the protagonist these days of the exhibition Bellotto 1740. Viaggio in Toscana, where Bernardo Bellotto’s only remaining view of Lucca is on display: a view of the cathedral.

The Box of Passions (this is the name of Amazon’s temporary structure) will remain in the area from October 30 to November 3, on the occasion of the 2019 edition of Lucca Comics: from the website of the American web company we learn that it is a 200-square-meter area intended for “fans of technology, entertainment, books, audiobooks, comics, video games, games and toys,” where “customers will be able to interact with the latest Amazon news, try out devices from the Echo family and participate in interactive contests to win exclusive gadgets.”

Too bad that for almost a week (or rather, even longer, since the box has already been installed) it will prevent proper reading of the monument, indeed: as mentioned, the Amazon logo, combined with the windows of the apsidal area, will make the whole thing look like a giant emoticon. This is what some Lucchese citizens who sent us their photos denounce. And who, nothing obviously taking away from the event and Amazon’s initiative, simply wonder if it was not possible to install the structure in another context, avoiding altering the appearance of one of the city’s symbolic monuments.

In the photo by Massimiliano Moretti, Amazon’s box in front of the Cathedral of Lucca.

Lucca, Cathedral apsidal area turned into emoticon with invasive Amazon box

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