Layers in Frames, Frames in Layers: Dreaming of Naples

In this article, we examine a travel documentary program focusing on Naples and the Amalfi Coast. Drawing upon Appraisal Theory and Multimedia Discourse Analysis, we examine three key components: one traditionally linguistic, one visuo-linguistic, and one meta-linguistic. We argue that the framing of Naples and Amalfi has as its ultimate teleos their neoliberal commodification. We trace how the authors of the episode call upon prior frames concerning Naples’ danger and Amalfi’s rurality, reshaping these into expressions of authenticity to be consumed by viewers. In this sense, framing involves layers that function not to complexify or provide depth to an object, but to further simplify it by inserting it into a globalised discursive order. This, we argue, is yet another manifestation of banal globalisation, a superficial recognition of difference that frames objects not as holistic linguacultural landscapes, but one that reduces these to products