Author: topolone

Tours

Posted on by topolone

Oh yes, the monuments, street food and street art in Naples are fabulous!
Might we suggest a tour with vesuviusvspompeii.com as the guides are all in love with their city and very specialized!
The tour focuses on daily life, traditions, food and street art in vibrant Napoli.
How fabulous is to go around with somebody who knows all the secret spots of the city and suggests all the specialties to try.
Do you want to visit also some local manufactures and shops where the locals go? Ask…and you’ll have the answer!
Relaxing and food-related tours are some of our fabulous choices to learn and taste bella Napoli:

SHOPPING AND TASTE NAPOLI

Do you want to learn about sparkling Naples while shopping -or just window shopping- and tasting delicious street food, wine and cheese?
Your day will be spent between the charming Chiaia neighborhood, where all the principal Italian designer shops and local clothing manufacturers are to be found, OR visiting small artisanal shops in the fabulous crazy historical centre of Naples. Funny jewellery, cameos and coral, hand-made gloves, leather items, ceramics, Christmas decorations, nativity scenes, chocolate and candies are just some of the items you will see or buy.

caciocavallo cheese

UNDERGROUND FABULOUS NAPOLI

Dante /Toledo/ Università/ Salvator Rosa and the ancient buried Greek-Roman city.
These are some of our favourite underground areas and we want to share them with you.
A tour between contemporary art and ancient history is what everybody needs to understand the layers of Napoli. It is so fabulous to go from minimal art and shining mosaics, to blue tunnels and skylights by some of the most famous international artists to a 2500 years old city hidden by the busy roads of Naples centre. Jannis Kounellis, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Joseph Kosuth, William Kentridge, Robert Wilson, Karim Rashid, Alessandro Mendini, Perino&Vele, Enzo Cucchi and Lello Esposito are only some of the artists who participated in designing and decorating this public transport fabulous museum.

Toledo Station

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM AND SANSEVERO CHAPEL

This is the best combination of top class antiquities and marvellous Baroque art.
Neapolitans call it THE MUSEUM, for its central location, sometimes ignoring that this museo is one of the most important archaeological museums in Europe. Why? The frescoes, mosaics, statues and utensils discovered in the Vesuvian area (Pompeii, Herculaneum, Boscoreale and Stabiae) are simply breathtaking!
Among its other collections are the Farnese and the Egyptian rooms. There is also the secret cabinet which shows many erotic objects from ancient times.

Archaeological Museum – Fresco from Herculaneum

And what to say about the Sansevero Chapel? It is one of the most visited monuments in the city and you will understand why only if you go there. In order to understand the intricate symbology and massonic meanings you will need an expert or a thorough guidebook. You will fall in love with the esquisite marble statues…book tickets on line to avoid long queues!

 

Cappella Sansevero – Francesco Queirolo  Disillusion

Food

Posted on by topolone

Alice:

Stepping outside of my balcony I see white smoke puff out of aluminum chimneys above Via Dei Tribunali, the pizza street. Late on, the cheesy, salty smell of all the things we need in life, toppings to be had or left off open to the world of possibility. This is the fabulous possibility of a city that cannot be described in words so many as in anecdotes…but perhaps its essence can be found in its in food. Something we find extra delicious: Naples is a food paradise where you do not need to spend a fortune to eat fabulously.

Obviously, the most famous culinary creation originating from this city is pizza. In 1889, Raffaele Esposito, a cook of the still thriving Pizzeria Brandi is given the great task of creating a meal for Queen Margherita di Savoia, the first queen after the unification of Italy. The result is a patriotic dish baked in the Capodimonte Royal Palace which has the colors of the Italian flag: green-basil; white-mozzarella; and red-tomato.

 

 

Here are some of our favorites:

http://www.50kalò.it/

http://www.pizzeriaoliva.it/

http://www.sorbillo.it/

https://www.tripadvisor.it/Restaurant_Review-g187785-d15096464-Reviews-Antico_Borgo_Ai_Vergini-Naples_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

http://www.pizzeriadecumani.it/

http://www.palazzopetruccipizzeria.it/

Yet if you are looking for a great place to grab a plate of pasta or fresh seafood you must check out the trattorias of Naples. Some great dishes to try are pasta alla genovese (slow cooked meat with caramelized stewed onions), ragù, spaghetti with local clams or mussels, pasta with potatoes and provola cheese, fried fresh anchovies, buffalo mozzarella, peppers with olives and capers, fried zucchini dressed with EVOO, mint, garlic and vinegar, eggplant parmesan.

A few places to try local specialties in the historical center:

https://www.osteriapisano.it/

http://www.trattoriapignata.it/

https://www.tripadvisor.it/Restaurant_Review-g187785-d1091739-Reviews-Antica_Trattoria_da_Carmine-Naples_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

https://www.tripadvisor.it/Restaurant_Review-g187785-d1021140-Reviews-La_Campagnola-Naples_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

https://www.tripadvisor.it/Restaurant_Review-g187785-d7264967-Reviews-A_Lucianella-Naples_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

http://www.osteriaangolino.it/

http://ilgarum.it/

About us

Posted on by topolone

Alice: Fiorella, what is FABULOUS to you?

Fiorella: for me fabulous is a day in Naples amongst art, mystery, beauty, people and food!

 

Fiorella Squillante I specialised in the art, history and culture of my hometown Naples. I studied modern languages with modern art and I have worked closely with the museums in Naples, the Friends of Museums from Abroad and as an educational consultant and a tour guide for many years. I love writing about my city and have written a guide to Neapolitan art and architecture called Naples in 3 Days and articles about Naples and Campania. My love for Naples art, food and why not….its fabulous craziness means there isn’t a corner of the city I haven’t visited. This blog is a way to share insider tips with you.

Alice Venessa Bever I’ve always been a centro storico woman. When I came to Naples with a backpack and a folded paper with the names of English schools, I had no idea that sixteen years later I would have an extensive knowledge of Neapolitan theatre, culture, history and where to find the perfect Spritz. I have a dual degree in Italian Studies and Theatre and Dramatic Literature,I am a singer and performer, an English teacher and translator, and a Neapolitanphyte who knows how to live in and out of chaos without compromising the things that make living in Naples fabulous.

 

We have a mutual passion for Naples, the city where we both live and are ready to share it with you!

 

 

Live Naples

Posted on by topolone

There are so many things to do in this fabulous city! Here are some of a few things we would suggest:

Teatro San Carlo

http://www.teatrosancarlo.it/

Maggio dei Monumenti: month-long culture festival including guided tours, special monument openings, events

http://www.comune.napoli.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/35273?uniq=5dd66950542881d5c0ef48ca76e580da

ArteCinema: art and video film festival

http://www.artecinema.org/

Festa di San Gennaro: celebration of the patron saint of Naples

http://www.comune.napoli.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/22661

Pausilypon Festvial: music and theatre festival in the archaeological park of Pausilypon (Posillipo)

https://www.suggestioniallimbrunire.org/

Napoli Teatro Festival

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Wine and the city