Category: TRAVEL

RIA ROSA: A FABULOUS NEAPOLITAN CHARACTER

Posted on by alice
Fiorella: Alice I know that you are a big fan of varietà theatre and that you also studied all of the theatres of Naples. Haven’t you also done researches on cafè chantant which inspired your performances? It is a world which isn’t that well known as an important facet of the life and culture of Naples.
You, an American in Naples, you made me fall in love with my compatriot Ria Rosa!
Alice: It is seriously a joy to share with those reading a little about the biography of a woman so revolutionary and ironic!
Historically, Naples is a city of  theatre, music and film: it has the oldest Opera House in Europe which was opened here in 1737. Did you know that Enrico Caruso was from Naples?
More recently Pino Daniele, beloved in all of Italy composed blues songs in Neapolitan dialect. You cannot forget about the actors such as Vittorio De Sica, Totò, Sofia Loren among others who are etched in the fabric of this dramatic city.
Many say that Naples is a stage. You hear the notes it in the voices of those selling fish in the morning, in the calls of the lemon granita vendors on Via Dei Tribunali, on the street corners with buskers playing music from all over the world, in the piazzas full of performances of every type and the way people tell a story to their best friend over coffee.
A few years ago I had an opportunity to spend a summer researching women in theatre and music during Naples heyday at the Fondo De Mura in Castel Nuovo (Maschio Angioino).
The Belle Epoque with the Festival of Piedigrotta, Salone Margherita and a pervasive culture of performance produced exceptional writers, actors, dancers and musicians but there was one woman who I came across, Ria Rosa (Maria Rosaria Liberti), who changed the
face of the traditional Neapolitan song. I had to put her song “Preferisco il ‘900” (I prefere the 20th century) in my show which she wrote in Neapolitan the early 30’s in New York.
New York is the city where she settled after doing a tour there in her early 20’s:
My boyfriend is not modern, he prefers the 19 th century. Instead, I like the 20 th century
Every day I get so angry!
This girdle needs to be loosened, it is such a waste of time
Lipstick, cigarettes, men’s trousers… he doesn’t want to see any of it, he would rather die!
Instead, I want to do all of those things just to spite him
I want to smoke, I want to wear lipstick on my lips!  What’s wrong with that?
I want to go walking in the sand of Coroglio Beach, I love the smell of the beach there!

Coroglio Beach     

Il mio fidanzato non é moderno, gli piace l’Ottocento, a me invece piace il Novecento e tutti i giorni mi devo intossicare (arrabbiare).
Il corpetto va allacciato, questo spreco non mi piace. Il rossetto, la sigaretta, i pantaloni alla maschietto… non vuole vedere nulla di questo. Che lo possano ammazzare!
E io invece per dispetto lo voglio fare. Voglio fumare e il rosso sulle labbra voglio vedere! Che male c’è?
Sulla spiaggia di Coroglio mene vado a passeggiare. Sulla sabbia, sugli scogli ma che odore che ci sta.
She went to New York and never looked back. In a world dominated by male composers, agents and producers, she was one of the only women to write and perform her own songs. In contrast to the other songs of immigration, love and family being performed by others who had left the home country, she chose not to adhere to the traditional themes of that time and penned lyrics with social and political importance.
One of the best things about her music is that she never lost the roots of her native Napoli. Not only are the songs in the Neapolitan dialect, they are full of details about the streets, the people and the landscape of the city. Fabulous!
Today when I perform the song, charged with irony and humor but the honesty of having to fight for the freedom of expression, I try to think of all of the courage it took to leave her country and blaze a path for other female performs to come after her.
When Igo to Coroglio beach, a place where music echoes on the water all night at the clubs dotting the coastline, I think of Ria Rosa in New York, imagining herself in trousers, walking unaccompanied in the sand, cigarette in hand and the reddest of lipstick on her.

Three Fabulous Piazzas of Naples

Posted on by alice

Alice: Fiorella, do you have a favorite piazza in Naples?
Fiorella: Oooh, there are so many to choose from. If we stick with Centro Storico, I would say Piazza Bellini, Piazza del Gesù and Piazza San Domenico.Alice: Yesssss. I think Piazza Bellini is my second home!
During the years of my time here, I have seen the trend of piazzas change and the re-shifting and re-shaping of its surroundings: always unpredictable. When I came to Naples 16 years ago the typical Saturday night would be a stroll between Piazza del Gesù to Piazza San Domenico where we would grab a beer from one of the vendors selling refreshments out of big, blue iced tubs.
Piazza Bellini was the place to go if you wanted to be fancy and sit down to sip a cocktail. Now, each piazza is the place to be and offers many ways to relax, explore and socialize in the great context of this artistic city.

THREE FABULOUS PIAZZAS IN CENTRO STORICO

PIAZZA BELLINI

You are the tourist who wants more than just a simple grab-a-pizza and a magnet and head back to the hotel vacation. You have seen this marvelous UNESCO center: the Duomo, the Sansevero Chapel, The Greek-Roman unedrground city, San Gregorio Armeno, the many churches and historical palazzi, maybe the street art. Now, walking down the ancient street of Via Dei Tribunali you find yourself at Piazza Bellini, a thriving social center. Passing by the music conservatory San Pietro a Majella where you might catch the notes of an aria of Mozart or an arpeggio of Chopin. Once you hit the piazza, you realize that it is not all cafes and outside drinking. The piazza, which gets its name from the statue of the famed Sicilian composer who studied at the conservatory of Naples, is built on and around the remains of a section of the ancient Greek walls of Neapolis. Many years ago when I first got to Naples, the three main cafes were Café Arabo which offers light Middle Eastern food and cocktails and Intra Moenia (which means inside the walls) full of art and often hosting literary events and Lemme Lemme, previously called the Internet Bar (one of the only places I could use dial-up internet to write my mom an email) were the anchors of the slightly sleepy piazza. Currently there is nothing sleepy about this place! One side is lined with sit-down cafes as well as Nea which is a gallery and performance space and the other side has stand-up bars where you can get a 2 euro spritz. On the western side, Via Costantinopoli which leads from Piazza Bellini to the Archaeological Museum and is famous for antique shops, also has lots of places to eat worth checking out. If you are looking for something moderately upscale, the Slow Food restaurant La Stanza del Gusto right off of the piazza offers a fun, colorful environment with elevated local cuisine and a good wine list.

PIAZZA DEL GESU’

As you walk down from Piazza Bellini, you will notice the spattering of music shops on the tree-lined street that might call you to pick up that old saxophone in the closet once you get home from your travels. Interspersed with the music stores are artisan and vintage shops which lead to Spaccanapoli, the parallel to Via Dei Tribunali. Turning the corner, you will see Santa Chiara. It is the church with the green roof which is visible from San Martino in Vomero. It is one of the main religious complex in the city and inspired also the romantic Neapolitan song Munasterio ‘e Santa Chiara.

Fiorella: Romantic and Royal, what a fabulous combination!  This prestigious convent was commissioned by King Robert of Anjou (called Robert the Wise because he was a patron of the arts, buried in the funerary monument in the end of the nave, behind the altar) and his second wife Queen Sancha de Maiorca to house about 200 Clare nuns in seclution and 50 Franciscan friars who could officiate the religious services. The large Royal complex housed these two communities in separate areas and cloisters and its sober structure still expresses the Franciscan rule of poverty.
The original Gothic style combined with local trends and was enriched with stain glass, frescoes and sculptures by famous masters. In the 17th c. the church was totally renovated and transformed into a Baroque monument. Bombed during WWII, it was restored and brought back to its origins but most of the artistic tresures were lost. The cycle of frescoes by Giotto (1328-30) in the secluted church of the nuns was destroyed. Only a little fragment of the Lamentation over the Dead Christ survived. Not open to the public, it can be seen on special occassions.
The majolica-tiled cloister is a must to visit! This 14th c. enclosed garden where the Clare nuns were living was enhanced in the 18th c. by the work of D.A.Vaccaro who designed the eclectic majolicas executed by Donato and Giuseppe Massa. Grape leaves decorate the pillars while hunting scenes, landscapes, the four elements, masks and a nun feeding the cats cover the seats of this walled gem. The ruins of a I and II c. A D Roman Bath and a 18th c Nativity complete the visit to this remarkable complex.

Alice: If you leave the confined life and turn left, you come across the large piazza with the looming Guglia (Spire) dell’Immacolata which was built in the 18th c. and is now circled by taxis, tourists and students.

I met some of my oldest friends in this piazza on my first Saturday here on a sunny January day. Having nothing to do, I thought I would try to draw the facade of the church. Easy! After numerous attempts and as kids rode their bikes around me incessantly asking me what I was doing and who I was, a huge samba band approached the piazza to practice. Swept up by the music and coerced to follow the traveling group, I traded my art supplies for a dance-so representative of the magic of this city and a metaphor for my time here!
The façade of the Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo is incredible-full of mystery with the congruent pyramids spiking out into the air that I definitely could not do justice with my 5th grade drawing skills. It is so unusual…

Fiorella: I know, it is unique as a church and many people do not know its mysteries. Indeed, the building was the private palazzo of the noble family Sanseverino, designed by Novello da San Lucano in 1470 with this ashlar diamond stones. After confiscations and changes of ownership, the palazzo was bought by the Gesuits who entrusted the architect Valeriano to transform it into a church. This is why the contrast between the original façade and the Baroque interior is so strong. Many artists painted, frescoed and carved works for this monumental church where the eye cannot rest. On the counter-façade triumphs the Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple a theatrical fresco signed and dated by Francesco Solimena. Cosimo Fanzago architect and sculpture, a genius of Neaples 17th century designed the marmi commessi, inlaid marble, and carved the stirring statues of David and Geremia (in the Cappellone di Sant Ignazio, left arm of the church) whose realistic expressiveness and fluid drapery well express the tremendous talent of Fanzago who also worked at other sculptures in the church.
On the same left hand side of the church you can approach the chapel that houses the urn of San Ciro On the altar a beautiful wooden Crucifixion by Francesco Mollica. Now you will realize why Ciro is a typical Neapolitan name, especially among the older generation. Ciro was a doctor killed in the IV c. AD during the persecution of Christians. Neapolitans who believe in the miracle come here to pray and be protected from physical diseases. If Saint Ciro ‘works’ they bring him an ex voto, a silver object representing the part of the body that was sick or simply an heart expressing devotion.
This choreographic way of testifying affection to Saints and not only, is well visible in the next chapel where the donation of the princess of Bisignano is displayed. Skulls and rests of beatified or saints are housed in rich gilded caskets holding busts.

Alice: You can also visit the modern space dedicated to Vincenzo Moscati, a former doctor canonized Saint in 1987 to see how the ex votos are still popular.

PIAZZA SAN DOMENICO

Alice: If you need a break from devotion retrace your steps to get back on Via Benedetto Croce, a section of the popular and highly populated Spaccanapoli. Spaccare in Italian means to break and Spaccanapoli is the ancient Greek plateia – than named in Latin decumanus – that split Neapolis west/east. You will immediately see Gay Odin where you can get a decadent gelato (try pistachio and dark chocolate!) and the famous chocolate foresta or a vesuvio treats or just head across the street to grab a coffee while you listen to the bartender or a customer play tunes on the piano. As you walk to San Domenico you will pass Palazzo Venezia which is not only beautiful inside but has excellent musical events. You’ll see a lot of shops offering souvenirs which are much better than the pizza magnet you were going to buy for Aunt Betty. Once you arrive at the piazza you will see another spire erected after the horrifying 1656 plague and dedicated to San Domenico. On the slope going up to the unique church where St.Thomas Aquinas spent two years (1272-1274) teaching theology at the adjoining monastery which was the original seat of the University of Naples. Bordering the piazza is one of the main buildings of the Orientale University, Palazzo Corigliano which during the year is thriving with students and professors. Depending on the time of day, you might catch a theatre performance, street concert, game of frisbee or football or jam session. Have a drink at one of the cafes to take in all of the mix of fun and people or head to Pizzeria Palazzo Petrucci, one of the chicest places to get a pizza in the centro storico. The pizza dough is left to rise for 48 hours and melts in your mouth! If you can manage it, grab a table on the terrace to have an even better view of the goings-ons of the square.

 

FIVE FABULOUS THINGS OF NAPLES

Posted on by alice

Alice: Are Caravaggio, Fontanelle Cemetery, Palazzo dello Spagnolo, the Gaiola beach and the terrace of the Excelsior hotel fabulous?

Fiorella: Oh yes!

Alice: So, if I have understood correctly, the following will make your time in Napoli FABULOUS:

 

5 Fabulous Things of Naples

 

PIO MONTE DELLA MISERICORDIA – CARAVAGGIO

You are feeling charged with energy as you cross via Duomo after your coffee with a heart drizzled in hazelnut of their specialty caffè schiumato at Bar Max. The scooters whiz past you but you aren’t fazed-you are about to see one of the most important works of Michelangelo Merisi, better known as Caravaggio.

You walk on the cobblestone and at the end of the stretch of Via Dei Tribunali is Castel Capuano (which was converted into a tribunal in the 16th century, where it got its name) but you don’t really pay attention. You are enchanted by the guglia di San Gennaro a baroque spire built by Cosimo Fanzago after Vesuvius eruption in 1631. The colorful painting on your left catches your eye. Could that be Caravaggio himself with one leg on a supersantos football next to San Gennaro worried instead for the unemployed Neapolitans? In this work by Roxy in the Box two heroes with a very different way of dressing are now friends.

Caravaggio was running from the law after being charged with murder in Rome but the Governors of the Pio Monte di Misericordia didn’t seem to mind. They paid him a hefty sum for Our Lady of Mercy (also known as the Seven Works of Mercy) which has now become one of the most visited artworks in Naples

Alice: You can’t take your eyes of the spectacle: realism depicted in this work is nothing short of amazing.

Fiorella: In his canvas, Caravaggio had to depict the inspirational principles of the Pio Monte and he did this by combining them in a single scene full of real characters creating the impression of a typical Neapolitan back street. The protagonists are worldly beings, highlighted by a strong light and foreshortened by shadow. The work of the Institute is narrated by figures from classical and Biblical sources together with the common people Caravaggio chose as models.

Fiorella: I want to show you something else fabulous to the painting gallery upstairs where from the little choir we can admire the Seven works of Mercy and from the window the guglia di San Gennaro

Alice: Walking out of the Pio Monte you are dazed as if you had just seen one of the best theatrical performances.

(Fiorella: Weren’t you in a live performance of this painting at the Gino Ramaglia art shop a few years back?

Alice: Yes, but I won’t tell you which character I represented! But, it was…FABULOUS.)

 

The street brings you back to life with the smells of pizza being cooked in a nearby brick oven. You are hungry but you stay with the dream but you are an adventurer and you have other things to uncover.

 

 

CIMITERO DELLE FONTANELLE

 

One thing you know to be FABULOUS is the experience of being in places which aren’t so easily explained. The electricity of the Caravaggio has left you seeking the unexpected. You’ve eaten a Fiocco di Neve at Poppella whose light, airy ricotta cream has prepared you for the excursion to a cemetery. This is no ordinary cemetery; the place, cool all year with ceilings looming with spectacle. You think to yourself “how macabre, how dark” but you want to know more. Stepping into the cave which has acted as a cemetery vault for three hundred and fifty years, you feel like you are entering another dimension. Although the bones and shallow graves are of unknown people, there is nothing anonymous about this place. Candles are lit as if family members are showing devotion to the remains of their beloveds long before passed. Devotion: a word that can be used to describe Neapolitans in their love for their football team, the sea, pizza and Totò. Devotion can also be used to describe the practice of “adopting” bones of unknown human remains in this ossuary made of tuff. Although abolished in 1969, the seemingly maintained alters to skulls with no names might indicate otherwise. And was that a Barbie doll laying prettily in front of one of the piles of bones? You pause to think of all that has come before, of the reasons behind this practice. You pause again because your stomach has started to rumble, almost audible among all the people murmuring about the spectacle. Though you might feel a little strange about the timing, being that you are surrounded by bones, dolls, bus tickets and coins to pay the trip to the afterworld, all you can think about is pizza. On the way to this marvelous haven of Neapolitan folklore, you passed Concettina ai Tre Santi and can’t get the delicious smell of warm fior di latte and bubbling tomatoes sauce out of your head. And, hey, this is FABULOUS Naples, the city of light and dark. This contrast between life and death, old Barbies and pizza, is what makes this city unforgettable.

 

Alice: I heard there is a fabulous palace around here that has been a set for many TV shows and films.

Fiorella: Nothing fabulous ever escapes you! Oh yes, you have to see the staircase of Palazzo dello Spagnolo! Let’s go.

 

PALAZZO DELLO SPAGNOLO

 

You are looking for something decadent and elegant after the mystery of Cimitero delle Fontanelle and find it in this late-Baroque-style private residence known for its double ramp staircase. The Palace was started by architect Fedinando Sanflice in 1738 for the Marchese Nicola Moscati. The interior is a soft, stuccoed, eclectic, complex and fabulous scenography. Why is it called the Spaniard (lo Spagnolo)? Because part of it was sold to the nobleman Tommaso Atienza who called it Lo Spagnolo. Even if in the 19th century it was bought by the Costa family, it has maintained its name. You try to pronounce it and revel in your tenacity of pronouncing such a beautiful name. You love those Italian vowels!

You remember that building with a similar staircase we saw on the way to Lo Spagnolo, looking spookily similar to Palazzo dello Spagnolo. Ten years before Sanfelice started on this marvel, he had already built his own palazzo in the same area. His peculiar courtyard and staircase are rundown and it’s quite sad to read above the entrance: Ferdinando Sanfelice patrizio napoletano, per la straordinaria salubrità del luogo, costrui questa casa dalle fondamenta. Fu lui il progettista, curatore e proprietario dell’opera. Anno del Salvatore 1728.(Ferdinando Sanfelice Patrician of Naples, for the extraordinary healthiness of the place, built this house from the ground up. He was the designer, curator and owner of the work. Year of the Saviour 1728) After all of this history, you decide to grab a glass of wine at one of the great vinerias down below before heading to get a pizza at one of the best places in town. They let the dough rise for over a day and the fresh mozzarella and basil, some of the signature tastes of this city, are a perfect way to get to know this neighborhood full of life and excitement.

Alice: Fiorella, I know you know somewhere incredible to see the natural landscape of this enchanting place. Any ideas?

Fiorella: Yes! Naples can also be the place for a swim or simply a walk on the cliffs. Let’s go to FABULOUS Posillipo!

Alice: How to get there?

Fiorella: Taxi! Worth it for a ride to this “respite from worry” corner of paradise (Pausilypon in Greek is rest from pain)

 

GAIOLA

 

You are ready for some sea air, crystal waters and cliffs of Tuff. This is such an incredible change from being in the bustle of heart of the Sanita’. You find The Archaeological Park of Gaiola to be an unique combination of nature and archaeology in this busy city! Even though it is best to go early in the morning, you are so happy to be here in the afternoon. Because it is Summer you brought your ID as only 100 people are allowed to swim in this corner of Paradise. Here with a simple mask you see several species of fish, seaweed and the remains of opus reticolatum walls belonging to the villa of Publius Vedius Pollio. How incredible to see the nature of the sea and ancient history together? Where else can you do something like this? Born in the 1st century BC Vedius Pollio attained authority in Asia on behalf of Emperor Augustus and built his amazing estate called Pausilypon here. Known for his cruelty, he died in 15 BC and left his villa to Augustus. The Seiano cave, the Odeon and the theatre are only some of the ruins of this fabulous estate surrounded by tuff cliffs and vegetation. You look out to the water and wonder about the rest of it lying underwater. The unpredictable bradyseism has changed the sea level so we can only dream about the rest of the magic below. With Capri in front of you, embraced by Vesuvius and Capo Posillipo, you are not surprised that the Dutch painter Anton Sminck Pitloo started the School of Posillipo here . Pitloo and the other artists anticipated the French Impressionism in painting outdoors with natural lighting the marine shore and landscapes from this area. You had no idea this rich history of art existed in this ancient, breathtaking place. Oh how you love breathing in this adventure.

You have felt like you have had such a great day exploring the city and are ready to end your day with something… fabulous. It’s time to go to the Terrazza.

Fiorella: Alice, you really know how to live elegantly!

Alice: Would you expect anything else? I mean, this city knows how to wine and dine any kind of tourist but the Excelsior is one of the best places I know for a drink.

 

 

HOTEL EXCELSIOR-TERRAZZA BAR

 

 

This place got its name from its incredible terrace, which has views that stretch from Vesuvius to Posillipo. You feel like you are going back in time after walking onto the terrace. White, ornate furniture is placed among the jasmine flowers on the terrace which overlooks Castel dell’Ovo. The sun is beginning to set and the waiters are so kind and easy going that you decide to take a look around the bigger part of the terrace lined with flowers and plants. You could take a picture or rather one hundred but you prefer to take in the view of the pinks and oranges of the sky as you hear the sound of the seagulls over the water. People bustle below you as you sip your perfectly chilled glass of Falanghina as you reflect on your adventure. Here in this paradise overlooking this ancient bay, you can step away from all of the excitement to take in the beauty, the pure exquisiteness of this city that has left you forever enchanted.

 

 

 

 

Naples Fabulous

Naples (Italian: Napoli – Neapolitan: Napule – Ancient Greek Νεάπολις, Neapolis meaning “new city”) is the third-largest municipality in Italy. Around 1 million residents live within the city’s limits, 3 millions in its province-level municipality. With the highest density of population in Italy, it has a horrifying number of unemployed people but it also has a historical centre which is a world heritage site. A city full of mystery, beauty and contrasts, the streets of Naples tell unforgettable stories not easily forgotten. Its cuisine is synonymous with pizza and spaghetti, Naples’ dialect has its own orthography and is famous over the world because of the Neapolitan songs. Naples Bay is maybe the most beautiful in the world….if not, it is indisputably FABULOUS!
Fabulous – Extraordinary, especially extraordinarily large, having no basis in reality, mythical.
Late Middle English: known through fable. From Latin fabula
(Oxford Dictionaries)