Tag: bay of naples

b mad in a fabulous jewel of the Bay of Naples

Posted on by alice

Alice: One warm August morning, we were walking around the narrow streets of a place very dear to us and looking to delight our palates with a typical pastry from the area. Years ago we used to recommend this place to tourists and friends but only few took our advice and unfortunately in recent years this place has become more and more crowded.

Fiorella: Since it is our refuge and our place to relax, we cannot reveal its identity to all of our readers. However, those who are interested in following our hints to discover which location we are talking about can write to us privately and we’ll reveal this little puzzle.

RECAPPING: We were out for a stroll in search to satisfy our sweet tooth when who did we run into? None other than Barbara, another lover of this place, our “brilliant friend” – or even better – “brilliant designer friend” who also found herself in front of the pastry shop.

This pasticceria boasts the invention of one of the delicacies from Campania called the “lingua di bue” or “tongue of the mother in law” which is a rich puff pastry filled with custard or lemon cream.

Faced with the dilemma of choosing between the two, we suggest you order them both!
Barbara appeared as we were walking out of the shop with our warm and fragrant package. Per her usual, she was wearing fabulous jewellery. We were so excited to see her that we were able to resist the temptation of sinking our teeth into the treat right out of the oven and invited her to have a coffee on our terrace for a little chat.
Postponing tasting a warm lingua di bue is almost a crime, but we knew that we were close to home and that we’d still be able enjoy it to the fullest.
The three of us walked down the high-walled little streets that hide gardens

and lemon groves with breath-taking glimpses of our beloved place

leading us to our apartment where the coffee was already on the stove.

What is more fabulous than a strong Neapolitan coffee, a warm lingue di bue and a friend adorned like a modern day Sant Agata?

On a secret terrace in this magical place, Barbara unveiled the symbols in her work. She also shared other insights into what it’s like creating innovative jewellery in the context of one of the historic Neapolitan artisanal trades which has put this city on the map for centuries.

Barbara: My dad says that when I was young my response to the question “What do you want to do when you grow up?” was “I want to be an inventor”. The result is that I work as a teacher in the morning and in the afternoon I dress up as an inventor!
Alice: Fantastic! It sounds like you have a lot going on! Tell everybody what you invent and how you started you career.
Barbara: I am a jewellery maker. I started out by experimenting with copper aluminium, polymer clay and recycled materials which have always been the base of my creations.
In the beginning, I exhibited my works in a small gallery called FaBer which I shared with my cousin who is a fashion designer.
Later on I decided to make necklaces and earrings with stones until the moment that I got my big break. A space opened up at the historical Borgo Orefici where I could have my “banchetto” (workbench) on which I could finally forge metals! This is when my fantastic adventure begun.
I finally found my way and started my bMad_Jewels production!

I design and transform metal into thoughts, feelings and symbols…
Fiorella: It must be very exciting for you to work where the first corporation of goldsmiths and silversmiths was established.

Alice: Oh yes! Borgo Orefici and Piazza Mercato, being close to the commercial port, have always been a place where these kinds of trades flourished. Where was the corporation of silversmiths established exactly?
Fiorella: It was in the Anjou (Angevin) Kingdom that the first French masters were called by the Royals to Naples to teach their art to the Neapolitan silversmiths. The administrative centre of the Corporation was in Piazzetta Orefici (not far from Barbara’s studio) where a counsel called Udienza was entrusted to checking and eventually approving the handicrafts. The quality had to be outstanding!
Unfortunately, very little survives from the Angevin production, but the famous Bust of St Gennaro reminds us of this glorious past.

In the Baroque Age, the productions reached their height and as a result it was decided that goldsmiths and silversmiths could only work in this specific area of Naples.

It is amazing that you construct your creations here, where also most of the busts of the Treasure of St Gennaro were produced!

What are you working on now?
Barbara: I give life to universally recognized and beloved symbols icons.
Alice: Oh fabulous! We can see that these pieces have a lot to express. Tell us more about the impetus of these creations.
Barbara: Well, there is the ‘house’ which is the most cherished place of our roots and our family.

Then there is the ‘eye’ which is the mirror of the soul.

It is also part of the Neapolitan superstition; the evil eye or the talisman which chases away bad luck.

The ‘open space’ is a mysterious place only known to ourselves; our personal shelter.

There is also the ‘castle’ where all stories have a happy ending.

Alice: The one you are wearing must be the ‘the frame of your dreams’. This one is a favourite of mine!

Barbara: Yes, this is the frame where clients ask me to capture the words of a book they love or the rocks, sand or little shells from a place near and special to them.


Fiorella: How do you feel being a contemporary jewellery artist with your innovative and minimal touch in such a traditional context like the Borgo Orefici?
Barbara: It has been my determination and enthusiasm for what I do which has allowed me to discover a world where most of the doors are shut and hard to open. You have to be able to learn only from watching because most of the artisans don’t reveal their secrets.
Alice: We can tell that your work really sets you apart from most of the goldsmiths and jewellery makers of the Borgo and it expresses your personality and strong joie the vivre.

P. S.

Barbara Tartaglia with her husband Gianluca Zivieri. Gianluca is also a fan of our not-so-secret spot, of lingue di bue and of BMad_Jewels of course!
Gianluca owns a comapny that rents luxurious and exclusive villas in Italy. If you are planning to spend a fabulous vacation in our country, while wearing f a b u l o u s jewels here is the right couple!

Sailing virtually in the Bay of Napoli

Posted on by alice

Let’s dream about going sailing virtually in the Bay of Napoli!
Maybe this immersion in the fabulous Bay of Naples will make us feel a sense of freedom by breathing in our blue sea air and visualizing the history that surrounds us.

We’ll start our trip from Posillipo which in Greek means “respite from suffering”. Posillipo was a seaside resort for the Roman patricians, who loved to come here (especially in the Imperial Age) to enjoy the beauty of the bay and the Greek culture. Pliny the Elder, Suetonius and Martial wrote about this fascinating area and it is said that Virgil wrote his Georgics in a villa in this corner of the Empire.

The glory of Posillipo declined with the fall of the Empire and again in the Middle Ages but the fascinating archaeological remains of its glorious times are still visible. In fact, many walls in opus reticulatum can be seen along the coast and under the water.
A theatre and an odeon–once part of Pollio’s estate–are still standing. The open-air theatre has been restored and in the summer houses a theatre festival. You can read more about Vedius Pollio in our post 5 fabulous things to do in Naples.


Odeon

The romantic ruins of the so-called Palazzo degli Spiriti represented in many engravings and paintings now stand amongst boats of fisherman, families, and “scugnizzi” (boisterous youth from Naples) that populate its surrounding cliffs in the hot summer months. Most of the Roman ruins have been integrated into modern private buildings or fancy condos and also restaurants like the renowned Cicciotto.


Palazzo degli Spiriti

During our virtual sailing trip we approach the Borgo Marechiaro (borgo means small village). It was a fishing community with its church named Santa Maria del Faro, because it was built on the site of the ancient Roman lighthouse (“faro” means lighthouse).


Chiesa di Santa Maria del Faro

The 14th century church was renovated thanks to the Mazza family, nobles who owned properties in Marechiaro. In the 18th century architect Ferdinando Sanfelice remodelled this lovely church that still shows the Mazza coat of arms of 2 crossed sticks.


Façade of the Church Santa Maria del Faro

The Gaiola and Trentaremi incorporate relevant sections of the Pausilypon Villa, the vast estate belonging to Vedio Pollio of whom Palazzo degli Spiriti was probably a nymphaeum. Augustus inherited it after Vedio Pollio’s death in 15 BC. What an imperial property! In an incredible setting beteween Vesuvius and the island of Capri, Pausilypon was a typical example of a otium (leisured culture) villa where one could enjoy nature, peace, reading and meditation.

The Gaiola most likely gets its name from caveola, due to the many caves still visible in the yellow tufa stone which is soft and easy to erode.
The school of Virgil was located here as well as a temple dedicated to Venus, whose name Euplea was attributed to the still existing islet, on top of which stands an abandoned villa.
The villa belonged to some of the wealthiest people in the world, amongst them Agnelli and Paul Getty. Due to a sad destiny, non of these modern-day patricians enjoyed this enchanting property because of tragic events that fell upon their lives.

Today the Gaiola is a protected area, because on the sea bed it is possible to identify fish-ponds, docks and arcaheological remains of the Villa Pausilypon which is now under the sea level due to bradyseism (the gradual lifting or falling of the Earth’s surface due to volcanic activity). Infact, this volocanic phenomenon affects the coastline from Posillipo to Bagnoli and all the way to the pictoresque town of Pozzuoli, the ancient port of Rome.
In the 17th century Posillipo experienced a renaissance, once again becoming the chosen location for the aristocrats who “recycled” entire sections of Roman architecture as building materials or foundations for their fabulous residences.
In the 18th and 19th century this enchanting area started to be very popular also amongst artists. Many artists, also from other European countries loved to spend their time in this corner of paradise; painting outdoors and studying the light and colours of the South. The School of Posillipo, indeed, was started by the Dutch A. S. Pitloo in 1824, anticipatiing the much more well-known French Impressionism.


Anton Sminck Pitloo, The Grove of Francavilla at the Chiatamone

It was in the 19th century that many more private villas and the public street to connect Posillipo to the centre of Naples were built. Luckily a decree by King Gioaquin Murat protected the coast from construction facing the sea.
This is why looking at Naples from the sea is always a fabulous experience. It is a totally different prespective from the lively and bustling historical centre. Posillipo is another thing that sets Naples apart: where else can you rediscover gardens, beautiful ancient villas, citrus and pine trees, and also vineyards to in such a densely populated city?

Gaiola draws many people year round to canoe and kayak-who could resist a jump in the turquoise waters to cool off?

After a nice swim, let’s get back in our ecologically-friendly virtual sailboat to head to Castel dell’Ovo.


Castel dell’Ovo and Borgo Marinari

With its impressive walls in yellow tufa, the castle is said to get its name from its elliptical, oval shape or from the legend telling that Virgil had deposited an egg in its foundation. This icon of Naples stands on the islet of Megaride. Here the Greek settlment of Partenope was established between the 8th and 7th century BC in this already inhabited spot of the Bay. The story of Megaride is very stratified as in the 1st centry BC the Roman patrician Lucius Licinius Lucullus, famous for his palate, built his villa on this site. Some elements of the villa are still visible even if at the end of the 5th century a Basilian monastery was erected where the villa once stood. From the 12th century onwards, this castle which was modernalised by the lineage of kings of Naples, has continued to dominate the islet, today surrounded by bustling restaurants and cafes.

We must end our virtual tour with an aperitivo of traditional taralli and a beer at one of the kiosks lining the seafront as we watch the sun set upon our beloved city. In the past taralli were sold by the “tarallaro”, a man or a woman selling their basket-filled treats to people stolling along the coast, just as we are doing today.
The tarallo was probably invented in the 18th century in the populated area of the Port of Naples. Due to rampant poverty, bakers were mixing the leftover bread and pasta dough with lard (“nzogna” in Neapolitan) and pepper. They would make two little strips and then twist them to then form into a doughnut shape which would be baked along with their bread. At the beginning of the 19th century the “’nzogna e pepe” (lard and pepper) tarallo would be enhanced with almonds. This recipe has remained the same until today. Taralli have to be eaten when warm in order to appreciate their perfect consistency and fragrance. Aren’t you eager to taste them? If so, ask us for the recipe and we’ll send it to you!

F F F: Fabulousness of Family and Friendship

Posted on by alice

Alice: One thing I’ve been really grateful for during this period is being able to be in contact with friends and family. All of those video chats with Marco Polo, Zoom, Whatsapp, Skype with my Neapolitan friends is keeping me from going crazy during this time.
Fiorella: For Neapolitans, friends are like family. We meet up even for five minutes a day and those exchanges now are almost completely missing from our lives. If we are lucky we will run in to someone while waiting in line to enter the supermarket and we’ll have a chat through masks at a 6 feet distance.
Alice: This has been so hard for a population where human contact and connection is at the core of the culture. I think the rest of the world is in awe of how the Neapolitans are reaching out to each other by playing music, calling out Tombola numbers, checking in with neighbours, waving at friends from the street down below.
Fiorella: We feel very close with our friends, neighbours and family here in Naples but also all over Italy. Our hearts go out to all the people in the North who have been hit so hard with this pandemic. Italy is very united right now by an immense sorrow and sense of powerlessness we all share.
Alice: I miss my Neapolitan family so much and I miss the beautiful streets and museums of Naples.
Fiorella: as a tour guide and art historian, my desperation is double as I cannot work and I cannot be in touch with my other homes: the sites, museums and churches of our bella Napoli.

The Sansevero Chapel is one of my favourite places in Naples. It is a place where I have always loved taking my clients-expecially foreign visitors who in the past were not familiar with this fabulous private museum. When I started my tour activity there was no queue to get in and no crowd inside so we could chat with the lovely custodians and some of the owners of this unique temple. I still consider the Sansevero Chapel home-it has a special place in the heart.

From 1742 onwards, the eclectic Prince of Sansevero, Raimondo di Sangro, had the chapel (known as Pietatella) renovated. It is now a museum which is still owned by the descendants of the aristocratic family. The chapel is a synthesis of Raimondo’s political, philosophical and scientific interests and an expression of his extremely refined artistic taste and enciclopedic knowledge.

Raimondo di Sangro was a scientist, an alchemist, a scholar of occult science, chemistry and of typography. Amongst his titles he was also member of the Crusca (Florentine Literary Academy). He was a leading exponent of the Neapolitan Englightement and the Grand Master of the Neapolitan Masonry.
The Sansevero Chapel is a place of complex iconography as each allegory and principle was concretized by artists who were skilled executants of Raimondo’s ideals. The Prince commissioned the internationally known Antonio Corradini to create his family funeral monuments and the artist was able to give shape to Raimondo’s project.

Everybody comes here to admire the Veiled Christ, which is the astounding work of the Neapolitan Giuseppe Sanmartino and one of the most incredible marble sculptures ever. However, today I want to concentrate on the statues Raimondo di Sangro commissioned for his parents.
In these hard days we are spending wishing we could hug our families and friends. This is dedicated to our beloved mums and dads. Why not to be romantic once in a while?


Pudicizia (Modesty) – Cappella Sansevero ph. official website www.museosansevero.it

La Pudicizia (Modesty) was completed by Corradini a year before his death in 1751 and dedicated to the prince’s mother who died in her twenties. The broken tombstone symbolises the life of Cecilia Gaetani which was interrupted so precipitously.


ph. official website www.museosansevero.it

The veil allowing us to see the soft form of the woman holds roses (symbol of purity and beauty but also death) amongst its light folds. The sensuality of the image, in antithesis to the title of the work, expresses the mixture of the sacred and the profane which is typical of the eighteenth century.


Pudicizia (Modesty) – Cappella Sansevero ph. official website www.museosansevero.it

The veil is a reference to occult knowledge; it conceals but through it is possible to read what is hiding behind it.
The veiled woman is also an allegory of Wisdom, and refers to initiation. In fact, the incense bearer brings to mind the initiation ceremonies of the Freemasons.
The words Noli me tangere (Touch-me-not) on the bas-relief is a reference to secret principles. It speaks to the intangible truths and to the destiny which denied Raimondo any contact with his mother as she died when he was only a few months old.


ph. official website www.museosansevero.it

Antonio Corradini had been working in Venice, Austria and Rome and came to Naples where in 1749 he supervised the grandiose project of Raimondo de Sangro with his talent and his understanding of Freemasonry.
He produced other veiled women statues. Amongst the ones that we can still admire are the Veiled Woman or Purity at the Museo del Settecento Veneziano, The Velata (Veiled Woman) or Grief in the Church of San Giacomo in Udine, the Veiled Woman interpreted also as Faith now at the Louvre, the Vestal Virgin Tuccia in the collections of Palazzo Barberini in Rome. In Corradini’s sculptures the veil is always associated with modesty and chastity. Chastity plays a key role in the story of the Vestal Tuccia. Vestals, indeed, were the priestesses who were punished by death if they violate their vow of chastity. Unjustly accused, Tuccia is saved by the intervention of the goddess Vesta.


Dama Velata (Veiled Woman) – Museo del Settecento Veneziano – Ca’ Rezzonico


Velata (Veiled Woman) or Grief – Church of San Giacomo in Udine


The Vestal Virgin Tuccia – Palazzo Barberini

During these days of lockdown I had time to rediscover some albums of my old travels and here are the pictures I took at the Louvre.


The Veiled Woman or Faith – Louvre

Opposite Chastity is Il Disinganno (Disenchantment or Disillusion) by Genoese Francesco Queirolo 1753-54.
This is a work that enchants me every time after so many years because of its extraordinary force and unequalled finesse of execution.

ph. official website www.museosansevero.it

It reveals a man intent on disentangling himself from a net. The loss of his wife led Raimondo’s father Antonio, Duke of Torremaggiore to entrust him to his grandfather. He spent his life wandering and ended his life as a Benedictine monk. Here he is caught freeing himself from the net of his sins.

ph. official website www.museosansevero.it

With renewed spirit, he returns to the world indicated to him by the genius with the flame of intellect on his forehead.
He comes out of the shadows, as the passage engraved on the open book-the Bible-attests. His mind is enlightened, as underlined by Christ who gives back vision to the blind man. The blind man refers to Masonry and the initiation of a new member in the lodge, which has to wear a blindfold.


ph. official website www.museosansevero.it

The net is a unique piece of sculpture which confirmed the mastery of Queirolo.
Unfortunately the relationship between the artist and the patron broke up and they ended up at the Tribunal of Naples. Queirolo hadn’t meet the deadlines and the Prince didn’t want to pay him for his services. In the documents guarded at the Naples State Archive and published in the book Chartulae desangriane, Queirolo’s excuse doesn’t include any reference to the complexity of the work. However, it is possible that the delay was due to the fact that he had to do all the work by himself as no assistant was willing to smooth the net with pumice for fear of damaging it or altering its perfection.

ph. official website www.museosansevero.it

Human fragility, which cannot know great virtues without vices is Raimondo’s dedication to his father found on the monument. I am so in love with it that I have it at the bottom of my email.

Alice: I remeber last time we went to the Cappella Sansevero together and than we dined at one of our favourite trattorias. We have had so many good memories eating at some of the local spots for delicious Neapolitan home cooking.

Fiorella: I want some fabulous polpette al sugo from Da Carmine or La Campagnola right now!

Alice: Me too! With a nice glass of red wine and crusty bread…


Adele and Eduardo at our beloved Trattoria Da Carmine

But for now we can make meatballs from home and wait for the day when we meet up again!
I cooked them yesterday and I served them in a crust of pamesan cheese which one of my friends had tried in a restaurant. This is easy to make by putting grated parmesan in a non-stick pan for a short time. Gently shape it into a bowl where you can put the meatballs and their tomato sauce.

This is a simple recipe that Neapolitan families love and cook for their delicious Sunday lunches not in Summer when spaghetti with clams or seafood are a must!

Neapolitan Meatballs:
500 grams of ground beef
200 grams of day-old bread
1 egg
1 cup of milk
25 grams pine nuts
25 grams raisins
1 finely chopped garlic clove
1 spoonful of chopped parsley
80 grams of finely grated parmesan
Salt and Pepper
Tomato Sauce:
1 litre of prepared tomato sauce (“Passata”)
1 whole garlic clove, peeled
4 tablespoons of EVOO
A handful of fresh basil, washed and dried
Salt
Pinch of sugar

Submerge the bread in the milk and leave to dampen while you place the raisins in a bit of water so they can soften.
Put the meat in a large bowl with garlic, parsley and egg. Add the bread which has been well wrung out with the parmesan, salt and pepper. Mix well with hands.

Split up the mixture in 8 large. Place a small amount of pine nuts and raisins in the centre then shape the meatballs with your hands to a perfect sphere.

There are a few ways of making the meatballs and sauce. You can choose to fry them and cook the tomato sauce separately. If you choose to do it this way, heat the oil to medium (a good trick to see if the oil is ready is to put a wooden spoon into the pan and see if the oil forms little bubbles around the spoon). Place the meatballs in the oil and cook them evenly on all sides for about 30 minutes. Drain on a paper towel. At the same time as you are preparing the sauce, cook the sauce in a separate pot. Sautee the garlic clove to golden in the EVOO on medium heat and then add the tomatoes. After about 10 minutes, lower the heat and add the salt, sugar and basil. Simmer for another 20 minutes and then add the meatballs which have been drained.

The other method of preparation is to prepare the sauce as instructed above and after it is nice and bubbly (about 10 minutes), add the meatballs and lower the heat. They will need to cook about 30 minutes.

Serve the meatballs with a nice loaf of bread. You can use some of the delicious sauce for a first course of spaghetti, rigatoni or ziti, if you can find them.

… to Rena, Mike, Gioia, Luciano and all our friends

Naples IS Fabulous

Posted on by alice

You can watch and you can listen to realize that Naples IS Fabulous!