Tag: naples

A true world in a glance – Jasmina Trifoni

Posted on by alice

We are very proud to open our Artist Window with the work of Jasmina Trifoni.
Jasmina Trifoni is a journalist living in Rome who specializes in travel writing and narrative journalism. She works for Italian and International magazines including National Geographic and Meridiani, among the others. In a world where the “big frames” have almost all been discovered, she loves to find those small stories that can make the difference in the perception of a place. She has traveled extensively in all the continents (with the exception of Antarctica, and with a preference for everything that is “south”) but she doesn’t like to just check the country off the list and move on. Instead, she prefers to return to the same place several times to deepen her research. She has written several books which have been translated in many languages (100 Adventures of Our Lifetime, World in Danger, Patrimonio mondaile dell’Unesco, 80 Islands to Escape to, among the others).

 

The word that comes to mind when looking at Jasmina’s photos is spontaneity.
An avid traveller originating from Rome, she seems to truly have Naples in her eyes.
Our first encounter with Jasmina was by way of her photos. As it often happens, we’ve found her to be the exact embodiment of what her camera illustrates – a curious, inquisitive, impassioned woman who is in love with the most extravagant sides of life.

She’s always ready to laugh authentically at all that she sees in her surroundings. For her, she looks at the world and from the first glance she is categorising everything that interests and fascinates her – or what does not, in an instance! It’s true, we are all a little like that though few people blend integrity and flamboyance so seamlessly.
What is more extravagant that the human spirit – be it in depictions by talented artists or in the unbridled exuberance of people in the streets?

If you try to compliment Jasmina on her photos, she will squint her eyes and look at you as if you are saying something strange. Even if she is prolific in her photography, she doesn’t consider herself a photographer and doesn’t want to hear that her lens has immortalised a portrait of society in a precise – and fabulous – way.
What we love about Jasmina’s photos is her simple but earnest staging of life. Through her lens, a nameless street becomes the backdrop for neorealist theatre full of faces captured in their most honest moments.

Unique to many, Jasmina does not try to photograph dramatic or intense moments. Hers is a different approach: through the faces and bodies she shoots – quickly and without creating any kind of set – all of the depth of a moment is immortalised. In that moment lies all the complexity of life which her humour and exaggeration can render solemn and powerful.
In Jasmina’s photos, the landmarks, architecture and cities disappear and become irrelevant. Her objective concentrates on the representation of the souls narrating a psyche. Often you discover that her instant snapshots of faces precisely express the inner life of that person. What sets Jasmina apart is that she doesn’t stage a situation around the person in order to get a good shot. She doesn’t prepare the scenery in any way yet magically the realness of life reproduces a detailed biography in one quick click of the camera. This spontaneous process results in telling a deeply resonating story of the life of a stranger that seems to be someone that Jasmina has already known.

 

The harbor of Naples and the entire seafront stretching from the Castel Nuovo to the eastern extremity of the town, offer extraordinary exhibitions. This was the region of the Lazzaroni: the finer-looking or merrier vagabonds than those who are now found in it, it is not easy to meet. The streets that they frequent, and in which they may be said to live, lie in this quarter, and are altogether unique. Brawling, laughing, cooking, flirting, eating, drinking, sleeping, together with most of the other concerns of life, are all transacted here beneath the canopy of heaven
James Fenimore Cooper From the letters describing travel undertaken in 1828-1829

 

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

The large stage of the world

 

Around every corner of the city you’ll hear someone singing, you’ll catch the tune of a Pino Daniele song or notes from the posteggiatori going trattoria to trattoria, encouraging the crowds of diners to sing along to traditional songs. Music is at the heart of the city and the greatest artists started in the neighborhoods we love, the number one being the Sanita’, well-known recently for its street parties with all kinds of musical performances going into the early hours of the next day. One of our favourite Neapolitan singers and icons, Ria Rosa, quotes the bridge of this neighborhood in one of her incredible tunes recorded in New York.

 

One of the most popular theatrical traditions of Naples is the commedia del’arte dating from the 16th century whose origins go back to the ancient Roman Atellan Farce (Fabule Atellane).
The main character of the commedia dell’arte is Pulcinella, now one of the most popular souvenirs from bella Napoli.

Pulcinella has a strong and contradictory personality, like the characteristics Naples is known for: exuberant and lazy, reliable and crazy, cynical and happy, funny and sad. He is a great representative of that emblematic cunning spirit for which Neapolitans are – or maybe were – famous.

 

 

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Being Neapolitan it’s wonderful

 

The Patron Saint Gennaro was martyred in 305 AD. Three days a year the saint is celebrated in the cathedral of Naples where believers and curious folks wait for the miracle of the liquefaction of his blood secretly and securely kept in a vial.
On September 19, New York celebrates the San Gennaro Feast in Little Italy. All began in Mulberry Street with the building of a small chapel dedicated to the Saint where offers for the poor people of the neighborhood were collected. Now it’s a party complete with fried zeppole.
San Gennaro is becoming more and more popular in Naples, not only as an historical and religious icon, but also in the design and top-quality arts market.

 

 

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

The black gold of Naples

 

Coffee in Naples means espresso and the traditional caffè is ristretto, very short and dense.
Neapolitans consider coffee a necessity, something you cannot live without. This explains why the Suspended Coffee started in Naples, maybe after WWII. You drink a coffee at your favourite bar, and you pay a second caffè for someone who may not be able to afford it. The bar holds on to the “suspended” cup until someone comes and requests it. Why coffee and not bread? Because caffè in Napoli is considered as important as primary food. In a Neapolitan bar you always chat with the busy barista (coffee-maker) so it’s like sharing kindness, friendship and much more.
In his Neaplitan song Tazza ‘e café parite Giuseppe Capaldo compares coffee to a desirable woman, strong but with the sugar that once melted will make the drink beautiful!
We Neapolitans think our coffee is the best, and we are pretty sure to be right!

 

 

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Naples is synonymous with food

 

Red like lava, the piennolo tomatoes grow in volcanic soil. These small round-shaped tomatoes with a pointed tip and a thick skin are called “Piennolo” after Latin pendulus (hanged)  because of the system adopted to preserve it in bunches similar to grape and hanged in dry and ventilated places. The piennolo is represented in the traditional Neapolitan nativity scenes as well as tripe which is also sold as a street food and dressed with lots of lemon and salt.

The King of the Neapolitan snacks is the tarallo ‘nzogn e pepe (in Neapolitan dialect).  Some of the traditional tarallifici, where taralli are baked daily are in the Sanità neighborhood, but the tarallo was probably invented in the densely populated area of the Port of Naples in the 18th century. Due to poverty, bakers were mixing the leftover bread and dough with lard (“nzogna” in Neapolitan) and pepper.
In the past, taralli were sold by the “tarallari”, a man or a woman walking along the waterfront of Naples with baskets filled with warm taralli for people strolling along the coast.

 

 

 
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Art in the Art

 

From the murals and the masterpieces within Naples’ stunning museums to the hidden workshops of the tireless Neapolitan craftspeople, this is what Jasmina creates while capturing art with her immediate glance.

 

Artists like Turner and Warhol have flocked to Naples’ from all over the world to experience its energy and depict its landscape in their works. More and more, there are international artists coming to Naples to paint Naples itself. When touring the historical center, it is not unlikely to see a new colorful work pop up just around the corner.

The features of our face are hardly more than gestures which force of habit made permanent. Nature, like the destruction of Pompeii, like the metamorphosis of a nymph into a tree, has arrested us in an accustomed movement. Marcel Proust

 

 

 

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

A bustling and struggling humanity

 

Mark Twain during his Neapolitan stay in 1867 wrote: “It is Broadway repeated in every street, in every court, in every alley! Such masses, such throngs, such multitudes of hurrying, bustling, struggling humanity! We never saw the like of it, hardly even in New York, I think. There are seldom any sidewalks, and when there are, they are not often wide enough to pass a man on without caroming on him. So everybody walks in the street–and where the street is wide enough, carriages are forever dashing along. Why a thousand people are not run over and crippled every day is a mystery that no man can solve.”

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
The vertical city

Naples is a vertical city and from its belly to its hills, two cities cohabit in harmonic chaos with elegance, deterioration, noise, and silence. The diametrical oppositional humanity lives under the same sun and breath of the same salty breeze.

 


Mr Giancarlo Maresca, Gran Maestro of the Guardian Knights of the Nine Doors

 

Everyone in this city follows the sun. In the summer, people from all neighborhoods flock to the seafront to get a chance to soak in the rays. Every corner will be covered with those looking for a relaxing moment of sunshine.

 

 

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Piety and superstition in the womb of Naples
The Fontanelle Cemetery

In this ancient quarry where tuff rock was extracted, the remains of 40,000 victims of epidemics -and not only- are displayed in a very artistic way.
Fontanelle is located at the bottom of the hill of Materdei, where once streams ran down to the valley (thus the name fontanelle, little fountains). Despite its 54,000 square feet, this cavity has a very intimate atmosphere due to the soft lighting and the warm affection that Neapolitans express to the “poor souls” who live here.
Candies, toys, plastic flowers, written messages, a soccer shield, next to bus tickets and coins to pay Charon for the journey to the other world, are offered to those “little beggar souls” as the tradition calls them. They implore a prayer in exchange for who knows? Maybe one of the generous legendary skulls will appear in a dream providing a couple of lucky numbers to be played at the lottery.

The use of the quarry as a cemetery has stopped, but piety, mercy, love, superstition and devotion go on.

 

Some might lament that I were cold,
As I, when this sweet day is gone,
Which my lost heart, too soon grown old,
Insults with this untimely moan;
They might lament—for I am one
Whom men love not,—and yet regret,
Unlike this day, which, when the sun
Shall on its stainless glory set,
Will linger, though enjoyed, like joy in memory yet.

-Percy Bysshe Shelley
(Stanzas Written in Dejection, near Naples)

A New Kind of Sospeso

Posted on by alice

In this covid19 era there is a new kind of giving added to the roster: paying for a stranger’s Covid test.
This initiative is supported by ‘SaDiSa, Diritti alla Salute’, ‘Fondazione Comunità di San Gennaro Onlus‘ and the Presidency of the 3rd Municipality of Napoli.

Though not a surprise that this Neapolitan world of subtle and anonymous generosity now includes a Covid test sospeso, the fact that it is happening in none other than the church of San Severo fuori le mura makes it even more unique.


Church of San Severo fuori le mura

This church is where the sculptor and resident Jago, has exhibited his haunting masterpiece called “Figlio Velato”.
Jago is just one of the superstars in via Vergini. Another hero of the neighborhood is Father Antonio Loffredo who collaborates with Ernesto and Giuseppe Albanese, founders of L’Altranapoli.


Giuseppe Albanese with architect and designer Riccardo Dalisi in one of the “houses” opened in the Sanità neighborhood

They’ve been integral in bringing significant alternatives for the children in the area with, among other things, the creation of the orchestra Sanitansamble, a football pitch on the roof of a church, a gym, a recording studio designed by architect Giuseppe Albanese on top of the graveyard of the church of San Severo fuori le mura.


The recording studio designed by architect Giuseppe Albanese

“This recording studio offers music and joy also to the people buried there” Father Antonio said, and now L’Altranapoli will be expanding its work to the Forcella neighborhood.

As the public health care is saturated with testing needs, many must turn to the private sector. However, the costs for many, especially in this economic climate, are quite prohibitive. This grass-roots group is one of the non-profits behind the idea of the “suspended” swab test which is putting Naples on the map, once again, for its generosity and altruistic spirit.

Alice: Fiorella, speaking of generosity, I’ve got to tell you about one of my first memories of Neapolitan hospitality. I was in Naples for a month researching for my thesis in a time before the debit card so my American ATM only worked at only certain banks. The machine wasn’t working at the branch at the intersection with Montesanto and the teller literally walked me to the next branch on Via Toledo, along the way offering me a coffee at a small bar along the way.
We got our coffee in the bustling café and then went up to the till to pay. The man quickly and effortlessly put his hand to stop me and paid the bill – around 1,000 lire – was paid. I was flustered and kept saying “grazie, grazie…ma perche’?”
Why would a stranger pay for my coffee? He explained that it was just what was done in Naples, especially for a “guest” and that it was “just a coffee”. This impressive instance of Neapolitan generosity is just one of many.
I later learned to be a gracious in offering as I was accepting coffee and also about the culture of “caffe (or pizza) sospeso”, just one of the examples of how Neapolitans have a way of taking care of each other. This concept of “sospeso” can be applied in “gifting” anything for a person you don’t know who might be in need. A friend of mine told me that at her salumeria people paid it forward for those who needed a sandwich. With dignity and no questions asked. This is the spirit of Naples.

Fiorella: Totally fabulous. Yes, we’ve mentioned this idea about the caffè sospeso. Apparently it began in the post-war 1950s with coffee and has been a tradition of “paying it forward” in Naples ever since. In recent years, we’ve seen many more bars and pizzerias place signs or posters for people to leave change for the “suspended” coffees or pizzas. Visitors and locals happily participated and this tradition had not changed, even in the pandemic. In fact, this idea of paying for a stranger has now taken on a new form.
In the darkest times of the first lockdown, Naples made the news with how people were leaving food for others hard-hit by the economy, often in the famous panaro (the basket lowered down from the balcony); both the gesture and the basket emblematic of the inventiveness of the city we love so much.


Church of Immacolata and San Vincenzo, now a Theatre in Sanità. Sculptures by Riccardo Dalisi


Giuseppe Albanese and Luigi Malcagni manager of Save the children Campania in the Cristallini House celebrating the installation Flag Down by Mariangela Levita

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!

Fabulous Aperitivi in Naples

Posted on by alice

Naples is a social city and any evening is fair game for catching up with friends and meeting new ones.
This city is never lacking in fun places to go. As this summer season officially winds down, the city is actually winding up. Residents are returning with their golden tans from seaside villages and visitors are milling about, taking in the late August energy of our favourite city.
There are many spots popping up and of course our standard favourites that we’ve been going to for years.

Shall we share our secret and not-so-secret bars? Oh yesss!!!

Naples is hot in the summer and as always chaotic, crazy, stressful, never banal, unique and fabulous. From Monday to Sunday our city’s streets are full of people and bars are the perfect setting for a quick coffee and then later on an aperitivo. Never boring, these spots often feature live music and always offer a great opportunity for people watching.
Other than the “baretti” –little bars- in the Chiaia area and the busy piazzas of the historical centre, we much prefer to go to the off the radar places that aren’t necessarily trendy or chic but are tucked away in places where we can relax and enjoy the moment.
Drinking a fabulous glass of Fiano, Greco, Pallagrello, or a Spritz made with Campari (strong, red and a bit bitter), Aperol, (sweet and orange) or Limoncello (nice and fresh) served with Neapolitan kindness from all the colourful people who guarantee a fun and welcoming time between their story telling and joie di vivre.

Here’s the short list of Naples Fabulous’ favorite places:

Cantina Sepe – Via Vergini – open till 20/2030 most days. On Thursday until around midnight they offer some of the best local musical and DJ talents and home-cooked food at their now well-known Aperi-Sepe. Come ready to meet lots of new people and be prepared for standing room only-or get there before 8pm to grab a seat around their outdoor wine barrels.

Stà Ben – vico Due Porte a Toledo – Tucked away on a little vicolo just off of Via Toledo, Stà Ben is quite inexpensive, very friendly, lively and you will most likely share a bench or table with a diverse group of people while listening to music oozing out of this tiny gem. No food is served (you can buy chips) but there are plenty of trattoria and pizzerias just around the corner if you get hungry.

Fahrenheit winebar – via San Sebastiano – This lovely modern-design bar offers good music, comfy sofas and a really friendly owner/bartender. Each quite affordable cocktail is served with an array of the evening’s offering of snacks such as olives and cheese. It’s a laid-back place to catch up and watch the world walk by.

Cisterna Cafè & Bistrot – via Cisterna dell’Olio – The atmosphere is warm, artistic and welcoming with lovely lighting and delicious cocktails. On some evenings it offers an extensive Milan-style buffet so there’s no need to eat dinner! It gets busy for dinner after 9pm so come early to grab a table. A perfect place for a pre or post-cinema drink.

Superfly – via Cisterna dell’Olio – This is an all-time favorite of Naples Fabulous. Gianni, the ever-talented, stoic owner and bartender extraordinaire will also serve some of the best music in the city. Superfly is understated and original, full of music collages, funky décor and was the first real cocktail bar in Naples.

Berisio – Port’Alba – One of the more unique places to get a drink is this bar which is at Port’Alba. There you’ll sit on stacks of books among a collection of literary works as you sip a beverage from a great range of delicious international beers, Italian wines, and cocktails.

Canapa Bistrot – Via Bellini – This bar is nestled in a little tree-lined piazzetta which offers great beer and small plates based in hemp as well as wines and cocktails. You can also taste delicious Greek and Sri Lankan food from restaurants next door.

Nam 43 – via Costantinopoli – A lovely spot which has a great wine list and yummy, fresh vegetable-based bites offered with each glass of wine or Spritz. You can also dine here with creative, local dishes both outdoor and indoor.

Sciò – Vico Buongiorno – One of our most favorite places just opened this summer in Vico Buongiorno -what a fabulous name! – and we’re hooked. The outdoor seating are framed with street art with glowing candles and fun music. The service is excellent and each time you’ll be sure to have a generous and delicious array of snacks with your drink. It’s affordable and quaint and the indoor space is also lively.

Fabulous Festival in the Sanita’

Posted on by alice

We’ve written about the Sanità before because it is near and dear to our hearts. It’s a thriving market in the middle of street art and historical landmarks. It’s a place where people call you by name and it has an uncontaminated charm full of artists wanting to be off the radar, families, tourists and students. Naples is a very unique city in many respects as it is a city which welcomes people in the same way that a small town might do so. The Vergini, an area of the Sanità right off of Piazza Cavour is seems like a town within a city and since 2016 they’ve been hosting bi-annual street parties which the whole city (and tourists) love to go to. Although many neighborhoods in Naples have their own form of festivals, often connected to food, the parties at the Vergini is something a bit out of the ordinary. It feels like a sort of Homecoming party/Carnival where the normal shops host budding DJs, stages are set up where normally market stalls would be to host actors, dancers and singers

 

and food shops cook fresh fish and fried pizza outside of their doors for all the passersby. You might find yourself in the middle of a spontaneous street karaoke session or a dance party in front of a church or a wine bar.

 

On your way to the party, you cannot miss the famous Porta San Gennaro. Look up to the arch whose fresco by Mattia Preti represents the Immaculate Conception holding the baby and surrounded by angels. At the sides of the Madonna we see a kneeling St. Francis Xavier and St. Gennaro offering her his blood, a haggard woman on the steps in the lower section of the fresco symbolizes the plague and the two marble statues represent St. Gennaro and Michael. The artist  was charged with painting tributes to the Madonna on all the city gates after the plague epidemic in 1656 and this is the only fresco that has survived.

On the other side of the gate is a bust of St Gaetano and under the arch we see a shrine showing the Virgin, located here since 1887 to remind us of salvation from another epidemic (Asiatic disease) that shook Naples in 1884.

Originally located in proximity of via Settembrini, at the beginning of the 16th c, under the Vice-Kingdom of Don Pedro de Toledo, the city walls were enlarged and the gate was moved to is present location. The name remained the same as the gate gave access to both the catacombs of San Gennaro and the church of San Gennaro extra moenia (outside the city walls).

Porta San Gennaro and the permanent light installation dedicated to Totò the famous actor who was born in the Sanità district

Take in the art of this historic part of the city wall before getting your fill of food and music in The Vergini at today’s much-anticipated event of The Sanità Ta Ta featuring many artists such as Galera De Rua, Tartaglia Aneuro and Tommaso Primo.

If it’s late enough when  you finish celebrating, you can return to right below Porta San Gennaro to check out the all night stands along Via Foria who are open for the Epiphany tradition of candy-filled stockings that the children will find in the morning.

 

A Fabulous Night Among the Artichokes

Posted on by alice

Alice: Fiorella, we have to tell the readers about our Friday night in the Vergini!

Fiorella: Who would’ve thought that we would be at a party around pineapples, art students, families and one of the funniest DJs I have heard in a long time!

Alice: When you told me about a party at Ciro, our favorite vegetable seller, I had to go to see what a night dancing to Neapolitan 90’s pop while buying vegetables for Saturday’s lunch looked like.

Fiorella: And it looked FABULOUS.

Alice: Every day this bustling market street hosting Palazzo dello Spagnolo and the famous Ciro Oliva pizzeria is full of cars and mopeds and baby strollers and people going every which way to buy fish, socks, oranges, a newspaper or mozzarella but Friday night it was magical. There was a new energy where the stands used to be which connected artists from around the city, locals, tourists and two of the best up-and-coming bloggers in the area to relax, sip wine, dance and eat delectable, homemade sandwiches filled with ingredients from Ciro’s mom like meatballs, friarielli and eggplant Parmesan.

Fiorella: It was unforgettable! I loved how Ciro, still dressed in his work clothes, was dancing next to the DJ while he continued to sell his fruit and vegetables.

Alice: That is Naples for you…a surprise around every corner. Where else can you find this kind of spontaneous creativity?

 

 

 

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.

The Miracle of San Gennaro

Posted on by alice

Three Days of the Feast

The Feast of the Patron Saint Gennaro falls on September 19 in memory of the the martyrdom of San Gennaro which presumably occurred in 305 AD.

There are two other feasts of note during the year:

On the Saturday before the first Sunday of May (in memory of the transport of the remains of the body of the Saint from Montevergine to Naples) a similar celebration is held. Followers crowd the Cathedral and pray that the miracle of the liquefaction of San Gennaro’s blood is repeated. The first known occurrence of the blood phenomenon was in 1389.

Both in May and September, the celebration is followed by the “octave”: a period of eight days during which the casing container of the blood is exposed to the public for the traditional kiss.

The third celebration is on December 16th which dates back from 1632, the year following the terrible eruption of Vesuvius. According to tradition, San Gennaro saved his beloved Naples from the eminent tragedy.

The Spectacle of the Miracle

The ceremony of San Gennaro is a perfect snapshot of Naples with its contrast and social complexities that coexist and come together for this unique event. The cathedral is filled to the brim with believers, onlookers and tourists while the highest ecclesiastic authorities, the mayor, the noble Delegation of San Gennaro and representatives made up of illustrious descendants of the Bourbons and San Gennaro’s ancestors are there to directly witness the miracle.

 

The Parenti di San Gennaro (Relatives of St. Gennaro), seated on the first pews soberly and somberly recite their rituals and prayers in the Neapolitan dialect. This congregation of women exalt the saint, praying in a respectful but also personal and familiar way:

San Gennaro mio fa tu ca io nun ne pozzo proprio cchiù and arrimmierece chisti guaje (I cannot take it anymore..fix my troubles…). Naples is forever in a state of emergency or in disarray so the ritual is always relevant, unfortunately!

The cardinal holds the vial with the blood and shows how it is still coagulated.

For the relatives waiting is not a good sign so the prayers become even more insistent as if they were yelling from their balconies to call to their child playing ball in the street below. San Gennà… Facci ‘a grazia…Faccia gialla fa ‘o miracolo.

San Gennaro…have mercy on us, Yellow Face give us a miracle. Faccia gialluta-Yellow Face is the nickname of the saint, referencing the golden bust representing him. Even if the sound of the nickname might be offensive, it is also is quite personal and informal.

When the blood liquifies a distiguished member of the Delegation waves a white handkerchief towards the applauding crowd.

Naples-New York

On the same day Little Italy in New York celebrates San Gennaro as well. How did it begin? The Neapolitan immigrants who were owners of a bar on Mulberry Street built a small chapel dedicated to San Gennaro where they collected offers for the poor people of the neighborhood. This is where the celebration began. Now the celebration lasts 11 days where the main theme is food: the zeppole pastries which remind the descendants of the immigrants of the sweet Neapolitan flavor.

In Naples, in addition to the torroni nougats sold on the stands between Via Duomo and Via Foria, in the last few years a pasticceria has invented a new pastry: the hat of San Gennaro!

 

 

If you are not able to be in Naples on one of the three days but you would like to witness the miracle of the liquefying blood in a streamlined way, every Tuesday morning at San Gregorio Ameno church you can observe the liquefying of Saint Patrizia. Believe it or not, it is a great excuses to visit a fabulous late Baroque style church.

 

The story continues … The day after the miracle of San Gennaro people play numbers at the lotto.

Fabulous San Giovanni a Carbonara

Posted on by alice

Fiorella: Apart from pizza and pastries, Naples is famous for archaeology and lots of Baroque…one of the many interesting contrasts of this city. And if you look hard enough, you can find gems of the Renaissance in this fabulous città d’arte.

Alice: I love the Baroque in Naples but it is so great to find those rare places that are examples of other styles. Do you have some favorite spots?

Fiorella: The church of Sant Anna dei Lombardi, the sepulcher for Cardinal Brancaccio by Donatello and Michelozzo in the church of Sant’Angelo al Nilo, the Succorpo in the Duomo and the marble arch of Castel Nuovo are some of the best but I think one of the most notable examples of the local Renaissance is the church of San Giovanni a Carbonara.

Only a few minutes walking from the Duomo and the MADRE museum, in via San Giovanni a Carbonara you find this amazing site where I lead tours to visitors who want to stay away from the typical tourists routes.

Alice: Sometimes off-the-beaten path is the best! I want to know more about Napoli Renaissance. Can we walk there together for a short guided tour? We should also specify that Carbonara has nothing to do with the famous Italian pasta dish that I love so much. However, let’s promise our readers that after the visit they can have a break at the close-by Rescigno bakery, a gluten (and not only) paradise.

Fiorella: Exactly! Carbonarius, indeed, was a place outside the city walls where refuse was collected and burned…not inviting at all.

Alice: By refuse, do you mean trash? But San Giovanni is so pretty!

Fiorella: The complex of San Giovanni was built in the 1340s in this restyled area and dedicated to St. John the Baptist. During the reign of King Ladislao di Durazzo it became the Royal cemetery. Damaged during the earthquake of 1688, it was restructured in the 18th c. by Ferdinando Sanfelice, our beloved Neapolitan architect famous for its spectacular double flight staircases.  Remember our post about the 5 Fabulous Things of Naples?

Climbing the stairs, half way up, we see the Chapel of Saint Monica with its 15 entrances. Continue up the steps-

Alice: Wait, how many steps exactly?

Fiorella: Do not complain-a fabulous surprise is waiting for you. Plus, you are a pro at stairs, I know you live on the fifth floor with no elevator! Anyway, after a little bit of a walk upstairs, you will finally reach the church of San Giovanni. So worth it. And remember we are going to Rescigno afterwards for some of the most delicious snacks ever!

The courtyard is also the entrance to the Cappella Seripando, called the chapel of Crucifix after Giorgio Vasari painted the Crucified Christ (1545) now in the presbytery of the church of San Giovanni.

Suppressed as religious order, the complex was used by military and then bombed in WWII. It was later restored and returned to its origin. The XV century portal, once a side entrance, leads into the church.

Alice: This place is fascinating. Another example of the layers of history around every corner of this city.

Fiorella: The first monument we see is the Miroballo Altar (second half of the15th c.) that reminds us of the arch of Castel Nuovo.

 

Alice: That arch is another one of my favorites as well…anyway, go on!

Fiorella: The Sepulchre of Giovanni Miroballo is a round arch, decorated with statues of saints ending with a tympanum on which St. Michael stands. The central niche, in the arch shows St. John the Evangelist by Giovanni da Nola, and the virtues: Temperance, Strength, Prudence and Justice.

In the tympanum you see the founders of the chapel with the Virgin Mary, Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. The chapel, is considered to be the work of Lombard artists. Probability Jacopo della Pila, Tommaso Malvito, G.T.Malvito and may be Pietro da Milano, in Naples to work for King Alfonso of Aragon at the Arch of Castel Nuovo which is the triumphal arch celebrating his accession to the throne.

Walking towards the altar, amongst sculptures and paintings, you reach the 15th c. Chapel of Caracciolo di Vico (to the left of the presbytery) with a concentric square marble floor and a white cupola which repeats the same geometric motif. The chapel shows the work of the most important sculptors working in Naples between the 15th and 17th c. Giovanni da Nola, Girolamo D’Auria and Annibale Caccavello amongst the others.

Bartolomé Ordóñez and Diego de Siloe are the two foreign artists who realized the altar in around 1516. Active also in Rome, they were familiar with classical sculpture and Raphael’s work. More decisive and dynamic is Ordóñez style, fluid and softer de Siloe’s. The Epiphany in the center, indeed, is attributed to Ordóñez. Here the draperies and the features of the Magi and the other characters are well defined. While Saint George who kills the dragon and the other figures dressed in light fluid drapes would seem to be by de Siloe as well as the flat sculpted Christ on the frontal altar.

Leaving this exquisite space we reach the apse where the impressive Sepulcher of King Ladislao di Durazzo dominates the scene. It was commissioned by his sister who inherited the throne as Giovanna II and it is dated 1428. On the first level of the gigantic monument are the frescoes by Leonardo da Besozzo and statues representing the Virtues with their iconographic elements: Temperance, who pours water into wine; Strength with the column of Samson; Prudence with the snake; Magnanimity who holds a shell with a cherub.

On the second level we see Ladislao and Giovanna II on the throne. At the side of them we can see Military Virtue with the globe and Hope with cupped hands and Charity with a horn of plenty and two maidens and Faith with a goblet.

There is also Giovanna the Queen who descends from a valorous brother and royalty continues on top of the arch where Ladislao’s parents, Carlo III and Margherita di Durazzo are found. Can you see the bishop blessing the king, the Madonna and child together with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Augustine, protecting him?

An opening between the statues of the Virtues leads onto the Chapel of the Caracciolo del Sole family, commissioned by Sergianni Caracciolo, lover of Queen Giovanna II.

 

Alice: Wait, a lover? Scandalous! I guess that is nothing new.

 

 

Fiorella: Yes, he was not a very faithful lover however. Appointed by the Queen as Great Seneschal, he was an ambitious man, ready to do anything in order to obtain office and riches, he betrayed even Giovanna and this eventually led to his murder in 1432.

The chapel is circular and completely frescoed (15th c.) with Stories of the Virgin’s life. Look at the scene in which St. Anna gave birth to Mary: there is a woman looking out of the window with washing hung up outside; another, on the ground floor, is cleaning a chicken.

Alice: Not much has changed in Naples in terms of the washing hanging outside although I don’t think I have ever seen anyone cleaning a chicken! Yet.

 

 

Fiorella: The fabulous floor of this chapel dates back to early 15th c. Local craftsmen created these zoomorphic motifs, vegetable elements and portraits. In some tiles, you see a sun, symbol of the Caracciolo del Sole (Caracciolo of the Sun) family.

Sergianni’s sepulcher was commissioned by his son about ten years after his assassination to celebrate the power of the Seneschal.

 

Alice: There is so much here to take in. A perfect place to wander, explore and take in art and architecture without the hustle and bustle of throngs of tourists. I am getting hungry, though…

Fiorella: Ok, ok, I know just the place to take you. But before you leave the church, take in what remains of the 15th c. fresco of the Annunciation and if it’s sunny don’t miss the little balconies next to the church with washing and a Naples-style panaro (basket) hung up outside.

 

 

Are you ready for a coffee and a Naples-style snack? You know we are not  yogurt-and-an-apple type snackers and the near-by Rescigno bakery offers a wide selection of savory and sweet treats to commit an understandable sin!

 

Alice: I mean, didn’t we earn it? All those stairs! I will take two taralli, please!

Fiorella: Just two taralli? They are so delicious but there are so many choices of wonderful things to go for. You can taste a frittatina di maccheroni (pasta and béchamel which is breaded and fried), a focaccia with so many perfect toppings to choose from. But have you tried their primi piatti?

Alice: Yes, of course! You know I love my carbs and this place has so many choices. One of my favorites first dishes at Rescigno is sartù di riso which takes a while to make but only minutes to devour. Sartù is the Neapolitan elaboration of the French word sur tout (above all). Sartù comes from when chefs created this fusion dish to please the Bourbon nobility. It is a perfect blend of ragù meat sauce, rice, and tiny meatballs (sometimes salami) and then baked with breadcrumbs to perfection. I think I will take one tarallo for the road and enjoy this amazing dish.

 

 

p.s. Thanks to Raffaele Lello Mastroianni for the photo of the Crucifix by Vasari

 

 

 

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