Tag: Southern Italy

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

The Fabulous Prince of Laughter

Posted on by alice

In this time of great challenges due to the outbreak of coronavirus disease, we of Naples Fabulous wanted to share a post about an extraordinary person who will hopefully bring some lightness to your days. We’ve been trying to keep our spirits high through reading, music, films and art about Naples and we thought: who better to represent Neapolitan resilience and spirit than this Neapolitan character?

Totò is one of the most beloved figures of the Neapolitan history, art and folklore. But though he has worked with some of the most iconic actors in the history of cinema like Anna Magnani, Vittorio de Sica, Sophia Loren, Mastroianni and movie directors such as Monicelli and Pasolini, many people outside of Italy do not know the work of one of the greatest Neapolitan figures of all time. However, to Italians, he is considered to be one of the most extraordinary comic geniuses of all time.


Totò and Anna Magnani

He went by Totò or simply Antonio de Curtis but actually has an incredibly long name. Starting out as Antonio Clemente, he was born in the heart of Naples – his beloved Sanità – in 1881 to Anna Clemente and the nobleman Giuseppe de Curtis, who never recognized him. He always knew of his noble blood but it wasn’t until he was 35 that he was formally adopted by the Marquis Francesco Maria Gagliardi Focas di Tertiveri. Therefore he inherited a long list of names and a noble title, from which comes the nickname “the prince of laughter”.

Walking the streets of Naples you’ll see icons of his image everywhere, not just in the Sanità. To Neapolitans, Totò represents honour and talent, pride and purpose; he was a champion for the poor and is a symbol of hope. His spirit is woven into the collective conscious of this city and that crooked nose and pointy chin, broken a youth, are as ubiquitous as the landscape of the Vesuvius or the image of the Pizza Margherita or the outline of Capri in the Gulf of Naples. Most bars have a photo or ceramic figure that might be placed alongside an image of the Madonna or Maradona.


Totò by Salvatore Scuotto 2017 – donated by Rober Lèon

To many he is considered to have achieved a uniqueness in comic-tragic style like that of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton or Stan Laurel. Comparisons have even been made with his physicality and the movement technique of Michael Jackson. He grew up poor with an unparalleled work ethic that would accompany him during his entire life. Long after he achieved fame and celebrity, living the bella vita in Rome, he never lost connection with his roots in Naples and was always committed to helping the poor not only in his beloved hometown but everywhere.
His characters in the over 100 films he performed in were often poor, clever people who would, through his iconic, often improvised puns philosophise on the current state of the world and the human condition. This way of living humour through tragedy is emblematic of the Neapolitan spirit and what makes his prolific career symbolic of the triumph of a man who started his life in utter poverty.
His work, rooted in the Commedia dell’Arte tradition, started in Naples at age 15 and would then take him to the stages of Rome where he’d marry his first wife Diana Bandini Rogliani. A few years prior to making his film debut, he’d have a daughter, Liliana whose name would be a source of speculation. Totò had had an affair with the actor Liliana Castagnola whose haunting suicide would remain a mystery for the duration of his life. Though his marriage was dissolved in 1940, Diana and Totò would remain connected until she met another man and Totò married the much younger Franca Faldini.

He’s considered a genius for his comic abilities but his career and art expanded to song writing, music and poetry which had a depth recognised by many and celebrated today. Toto’s most famous song is Malafemmena (Wayward Woman), dedicated to his ex wife Diana.
Often when walking the streets of Naples you’ll hear a trace of one of his songs or, even better, musicians or posteggiatori will serenade diners at the local trattorias which will almost always lead to a sing-a-long of his famous melody.
Here is one of his poems, also engraved in an inscription outside the historic Caffé Gambrinus:

‘A cunzegna

The exchange
In the evening when the sun goes back home
And changes shifts with the moon for the night,
The sun whispers in the moon’s ear
“I’m going home:
Take care of all the lovers!”

Totò is a link between two generations of Italy. People of all ages (and social strata) fluidly repeated his jokes, his gestures and entire phrases from his film by heart because his genius has just as much relevancy in today’s world.
Fifty years later Totò’s films still make people laugh, demonstrating the modernity of his humour and some of his characters. He grew up in the densely populated neighbourhood Sanità which was a source for much of his material. As a child he observed his neighbours and the most extravagant people who he would later incorporate into comical characters in his performances. This earned him the nickname of “ ’o spione ” (the spy).
In Sanità you can see representations of Totò on every wall and there are two large light installations dedicated to him, one of his outline and the other with an inscription in Neapolitan of his delicate love poem “Core analfabeta” (Illiterate heart). They both welcome those entering into Totò’s native neighbourhood.

Baroque churches, noble buildings, a bustling market with perfume of delicious food and the voices of the authentic Naples captivate and lead us to the discovery of the many faces of the prince of laughter.
Federico Fellini said “His capacity of making us laugh should make him a saint” and in actuality, our fabulous Naples has sanctified him!


Palazzo dello Spagnuolo

The tarallificio Poppella (taralli are typical Neapolitan savory snacks) celebrates Totò with a mosaic at the entrance to the shop as does the wine bar Sciò with a mural. All of the shops in the area have a photo of him and his cherished films.


taralli napoletani

The first “Vicolo della cultura” (cultural alley) in Italy, inaugurated in the Sanità in December 2019 honours him with a wall-painting amongst books free for whoever might want them. The non-profit organisation Opportunity seeks to challenge criminality with culture, colours, light and art. The portrait of Totò is found at the entrance of the itinerant library along with other celebrated Neapolitans such as Sophia Loren, Peppino De Filippo, Massimo Troisi and Pino Daniele.


Via Montesilvano

Yet it is at the Pizzeria e Trattoria Taverna di Totò where we would like to conclude our little homage to this artistic genius.
With happiness and a scrumptious pizza, a delicious potato crocchè and maybe a tasting of a fabulous side dishes of eggplant and friarielli, we will raise a glass to Totò’s wonderful legacy in the company of the kind server, always ready to entertain customers with a genuine smile, in the spirit of the immortal prince of laughter.


pizza Cosacca

caffè freddo, please!

Posted on by alice

Alice: Fiorella, I’m craving a fabulous coffee in the shade. Is it possible?
Fiorella: Bar Marino! Not trendy at all, but Salvatore makes an excellent, strong coffee and we can sit in the shade of Porta San Gennaro, the oldest door of the city.
Alice: I love Bar Marino. It’s just enough out of the bustle of the crowds and it a perfect postcard of a typical Neapolitan street scene. But it’s hot, it’s so hot… I don’t think I can manage to drink a hot espresso.
Fiorella: You can get a caffè freddo! It’s a perfect Neapolitan drink for the summer. Forget about Frapuccinos. It is just cold, iced espresso with sugar. Perfect for the nearly 100 degree heat. And Bar Marino has such a nice breeze under the arch of the great door of the city.
Alice: Yes, please!
In Naples coffee is the great connector. Wherever you go, in any situation, you’ll share a coffee. In tragedy, happiness, stress, in everyday life, there will be coffee. You can have it delivered anywhere -even just one coffee and even to my apartment with a five floor walk up. Most people have their favourite bar to start their day and Bar Marino is one of the places that carries on the Neapolitan tradition where the coffee is good, strong and served hot (or cold, if you prefer). Architects, teachers, tourists, students, artists and plumbers all crowd around the chrome of this old school establishment.
This not-so-swanky bar sits in front of one of the most historical pizzerias in Naples -Pizzeria Capasso- with the original marble doorway where many people have passed through, including the cast members of the acclaimed show “Gommorra”. Some of the staff were even featured in the series.
At the foot of Porta San Gennaro, which tells the story of the old Naples, the passing scooters, prams and groups of chattering people set the scene below.
Fiorella: If all the tables are occupied it might happen that an old lady with bags of food for Sunday lunch asks you to share the table with you… it doesn’t mean you have to have a conversation, it is only the fabulous Neapolitan humanity and friendly attitude.

Porta San Gennaro is the oldest gate of Naples, already documented in the 10th century. It was the only entrance in the city from the North, where the hill of Capodimonte and the catacombs of San Gennaro are…hence why it’s called Porta San Gennaro.
It was also known as the tufo gate because through it the tufa stones from the quarries of the Sanità entered the town.
It was originally next to the fabulous Baroque church of Gesù delle Monache (enter the church to admire the airy stuccoes by Lorenzo Vaccaro and Troise!!!). In 1537 because of the expansion of the walls under Don Pedro de Toledo Porta San Gennaro was moved to the nearby via Foria, it’s current location.
After the horrendous plague of 1656, Mattia Preti was commisioned to do the fresco including the Saints of Gennaro, Rosalia and Francesco Saverio imploring the end of the epidemic. The marble statue in front of the fresco represents San Gennaro and St Michele. Three years later the bust of San Gaetano was added inside the gate on specific request of the Theatini.
The niche with the Virgin surrounded by silver ex votoes was placed under the arch in 1887 in memory of the cholera outbreak in 1884 and is still worshipped by the locals.

A Fabulous Musical Street

Posted on by alice

Alice: I remember when I came to Naples eighteen years ago. It was a dark and rainy January and I would walk the historical centre, making friends with the people I’d meet at the shops and bars I spent time in to keep warm. One of the friends I made was working in a CD store on via Sebastiano I had stumbled upon because I was too shy to visit the stores, although I was fascinated by their instruments, especially their mandolins. He introduced me to local musicians like Pino Daniele, Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare, Almamegretta and 99 Posse. Along the street named after the once-present San Sebastiano Monastery and with its proximity to the Music Conservatory which has been visited by Rossini, Alessando Scarlatti, Bellini and Donizetti (among others), it is still the home to the biggest concentration of music instruments and equipment in Naples.

Fiorella: You are right! It is always nice to walk by the Conservatory and hear the musicians and singers practising.
Neapolitans are never tired of visiting this fabulous place.
The Royal Conservatory of San Sebastiano was established  in 1807 by King Giuseppe Bonaparte. In 1826 it was named Royal Conservatory of Music of San Pietro a Majella. It originated by fusing together three conservatories founded in the 16th century in the churches of Santa Maria di Loreto, Sant’Onofrio in Capuana and Pietà dei Turchini. The aim of the three institutions was to rescue children from the streets of Naples by housing them and educating them through music.
The conservatory and the adjacent church are part of the 14th century monastery of San Pietro a Majella, built at the end of the 13th century and dedicated to Pietro Angeleri, who became Pope as Celestine V in 1294.

The church is also a must-see! The transept is decorated with valuable frescoes dating from the 14th century, baroque marble inlays and a cycle of paintings by Mattia Preti, amongst the others. The fabulous 17 th century cloister with palm and banana trees and a monument to Beethoven by Francesco Jerace, leads to a second cloister and to the Conservatory.
The Conservatory library houses important manuscripts of the numerous composers  who lived and worked in Naples.

Alice: Also Neapolitan-by-adoption like me love to walk down the narrow, tree-lined street and hear notes from guitars, violins and mandolins waft in and out of the doors of the stores. Music lovers will truly appreciate this corner of Neapolitan history. Don’t be shy like I was initially!We visited Giuseppe Miletti store as well as others the other day to buy a speaker and a mixer for upcoming concerts. Two hours and an impromptu concert later, we walked out smiling and in appreciation of Manuela’s patience for all the models she happily let us try!

When you leave via San Sebastiano, turn left at Spaccanapoli to check out the artisan street vendors and street musicians performing for the throngs of people walking by. If you’re looking for something to please your sweet tooth, there is Gay Odin which has some of the best chocolate and gelato in town.
In the late 19 th c. Isidoro Odin, a young chocolatier from Alba, come to Naples, one of the most important and populated European capitals. Naples was a melting pot where artists, aristocrats, scholars and food-lovers from all over Europe spent their time in the already colorful and busy streets of the city. The first classy and wonderfully smelling factory was opened in Chiaia, the area where it is still today. Isidoro worked day and night to create delicious new delicacies and surprise the Neapolitan fine palates. Gay Odin chocolate was and is still today considered one of the best in town. All phases of production are handmade, from chocolate roasting to packaging. Packaging is still the original from paper with vintage images to fabulous boxes representing Naples’ vedutas and guaches. One of the reasons why it is in the registry of Italy’s historical places.
Fiorella: Hungry for something more substantial? Try out the pizza at historical Pizzeria Lombardi.
Pizzeria Lombardi a Santa Chiara is a 5 th generation pizzeria, decorated with majolica tiles inspired from the next door cloister of Santa Chiara. The first pizzaiolo in the family started in 1892 in his bare basso (street level home) in vico Limoncello where calzoni with ricotta and maybe cicoli or simply tomato sauce were coming out from a frying pan and sold for few liras to the neighbours. Four generations have made pizzas every day in the historical center.
A coffee is also mandatory in 70s original style Settebello bar, a bohemian spot where whoever desire to play the piano is welcome…be advised though that the owner, Pino, is an expert in classical music. Also, his fabulous nephew is a musician who studies music and plays piano between serving one espresso after another. Intellectuals, street artists, old professors, street vendors and students are all sitting at the tables of this welcoming corner, where table service is not charged.

 

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?

 

 

 

Sant’Anna dei Lombardi – A gem in the heart of Napoli

Posted on by alice

Fiorella: Don’t you love that fabulous gem in the heart of Naples, near Piazza Monteoliveto?

Alice: I do! Honestly, I just discovered how amazing this place was last year. I think our readers would love Sant’Anna dei Lombardi as well. Tell us about it!  

The church and the monastery of Monteoliveto were founded in 1411 by the Protonotary of King Ladislao of Durazzo. The name was changed into Sant’Anna dei Lombardi, when the Lombardi Confraternity was transferred here at the beginning of the 19th century after their church had been demolished after an earthquake.

This religious complex was beloved by the Aragonese Kings, in particular by King Alfonso II.

Thanks to the relationship the Aragonese had with the Medici and the Estensi families, some talented artists from Tuscany and Emilia worked on this structure.

In 1475 the Florentine Antonio Rossellino was entrusted with the the sepulcher for Maria of Aragon, daughter of King Ferrante and wife of the duke of Amalfi Antonio Piccolomini. The elegant monument was completed by Benedetto da Maiano.

The softly carved Nativity on the altar and the putti with garlands are delicate details one can appreciate in this fabulous Renaissance chapel.

In the 16th century Monteoliveto was enriched with many other masterpieces such as the marble altars by the local artists Girolamo Santacroce and Giovanni da Nola at both sides of the entrance.

To the right of the apse is a room with the fluid frescoes by the Spanish Pedro Rubiales (16th century) and the fabulous and theatrical terracotta group of the Lamentation over the dead Christ by Guido Mazzoni from Modena (1492).

Alice: I always loved the facade and although I had walked by this building so many times, rushing to lessons near Piazza Carità or to meet friends in Piazza del Gesù and it wasn’t until I went to a choir concert here last year that I actually saw the incredible beauty from the inside. Incredible.

Fiorella: Did you see the Sacristy? Once the Refectory, it might possibly be the highlight of the church. Look at the fabulous wooden stalls by the monk Giovanni da Verona with intricate prospectives, musical instruments, animals and lovely small statues brought to life with unusual clothing!

The paintings frescoed in the vault by Giorgio Vasari (in Naples between 1544 and 1545) with virtues, allegories and grotesques dominate the room and you cannot forget it once you take it in.

Alice: Those frescoes are unforgettable.

 

Fiorella: And before you leave the church, notice the sepulcher on the left hand side of the pronao. Here rests the architect Domenico Fontana who died in 1607. The monument was moved here from the church of Sant’Anna dei Lombardi.

Alice: After spending your time taking in the details of this masterpiece of a church, you might get hungry. Actually, I definitely am.

Fiorella: You fed your eyes so it is time to feed the stomach.

Alice: You are so good to me, Fiorella! But, I am not feeling a sfogliatella today and it is too early for a meal…

Fiorella: If you want a savory snack go for a potato croquette or a panino napoletano (a soft dough with cheese and cured meat) in the pizzeria Giuliano in Calata Trinità Maggiore, only a few minutes from here. And since you love the Neapolitan panino, I can give you the recipe I like.

Alice: Dangerously fabulous. Yes, please.

Fiorella: The recipe is for no more than five panini -to be shared with your friends or family. Don’t go overboard, I know how much you love these and you need to save room for dinner.

Alice: Fabulousness has no limits, Fiorella!

 

Ingredients for 5 panini napoletani:

20 gr of flour, type “0” or “00”

50 gr water

50 gr milk

6 gr bread yeast

1 spoonful of lard (if you want to go old school-traditional) or butter/margarine/shortening (for a little lighter option)

Salt

10 gr of Parmesan cheese

40 gr of pancetta (or bacon if you can’t find pancetta)

40 gr of ham

80 gr of provolone

Pepper (feel free to put a lot)

Oil

Dissolve the yeast in water and warm (tepid) milk and slowly add the flour.

Lovingly mix the salt, pepper and lard until the dough is soft and elastic without lumps of flour.

Let the dough rest for two hours, covered by a slightly damp cloth.

Roll out the dough with your hands or a rolling pin to about 3 mm of thickness.

Press the pieces of ham, pancetta, and provolone into the dough and add the Parmeasan.

Loosely roll up the dough in order to form a roll and cut it into slices of about three fingers width.

Place the panini napoletani on a greased cookie sheet, cover them again and let them rise for two hours.

Once they have proofed, cook them in an oven preheated to 180°C for roughly 20 minutes.

 

And you can also prepare a vegetarian version with margarine instead of lard and eggplants, peppers or friarielli instead of cured meat …not traditional but still fabulous!

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.

Limoncello Fabulous

Posted on by alice

Recently I was staying in Procida for a few days and there was a lemon tree just begging to be picked. I added those lemons to ones from Capri my student had given me and voilà! After a few weeks I had a delicious liquer that now I need to make a second batch of because it was such a success (and quite strong). This time maybe I can use lemons from Ischia as well!

You have probably heard about limoncello, the after dinner drink that leaves your palate feeling fresh and your mood a little lighter!

How about impressing your friends with your own homemade version?

Before you fill up your house with the refreshing fragrance of the lemons, remember to only use organic, locally grown lemons (best if picked right from the tree).

In the heart of the Naples historical centre, at piazza San Gaetano you can find the Limonè factory. This family run business is a well-kept secret and you can even see how it is made while you are tasting it!

Fiorella: it is a place where I always go with my clients. I love it!

Why it is so fabulous? Apart from smelling the freshly peeled lemons by the lovely Roberta, the location of this small factory is unique. It was built on the site of the Church of San Gaetano, once the 1st-century temple of the Dioscuri in the Roman forum (formerly Greek agorà). The façade of the church shows two of the six Corinthian columns, at one time on the front of the temple and the basement of the church highlights a section of an opus reticulatum wall.

A similar structure can be seen in the factory, behind boxes, corks and glass bottles while an even older Roman well is visible in a corner of the room where the limoncello with lemons from the Phlegrean Fields is made. This place is a true gem to discover.

Alice: Fiorella, do you want to share your recipe? I am dying to try another way of making my favorite local digestive.

Fiorella: I can share my friend’s Enrico and Donatella recipe as I don’t make limoncello, I only drink it!

1 litre of pure cane alcohol

1100 ml water

600 gr sugar

You will need a large glass jar.

Peel 10 still green lemons (or 7 big ones) with a potato peeler and place them into the jar.

Avoid the white pith of the lemon skin under the yellow zest as it will make your limoncello bitter.

Add the alcohol to the jar with the lemon zest.

Cover the jar with plastic wrap and store it in a cool and dark place for 10 days

After 10 days add the sugar to the water by mixing it with a wooden or steel spoon until the sugar is fully dissolved. Strain the lemon peels from the alcohol and eliminate the peels.

Mix the sugar syrup into the glass jar with the alcohol.

Before serving your masterpiece, chill it in the freezer. Drink it. And feel fabulous.