DECEMBER 2013

HISTORICAL LOCAL

                                                                                                                                                  
12012013 Naples is the city of coffee. Espresso, ristretto - forget about these: once inside a bar, you'll simply call it caffé. Pay and get your receipt first (each coffee is 90-95 cents), then get your order at the counter. Experienced baristas will quickly serve you an inch of super-concentrated caffeine potion from the best mix of dark-roasted, high-acidity beans. One shot, done. Love it or leave it. Please be careful, some places serve it in a hot cup. Also, if you drink yours without sugar, make sure you ask for it beforehand, as the standard here is sweet. Napoli | Life Love Food

12022013 It wasn’t the last lesson we learned in Naples.  Don’t order a milky coffee after 11am if you want to be taken seriously as a coffee drinker.  And for god’s sake, don’t muck about socialising over your espresso – coffee is a life force, like water, so knock it back and make room for the next person! The Italian Job | Peoples Coffee

12032013 Not content with just creating the world’s most loved pizza, Naples can also lay claim to the cuccumella, a Neapolitan flip coffee pot that led to the invention of the espresso machine. Sip some history at Caffe Gambrinus, which has caffeinated everyone from Oscar Wilde to Mussolini with its namesake espresso and cacao concoction. Espresso | Jetsetter

12042013 So, apart from the real pizza (which in Rome is not bad but hasn’t got the original Neapolitan taste) and apart from a choice of pastries whose quality is definitely unknown in Rome (sfogliatelle, babà, pastiera etc.) where is then the best of the best espressos? It is served in Il Caffè del Professore, 46 piazza Trieste e Trento, in the heart of Naples. There they make their own blend or miscela of a superior quality so they can serve you the best of the best of the best. No tricks. Best Espresso in the World? | Man of Roma

12052013 My cingul’ are pretty good, but they still aren’t what I know they could be. Maybe I need to go to Calitri and find a nonna to give me a lesson. And if I’m going, I will make sure that I’m there for the Cingul’Festival! The Great Cingul’ Experiment | Panini Girl

12062013 We sampled all of Vanulo’s dairy alongside the freshest produce grown on the farm. Crisp butter lettuces and tomatoes just plucked from the garden. Sweet, raw onions like I’d never tasted before. The most sublime ricotta, mozzarella, and yogurt that I had ever tasted, creamy, tangy, and rich. The service (again like something out of a movie), location, and company were magical. This was lunch in Italy. In the middle of the day. "Scraps of memory from Naples and Southern Italy" by R.C. Jennings | Tutta Bella

12072013 I was in Naples the week before last, visiting sites connected with the Roman poet Virgil. As a classical archaeologist and historian, I knew should be taking photos of columns and amphitheatres but my camera kept snapping the amazing graffiti I saw everywhere. On the one hand I feel dismay, that the Italians should so mar their buildings. But on the other hand I admire much of it. I appreciate the beauty of shape, colour and form. Graffiti, Dyslexia & Poetry by Caroline Lawrence | The History Girls

12082013 DigitalGlobe's GeoEye 1 satellite captured this view, looking straight down into the caldera of Italy's snow-covered Mount Vesuvius from a height of 423 miles (681 kilometers), on Feb. 19. The picture is one of DigitalGlobe's top 20 satellite images of 2013. Holiday calendar: Staring down into Mount Vesuvius | NBCNews.com

12092013 For all tourists used to travel to picture-perfect cities the likes of Paris or Venice, Naples is one big nightmare. However, it is because of its authenticity and its personality that Napoli is highly regarded by travellers who prefer to make their journey with the heart and not so much the eyes. Naples is not a place that tries to put on make up or nice clothes to impress visitors, it is a city with a heartbeat, that moves to its frantic (but paused) rythm no matter who’s watching. Naples: The city that doesn’t give a f*ck about you | Traveltooth

12102013 Walk along Via Vergini in one of the most frenetic districts in Naples and look for the amazing Palazzo dello Spagnolo. This historical palace was built in 1738 and the beautiful staircase is a gem of Neapolitan baroque. Just outside of the building there is a 24x7 street market that will blow you away. Pure colors and great energy! The Neapolitan baroque and its hidden gems: Palazzo dello Spagnolo | Afar

12112013 We finally made it to Scaturchio to try the fabled pastiera. We didn’t even know what this was, only that Dominic called it a religious experience. We weren’t sure how exactly we were going to eat it, so we just carried it around in its box for awhile. We visited the nearby Gesù Nuovo, which is very austere and fortress-like on the outside but baroque on the inside. Across the street is Santa Chiara. At this point, our curiosity was getting the better of us. What exactly was this heavenly pastry we were carrying around? We located a shady spot on a wall outside Santa Chiara, fashioned a knife out of part of the box, and began to dig in. Culture, cuisine, cliffs and coastlines: 12 days in Campania | onelittleworld.com

12122013 In Naples and in Campania they prepare as many as eight Christmas sweets; some used to be made by the nuns of the convents and still bear their names. So Paste Reali of San Gregorio Armeno, the sugary treats of Divino Amore, the spicy and soft biscuits of Sapienza, born in the hands of the nuns, have all now become part of the baking tradition of the city. In addition, there are sweets whose origins lie around the Mediterranean, such as Struffoli from the East, Marzipan from the Arabs, and Mostaccioli which here is combined with the drink of the Aztecs: chocolate. Sweet Christmas | Campania Artecard

12132013 In The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza), director Paolo Sorrentino’s corrosive satire of Berlusconi-era Rome, out this month, Toni Servillo portrays Jep Gambardella, a dissipated journalist who is elegantly sliding into an existential crisis. Jep is symbolic of modern Italy itself in the film. Servillo, 54, a native of the city of Afragola, is often compared to Marcello Mastroianni, who appeared in six of Fellini’s films, and he is poised to become the only Italian leading man since Mastroianni to ascend to international stardom. Fellini’s Ghost | Vanity Fair

12142013 Francesco Scognamiglio reopens its historic Neapolitan studio and celebrates his hometown with an evening event and with three dresses created for the occasion. Tribute to Napoli | Vogue Italia

12152013 DSquared Milestones: 1996 Runway debut of the beloved "Napoli" collection, inspired by the Neapolitan roots of their father. Dean and Dan Caten | Fashion Television

12162013  The soft shoulder and trimmer jackets paired with slim trousers is the new shape and official tone that the global consumer is demanding. Trending new heights throughout the collection, Neapolitan luxury menswear brand Cesare Attolini, intrinsically keeps its finger on the pulse by adding an approachable ease as well as a rich fabric playfulness -showcasing a clear  understanding of both elegant and effortless style. The Capitalist Touch: Luxury Menswear Renders Business and Comfort: Cesare Attolini | Forbes

12172013 Montepertuso – the “hole in the mountain” – is a bracing, uphill hike from Positano, a good way to work up an appetite for lunch at the excellent Donna Rosa. I last ate there in spring, at a table at the front of the handsome restaurant: there were no porcini, of course, but there were some of the fattest, sweetest mussels I have ever eaten, cooked simply in garlic and white wine, and the first really ripe tomatoes of the season: roughly chopped, anointed with peppery olive oil and piled on bruschetta. Simple, but fabulous. Duchesses of Amalfi | How To Spend It

12182013 The locations chosen for the shoot in Capri were well-considered: the ancient Villa Fersen for the shots of underwear; the bathing establishment "La canzone del mare" for swimwear shots; "I Giardini di Augusto" for the panoramic views and the harbour of Capri for the shots on the boats. However, the island's natural light gave the shoot an unexpected help. The Summer Fashion Dream 'Made in Italy' Continues | Hasselblad Bulletin

12192013 Located in the heart of Capri, the Grand Hotel Quisisana is synonymous with island glitz, having attracted an exclusive crowd since opening in 1860. Originally built in 1845 as a sanatorium (Quisisana means ‘here one heals’), the hotel is steeped in history. The sun-drenched bedrooms are a study in understated elegance, with mostly white walls, floors and furnishings emphasizing the blue ocean views. Dine at acclaimed restaurant RendezVouz, with an entrance directly on the glamorous Via Camerelle, or under the canopy of the charming Quisi restaurant, both offering Italian-inspired cuisine and an excellent wine list. Grand Hotel Quisisana | The Leading Hotels of the World

12202013 The area around La Mandra is a great place to take a walk and there is much to see along the way. One suggested route you could take would be to walk from the castle in Ischia Ponte, along the coastal path towards Ischia Porto. With the castle behind you, walk through the main town area with its shops, bars and restaurants and head straight on up the slope to the top of the town where you see a road that leads right, towards the sea. Good morning Ischia! | Ischia Review's

12212013 The pasta alla Genovese is a typical Neapolitan dish made with onions (which must not be fresh, but "ripe") and usually "poor" meat cuts.There's a mystery about the origin of the name. Some speak of Genoese pub keepers of the harbor district that used to prepare meat with onions, to which Neapolitans would then add pasta. Another theory says that a Monzù (=great chef) from Geneve (not from Genoa therefore) introduced a variant of soupe d'oignons at Court or in some aristocratic mansion; still another tradition is that the recipe was invented by an innkeeper called 'o Genovese because of his stinginess. Pasta alla Genovese | Italian Heritage

12222013 Lina Sastri is a hot, throaty singer who reinterprets Neapolitan songs. Go get her album Maruzzella and play it out the window as you sit outside - at dusk, drinking wine - with a lover. Lina is singing for me today because my husband and I were once stationed in Naples. I’m remembering my man in our favorite local restaurant, the one where they no longer bothered to bring us the menu. Memorial Day | You, madam, are no Sei Shonagon

12232013 After that I went to Naples/Pompeii and I had eaten a whole octopus in a restaurant by the coast ...hence the octopus in the background :) From Florence to Pompeii | They Draw and Travel

12242013 The presence of walnut trees, for centuries, characterised the hilly Sorrentine landscape and at one time was the one of the few produce the farmers from mountain areas could rely on during the winter months. The characteristics that distinguish the walnut of Sorrento are the scarcity of oiliness, the strong taste and the ease of extracting the nut kernel from the husk. Of variable dimensions, but generally medium-small, it has an oval or round form; light brown shell and kernel; delicate aroma and a pleasantly bitter taste. Walnuts of Sorrento | Sorrento Dreaming

12252013 In Naples and in Campania they prepare as many as eight Christmas sweets; some used to be made by the nuns of the convents and still bear their names. So Paste Reali of San Gregorio Armeno, the sugary treats of Divino Amore, the spicy and soft biscuits of Sapienza, born in the hands of the nuns, have all now become part of the baking tradition of the city. In addition, there are sweets whose origins lie around the Mediterranean, such as Struffoli from the East, Marzipan from the Arabs, and Mostaccioli which here is combined with the drink of the Aztecs: chocolate. Sweet Christmas | Campania Artecard

12262013 Caruso, for Enrico Caruso (Naples 1873-1921), an Italian tenor who sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas and appeared in a wide variety of roles from the Italian and French repertoires that ranged from the lyric to the dramatic. Beatles Legend John Lennon Among Those Honored with Mercury Craters | NASA

12272013 For lunch I was invited to have pizza with representatives of Rago from Battipaglia, one of the regions leading salad growing companies. They showed me their facility which was very professional and impressive. It reminded me how far the food industry has come compared to the artisan processes the region is famous for and which are now making a comeback as part of the slow food revolution. Exploration of Campanias finest produce | wearethesauce

12282013 The nymphaeum, of the Julius-Claudius age (50-55 B.C.), is one of the most representative of the genre and the best preserved in the whole Campania region. It is similar to those belonging to luxurious villas, consecrated to otium by the roman emperors all over the gulf of Naples, the villa to which the nymphaeum belongs is situated facing the isle of Capri, between Capo Massa and Punta Campanella. The extraordinariness of the nymphaeum is given both by the great scenographic articulation of its architectural structure and also by the fully mosaic dressed wall decorations. Nymphaeum of the Villa di Pipiano | massalubrense.it

12292013 Located high above the coast in Ravello, lovely Trattoria da Lorenzo will knock your socks off! We sat on the terrace admiring the view all around and dining al fresco. The simple family-run establishment will make you feel like you’re part of their extended family within minutes of walking in the door. Da Lorenzo specializes in seafood and their antipasti list is quite impressive! If you’re having a hard time choosing, do as we did and let the kitchen send you wave after wave of whatever delicacies they deem necessary for you to taste. La Dolce Vita: 9 things to do on the Amalfi Coast | Will Travel for Food

12302013 What a beautiful day to have a hike on the path of the gods before New Year! December on the Path of the Gods | Zia Lucy

12312013 In Corricella, even the restaurants remain true to the village’s character, serving an almost exclusively seafood menu – usually from fish brought right from the boats. Look for pezzogna, a sea bream common in this part of the Mediterranean, at dockside spots like Caracale’. Idyllic island life off the coast of Italy | BBC Travel