DECEMBER 2024

 

VISIONARY ARCHITECTURE
OF THE 20TH CENTURY

12012024 The ceramics produced by Solimene in Vietri sul Mare are instantly recognizable, with their vibrant colours and jaunty decorative borders. Few, however, know the extraordinary story behind the building where they are made. It was a standard hangar-style edifice, an ideal fusion of Paolo Soleri’s architectural vision and Vincenzo Solimene’s artisanal traditions. The Greatest Italian 20th Century Building You've Never Heard Of | Le Sirenuse
12022024 A three-centuries-old version of bingo, born in the sprawling, boisterous southern Italian city. It's a cryptic game of luck with underground roots of being run by women and often hosted by members of Naples' non-binary "third gender," the femminielli. Today, the original Neapolitan version of tombola is played increasingly as a part of a folkloristic re-enactment for Italian tourists and Neapolitans from higher social classes. Shadowy underground origins of Italian 'tombola' bingo still alive in Naples | CBC News
12032024 After landing north, west and east, Max Mara is looking to the south of Italy again. The Italian fashion brand is planning a two-day resort 2026 experience, which will include a runway show, in Naples on June 16 and 17. In 2021, the brand held its resort 2022 show on the island of Ischia, at the striking Mezzatorre Hotel, nestled in a former 16th-century watchtower. The event in Naples will coincide with the first day of international menswear trade show Pitti Uomo. Max Mara to Show Resort 2026 in Naples | WWD
12042024 In Bonito was born in 1898 the famous shoe wizard Salvatore Ferragamo. Here, he started to pursue his new passion. His first shop in this Irpinia village, then, the designer will leave Bonito to move to the United States and find great success in Hollywood, where he will become the Celebrities Shoemaker. Bonito: the Irpinian village with the most beautiful street art in the world | Visit Italy Media
12052024 The winning duo of Paolo Sorrentino and Toni Servillo is back: the director who won an Oscar in 2014 for La Grande Bellezza will return to direct the actor who played the film's world-weary Roman journalist protagonist Jep Gambardella in a new project entitled La Grazia. The film will be Sorrentino's eleventh and his last since his latest ode to his native Naples, Parthenope, which topped the Italian box office this year. Sorrentino and Servillo reunite again in La Grazia | ANSA
12062024 We are in Irpinia, province of Avellino, an area of ​​the Southern Apennines from the centuries-old agricultural tradition where three of the best Italian wines are recognized by the respective Docg Taurasi, Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo. A land that has a lot to offer in terms of wine growth. Here  Mimmo, an expert raised in the vineyard, decided to remain to pursue his greatest passion; wine! Tasting, light lunch and winetour | Azienda Vitivinicola Nardone Nardone Domenico
12072024 The path to the highest peak, 1742m (5715ft) Monte Alburno. There are two waymarked trails to the summit from the center of Sicignano degli Alburni. The Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni National Park is also honeycombed with caves, including the otherworldly and unmissable Grotte di Castelcivita. Inhabited 42,000 years ago, these fantasy grottoes are a forest of stalagmites and stalactites. 12 of the best things to do in Campania | Lonely Planet
12082024 Here, some of the country’s most lauded hotels hold court, with Le Sirenuse, Santa Caterina and Villa Cimbrone drawing on decades of historic pedigree. However, for those prepared to forgo five-star facilities or look a little further from the seafront, a cast of unsung properties with quality service and plenty of character are waiting to be discovered. From spectacular showstoppers to family-run gems, these are the best hotels on the Amalfi Coast. 25 of the best hotels on the Amalfi coast | The Sunday Times
12092024 Gape at artistic masterpieces at the Capodimonte Museum of Naples. 124 galleries displaying masterpieces by Titian, Raphael, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, and Botticelli, just to name a few. You could spend the better part of a whole day visiting the palace and wandering in the manicured gardens. This Italian City Is the Birthplace of Pizza — and Its Historic Center Is One of the Largest in Europe | Travel + Leisure
12102024 London studio Amanda Levete Architects and artist Anish Kapoor designed this suggestive entrance for a subway station in Naples, Italy, in 2009. Reportedly due to open this year, the Metro Linea 7 at Monte Sant'Angelo has a Corten-steel entrance that the design team said "appears to have been pulled from the underground to create a dramatic, powerful and almost primal form." Six vulva-shaped designs including skyscrapers, stadiums and a spaceship | Dezeen
12112024 Exploring Naples’ galleries means traversing the entire urban landscape of the city. Napoli Gallery Weekend also offers a chance to discover some of Naples’ most iconic locations, from the elegant Chiaia district to the historic city center and the intriguing industrial area of East Naples. The creation of a unified map of Naples’ contemporary art galleries. Napoli Gallery Weekend | Galleria Tiziana Di Caro
12122024 Aglianico grapes from Southern Italy are full of polyphenols such as resveratrol and quercetin, proven to have many medicinal properties. Scientists from a cohort of Italian universities have published a study on the potential health benefits of a specially-designed supplement made from the pomace of Campania’s flagship grape. According to their paper, Aglianico could potentially spare diabetes patients from blindness. Wine Grapes Could be the Key to Treating Vision Loss from Diabetes | Wine Spectator
12132024 On a recent return visit, I saw how Hotel Santa Caterina - Amalfi has grown. Two new villas have popped up, hidden among the terraced gardens that dot the cliffs. The hotel is now a sort of albergo diffuso, with an increased number of rooms and ever more privacy for guests who want it. Everything else remains perfect. The pool is still as salty and relaxing, the curtains dance the same waltz with the breeze, the floors still sparkle. The Best Hotels and Resorts in Europe and the UK: The Gold List 2025 | Condé Nast Traveller
12142024 The "Best Traditional Artisan Panettone” of the year? It is that of Antonio Ventieri of the Torteria di Antonio Ventieri from Capaccio-Paestum (Sa). The “the best artisanal Pandoro”? It is signed by Enzo Martuccio of the Pastry Shop Enzo Martuccio of Colle Sannita (Bn). The “Best Artisan Chocolate Panettone”? He does it Gianluca Cecere of Visionary Dessert in Naples. Where are the best panettoni and pandoro in Italy made? In the south and more precisely in Campania: the results of Mastropanettone 2024 | FIRST Online
12152024 The city, which will be 2,500 years old in 2025, has seen mass tourism soar: a 33% increase since 2021, with 14 million visitors this year. After Rome, it is where tourists stay the longest in Italy — an average of three days — a sign that it is perceived to require time. Deciphering Naples is one of those recurring challenges of humanity, a literary challenge of the first order, like looking at Vesuvius itself. But its charm is eternal. Naples, the most difficult secret to tell | El Pais
12162024 Investigations by the specialist Naples' Cultural Heritage Protection Unit have led to a rare archaeological discovery. The iconography of Christ Enthroned is partially identifiable, with velarium decorations underneath and a dedicatory inscription. Its decoration bears similarities to the nearby Sacellum of St. Aspreno and adds to the not very numerous pictorial testimonies of the medieval period in the whole of Italy. Illegal excavations in central Naples uncover rare 11th-century medieval church | Euronews
12172024 Contrade di Taurasi is a small, family-owned winery in Irpinia, focused on crafting authentic wines from its five hectares of volcanic soil vineyards. Their wines are made exclusively from estate-grown grapes, using native yeasts to highlight the unique terroir of the region. Their offerings include Grecomusc', a bold white wine, and a range of red wines such as Aglianico, known for its freshness and fruity character, Taurasi, an elegant and structured red, and Taurasi Riserva, their flagship wine. Contrade di Taurasi_Cantine Lonardo (Winery in Irpinia) | Winedering
12182024 Avellino is located in the heart of the 'Green Irpinia', one of the most beautiful and richly endowed areas of Italy from an ecological point of view. Covered with a blanket of woods, it includes parks and natural reserves, mountains, plateaus rich in springs, caves, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and forests. It is a lush, unspoilt environment that, with its magical scents and colours, invites you to walk along paths. A Travel Guide to Avellino, Campania: Everything You Need to Know | Dit is Italië
12192024 Stellantis announced that at least two compact models will be built at its Pomigliano plant in southern Italy, utilizing the STLA Small platform starting in 2028. The existing Panda will continue production at this location until 2030, after which it will be succeeded by a next-generation model. Stellantis Invests $2.1B To Build 3 New Alfa Romeos, Jeep Compass And More In Italy | Carscoops.com
12202024 The luxurious taste and medium intensity of Fattoria Ambrosio Riserva make this olive oil the perfect complement to a variety of cuisine. We've selected it from the estate of Massimo Ambrosio, which consists of 8,500 olive trees located near Coste in the Campania region. A delightful and exquisite blend of Coratina and Itrana cultivar varietals we recommend with pasta, pizza, risotto, bruschetta, aioli or mayonnaise, and lemon desserts. Fattoria Ambrosio Riserva Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2023 | Olio2go
12212024 It Started in Naples naturally pairs with Sophia Loren’s ragù alla napoletana since she prepares the dish during one scene. Sophia reveals that Clark Gable was an admirer of ragù alla napoletana, and in the scene, it’s clear no acting was necessary. Sophia, too, sings praises of this dish, one steeped in a centuries-old tradition of slow-cooking rich meats and tomatoes until they meld into a flavorful, comforting sauce. In Cucina with Sophia Loren | Italy Segreta
12222024 Vincenzo Setaro is a third generation pastaio, or pasta maker, and his small shop produces a fraction of the bigger factories. That's no matter to Setaro, who shows off how his high-quality goods keep him in business. Artisan Setaro is the only producer left in Italy's first capital of pasta | CNN Travel
12232024 From 1807 to 1973 the monastery was abandoned. Portals and stones were stolen; roofs and walls collapsed. A monk of the Virgin arrived at Goleto Abbey in 1973. Up to the 1980 earthquake that has had the merit to call again the attention about a monumental good of primary importance, giving life to a long process of recovery and valorization, largerly finished almost 30 years later. Two centuries of carelessness, up to the arrival of Father Lucio | Verderosa Studio
12242024 Al dente spaghetti with garlic, extra virgin olive oil and clams is a regular feature on menus along the Italian coast. Defined by elegant yet intense sapidity, this dish works well with any medium-bodied, subtly aromatic white wine, including Falanghina del Sannio, an Italian summertime classic. Italian pasta and wine: The best pairings for popular dishes | Decanter
12252024 While I love all the wines of this region, I’m here to study Taurasi (est. in 1970) and Taurasi DOCG (est. 1993), which are derived from the red grape Aglianico. I can still recall my first Aglianico, in Florida over the holidays. My only regret is that I discovered them only five years ago. I have some lost time to make up for (which I made progress on today after sampling 50+ examples). Do you know Taurasi and its signature grape, Aglianico? | Kristy's Wine Travels
12262024 Now online Marianna Simnett “Leda Was a Swan”, contemporary art conceived for the Digital Fellowship of Pompeii Commitment. Archaeological Matters. An ancient violent myth is unravelled as an embodied story of pleasure. The artwork combines stage and costume design, video, performance, sound and artificial intelligence (AI). Marianna Simnett. Leda Was a Swan | Pompeii Commitment
12272024 In the Protestant countries of northern Europe, the bidet was often viewed as nothing less than an emissary of the devil. In the late 18th century, Maria Carolina of Habsburg-Lorraine, Queen of Naples, decided to make a bold decision for her time and installed a bidet in the Palace of Caserta. In her lavish neoclassical marble bath, the bidet was a novelty and it can still be seen there today. The widespread adoption of this bath accessory in more ordinary Italian homes didn’t occur until World War II, however. The Bidet’s Big Break: A Case for the Fixture’s History and Installation | Architectural Digest
12282024 There’s a reason droves of tourists flock to the Amalfi Coast. Of the many charming villages along the well-trodden strip of coastline, Ravello takes the cake for captivating beauty. It’s renowned for having gorgeous gardens with far-reaching views out to the sea. And the romantic atmosphere makes it all the more alluring. 9 of the Most Beautiful Places in Italy | Veranda
12292024"When I want to truly feel the city, I walk up the Salita del Petraio. Recently, I also visited Monte Echia, where an elevator takes you all the way up to the breathtaking Belvedere di Pizzofalcone. From the top, you can see over the peninsula known to us in Naples as Castel dell’Ovo, where the Greeks first arrived more than 2,500 years ago and founded the city. The landscape from up there is stunning." Actor Filippo Scotti’s insider guide to Naples | Financial Times
12302024“I do visit Italy every year during the summer—it’s a must. Capri, Amalfi Coast, Forte dei Marmi, and Sardinia are some of my favorite places to enjoy the summer. This year’s holiday itinerary is Forte dei Marmi, Portofino, St. Moritz, and Positano. I made the decision to not travel too far this year as I’ve already had an intense year of traveling with work.” Alfonso de Gaetano, founder and CEO of the fine wine club Crurated. From the Maldives to the Amalfi Coast, this is where up-and-coming CEOs are taking their vacations in 2025 | Fortune

12312024Ever been to Naples? It’s a feral circus-town. An open-air asylum with Spritz instead of blood and 200 angry mopeds desperate to get past you on every street you have the gall to walk down. It’s one of the greatest places on Earth, and one of its favourite pastimes is blowing up colossal fireworks. It’s around Christmas – and especially on NYE – when the whole town rolls up its sleeves to join in. The Deadly Mafia Party Bombs of Naples | Vice