Postcards from Naples 🖼⛪️🥘

Postcards from Naples

The legendary beauty of Naples and its surrounding area is summarised in a very old Italian saying, Vedi Napoli e poi muori – See Naples and then die. Very few cities in Europe can indeed compete with the natural attractiveness of the gulf of Naples, combined with the architectural picturesqueness of what was once the cultural capital of Europe. These days some of the original splendour May have vanished or been tarnished but the signs of a great place to enjoy are all still there and worth the ultimate visit before one dies.

Geographically and strategically positioned in the middle of the Mediterranean, inevitably Naples has always been playing a critical role in the nurturing of culture and has been the target for military powers to control it. Many dynasties and royal families have established their presence in Naples contributing to the architectural enrichment of the city and, conversely, to the impoverishment of the population, The Bourbon family, which reigned over the South of Italy for some centuries, built in Naples and the surrounding area an amazing number of royal palaces that can easily compete with what other branches of the same family was doing in Paris and Madrid.

Madonna Bridgewater, by Raffaello Sanzio

Apart from commissioning buildings, the Bourbons were also avid art collectors, at the very least to provide interior decorations for the palaces they were erecting. In one of the palaces, the summer residence of Capodimonte, just up the main hill in Naples, is now hosted a big portion of the royal collection of the Bourbons. This includes some major artworks from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, by painters from all over Europe.

Concert performance of Il trovatore on Poazza Plebiscito, with Anna Netrebko in the female leading role

As one of the many historical witnesses of the cultural role of the city, Naples is also host of the oldest continuously running opera hous in the world, the San Carlo Theatre. Built in 1737 as an attachment to the adiacenta Royal Palace, it was also for many years the biggest theatre in the world, with a seating capacity of in excess of 3,200 people. These days the seating capacity has been reduced to less than half of the original but the theatre still represents a prime point of reference for the opera scene worldwide. During the summer the theatre organises some outdoor performances on the nearby Piazza Plebiscito, which provides the perfect backdrop for open air staging,

Neapolitan cuisine is the result of an ancient and rich tradition for good food. Arguably the best known dish from this region would be the pizza, with all the variations on the theme that come with this popular preparation. Around the city there are hundreds of pizzerias and many claim to be the birthplace or the best keeper of the authentic recipe for the perfect pizza. One restaurant that stands out for my taste is the Antica Trattoria da Nanninella, where good traditional cuisine is combined with customer care that has no equal.