Close

THE SMALL ROCK OF ROVIGLIANO peeks out above the water at the mouth of river Sarno in the Gulf of Naples. According to legend, this tiny islet originated when the mythical hero Hercules, after returning from the tenth of his twelve labors, detached the top of nearby Mount Faito and hurled it into the sea. During Roman times, the islet was known as...

884

JUST SOUTH OF THE COAST of Posillipo, one of the most famous quarters of Naples, what looks like a pair of small islands turns out to be just one, with the two huge rocks connected by very a thin stone arch. Seen from the sea it’s a wonderfully odd sight, and yet this bizarre bridge is not the only unusual thing about Gaiola Island.  The cursed fam...

1061

What is typically the busiest time of year in Italy has arrived: Easter weekend, when Italian families travel across the peninsula to see friends and relatives and take in the country’s treasures. Capodimonte is always bustling at Easter. Last year, lines stretched throughout the palace courtyard for the museum’s Caravaggio exhibition. This year, C...

388

Angelo Picone lowers a wicker basket full of food to the ground on a rope, leaning over his rustic balcony, verdant with pot plants.“If you can, put something in. If you can’t, take something out,” Picone, a Naples street artist, merrily hollers to bemused passersby in the alleyway below. Picone’s simple message is resonating in a country trying to...

652

Pasta di Gragnano PGI is one of the most successful products in terms of production value among the 300 PDO and PGI Italian food & beverage products. According to the latest Qualivita-Ismea report, the turnover generated by this product – a symbol of Campania and Italian food culture – reached 186 million euros, growing by more than 62 per cent.

437

There is little comfort in the news these days: grim and frightening statistics that measure the relentless global march of the viral outbreak; reports of medical workers in many countries heroically treating patients in dire conditions; and stark images showing how much of the world has come to a standstill because of the health crisis. If there w...

530

The Flavian Amphitheater located in Pozzuoli is the third biggest structure of its kind after the one in Capuano and, of course, Rome’s famous Colosseum. Built in the 1st century AD, it could seat an audience of up to 40,000 people. Some historians claim Emperor Vespasian started it and Titus completed it, while others believe Nero oversaw the enti...

712

In some ways, you need to put modern day Naples aside. The trash, the chaos, the petty crime, even the mafia – yes, it is a large part of what this Italian city is today. But it really doesn’t do Naples the justice it deserves. I’ve written previously about this balance between good and bad and what Naples is really like. I would recommend having a...

494

When asking a friend what time you should meet for lunch, she may say ‘a mezzogiorno’ – at midday, at noon, or at 12pm.  However, when Italians use the word ‘il Mezzogiorno’, they are not always be talking about lunchtime. Instead they could be referring to the southern area of Italy, including the regions Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Puglia, Basilic...

561

It’s not Easter quite yet, but it doesn’t mean we can’t have a chat about pastiera — the most traditional Neapolitan Easter dessert — and learn how to make it! This wheat berry and ricotta pie is wonderfully perfumed with orange blossom water, cinnamon and candied fruits, a kind of non plus ultra version of the everyday ricotta cheesecake. Pastiera...

446