Category Archives: Naples

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Caravaggio in Naples, Italy

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A look back (first published 16 October 2015): I’m not sure there can be a better place than Naples to see some of Caravaggio’s paintings. They are the perfect fit for the city with their light and dark, their passion and drama – their realism.

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Portrait of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio by Ottavio Leoni (1578 -1630) Portrait of Michelangelo Merisi di Caravaggio by Ottavio Leoni (1578 -1630)

There are some artists who change everything, who create their work way outside the known boundaries. One of these, one of the brave, who found a new way to tell stories with paint, is Caravaggio.

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The mandolin – her deepest curves belong to Naples, Italy

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A look back (first published 3 October 2015): I have heard several mandolin concerts in Naples since I wrote this article – the last time was in Piazza del Plebiscito under a huge sky. It was as right as the stars above.

thephraser's avatarThe Phraser

The deep curves of the bowlback Neapolitan mandolin The deep curves of the bowlback Neapolitan mandolin

It took us a while to find the little workshop and we had to squeeze in when we did – it was Saturday and the only door was open to visitors.

In fact La Bottega del Mandolino was so full of visitors (around a dozen or so), and every shape of mandolin and tool, that there hardly seemed space for Maestro Salvatore Masiello.

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Stazione Toledo, Napoli – a handsome metro station

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A look back (first published 16 August 2016): Napoli is built like a sfogliatella, with layers that rise up from the seafront to the heights of Camaldoli. On, in and under every ridge lie treasures, and the Toledo Metro Station is one of them.

thephraser's avatarThe Phraser

How do you persuade anyone to use the underground metro in Naples? How do you persuade anyone to use the underground metro in Naples?

A year ago I arrived in Naples – one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. Over the months since I’ve explored miles and miles of its old centre, of its sfogliatelle layers, but I’ve never been tempted to use its metro.  Why would I? Why miss any of the city’s light and life for a second?

Well … turns out I was tempted recently, and there were two reasons.

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