Category Archives: Italy

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Madre: the museum of contemporary art in Napoli

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This piece, first published in April 2016, was written after my first visit to the Madre in Naples. I loved the museum’s calm space, the range of its exhibits … and its roof terrace.

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Internal courtyard of the Museo Madre in Naples, Italy with art by Mimmo Paladino on the roof Internal courtyard of the Museo Madre in Naples, Italy with art by Mimmo Paladino on the roof

Art is a place to be, a place that tries to reach us, provoke us. It swallows the rules, the clocks, the to and fro, and waits for us to respond.

Much of Naples itself is art – ancient, modern, faded, alive – but it does not have the quiet, the spaces between, that the Madre brings to its displays.  This is the luxury of a visit to the Madre, the chance to leave the hectic city and step into its  calm.

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Book Review: Only in Naples by Katherine Wilson

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Only in Naples by Katherine Wilson

Only in Naples by Katherine Wilson

Cities are like people … some are packed with character, and others less so.

The city of Naples in Italy is a character, one that can raise you to heaven or leave you in despair.  Johann Goethe was ecstatic; Mark Twain fairly grumpy; Shirley Hazzard inspired; and Elena Ferrante fierce and irresistible.  Now, published in 2016, here’s Katherine Wilson whose style goes straight to the heart of the city.

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The Villa Pignatelli, two dogs, and a carriage museum in Naples, Italy

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A look back (first published 9 March 2016): the Villa Pignatelli – owned by the Actons, the Rothschilds, and the Pignatellis – is now a museum and, together with its carriage display, well worth a visit if you’re lucky enough to be in Chiaia in Napoli.

thephraser's avatarThe Phraser

Villa Pignatelli in Naples, Italy Villa Pignatelli in Naples, Italy

This villa – white and recently restored – sits in the lap of one of the most crowded cities in Europe.  It has the blue sea to its front, colour behind, and is wrapped in an exclusive coat of green.

Its striking, classical profile is very different to the buildings that now surround it.

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