Posts written about Italy, particularly Naples, and other posts written whilst in Italy.
The Day Before Happiness by Erri De Luca
This little book, which I met first in the bookstore at the airport in Napoli, dropped its hero into my life like a coin into a pool. He span so deep and so fast that he was almost lost … until, from nowhere, a sudden current pulled him out of sight.
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.
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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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.
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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The Phraser 