Posts written about Italy, particularly Naples, and other posts written whilst in Italy.
The Lady Queen by Nancy Goldstone
Life is full of ‘bad days’ – if you think you’re having one of them, or even a calendar full of them, this book might help to put things into perspective. It’s a portrait of a lady whose days are potholed with treachery from the moment she’s born.
I read this book whilst in Naples, not far from the solid black towers of Castel Nuovo, or il Maschio Angioino (the Angevin Keep), where Queen Joanna (born in 1326 – died in 1382), spends much of her life.
A look back (first published 24 May 2015): a year on there was little sign of change at the lake: the road around its far end was worse; the abandoned hotel still gaped; and the rowers powered on. Only the water buffalo had gone … and our innocence.
The faded happiness of Lago di Patria
The pink hotel stood block-upright and silent. Bleak windows stared from behind the flaking wall – all happiness abandoned.
Nervously we peered upwards through the car’s windscreen, enticed by the almost empty roadside parking. Behind us, in the back, the dog bounced with impatience.
We were unsure … the dog wasn’t … so what was wrong?
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A look back (first published 14 May 2015): I am happy to report that this summer (2016) the Sibyl’s Cave was open and, as far as I know, it still is.
The blue of the view from Cuma
There is an overgrown, everyday hill north of Naples known today as Cuma. It’s legendary in every sense.
We went in search of it on an early morning in late February my mind as empty as a brand new bucket.
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The Phraser 