Category Archives: Italy

Posts written about Italy, particularly Naples, and other posts written whilst in Italy.

Unknown's avatar

The Certosa di San Martino: the jewel at the top of Naples

by
The Certosa di San Martino and Castel Sant'Elmo dominate the Naples skyline

The Certosa di San Martino and Castel Sant’Elmo dominate the Naples skyline

There are two chunks of prime real estate in Naples, two properties that swagger largest when you look up at the city from the sea.  They’ve been together for centuries.

The highest of the two is Castel Sant’Elmo – the star-shaped fortress that looks like it’s been carved out of rock by a gifted sledgehammer.  Right next to it is the Certosa di San Martino, proud when seen from below, but less obvious when approached by road.

Continue reading →

Unknown's avatar

The Royal Palace at Caserta, near Naples, Italy: it’s big

by
The Royal Palace at Caserta

The Royal Palace at Caserta

Big is a little word that can’t quite fit all of this palace in.  Size is everywhere but still the giant proved hard to find by car.

We knew we’d reached Caserta but even though we were within metres of the palace we couldn’t see it.  The area was a strange, any-man’s-land of straight roads and plain buildings.

Continue reading →

Unknown's avatar

Book Review: Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante

by
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante

This book, the third in the series, has an ache in it that grows as the story lengthens.  It is about the absence of love and belonging, and the complications of motherhood.

The themes belong to us all and Ferrante intensifies them against the backdrop of Naples. She paints her story with the city’s colours, chosen for their truth from a palette that other cities struggle to match.

Continue reading →