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.
A look back (first published on 6 January 2016): Naples is not a ‘do-in-a-day-city’ – it’s a city with roots, a city that takes time, a city that feels like it might be time itself. Even Goethe lost his rhythm here.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (portrait by Stieler 1828)
There are names I heard at school that are still buried beneath teacher dust. Names I’ve never looked at again – unreachable, academic names. Goethe was one of them.
Then, a few weeks ago, I bumped into him on the internet and I read his notes on Naples. They were a happy find.
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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.
The Phraser 