Royal hideaway in Portici, near Naples
It was a warm day and we were on an old road in a corner of what used to be a royal park. It is now university grounds but still has that swish of palaces, intrigue and celebrity at play.
In front of us a smallish red building curved its face to catch views of Vesuvius and the sea. This, we were told, was where the king entertained his mistresses. Instantly the Italian guide had our attention.
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?
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.
The Phraser 