Christmas tree 2016
The holidays have arrived and with them a new frenzy. It’s hectic here so I’ll pause for a few days to try to keep pace with it all.
Many thanks for your company over this past year – for your reading, for your writing, for your sharing – and a special thanks to Naples for all the stories.
May the next few days be filled with friends, family and kindness … best wishes all round.
Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2018
San Gennaro and his ostensorium in the cathedral of Naples, Italy on 19 September 2016
The liquefaction of the blood of San Gennaro, an event known as ‘il prodigio‘, happens three times a year in Naples, Italy … at least it should. This December on the last, and least high profile, of these occasions for 2016, San Gennaro’s blood did not liquefy.
There are many in Naples who will see this as an ominous sign for the city.
A look back (first published 11 January 2016): I have to declare an interest here … if it wasn’t for Bonnie Alberts and the power of Napoli Unplugged I know my writing about Naples would have fizzled into nothing. Somehow she, and Penny Ewles-Bergeron, found The Phraser and their encouragement keeps coming. So … how did I begin to find my way around Naples? One of my first ways in was with the website Napoli Unplugged and later with the book – the Napoli Unplugged Guide to Naples. Of course there were others but none of them had Bonnie Alberts based in the centro storico, keen to communicate (in English!), and passionate about the city. A top tip (and it’s not because of the debt owed) is that if you want to explore Naples, either in person or from your sofa, their guidebook is like a richly carved doorway into the hidden, and the un-hidden. It talks to you … so, you will find, does the city.
Bonnie Alberts – one of the four authors of the Napoli Unplugged Guide to Naples
“I don’t see how an American can ask me if Naples is safe!”
Bonnie Alberts is an American, a well-travelled American, who has lived in Naples, Italy for a decade.
“I don’t understand the reputation – it’s a breathing, working city.”
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