Love Letter from lovely Naples

On September 19th, Naples breaks out the bottles and rejoices -- it's the Feast Day of their Patron Saint, San Gennaro.  The bottles, of course, are the tiny ampules containing his blood which liquefy every so often, and only when the Saint deems it perspicacious.  


I recently had occasion to visit the Tesoro di San Gennaro, a jewel of a museum next to Naples' Duomo (Cathedral) containing some of the world's most valuable jewels.  Each piece, commissioned by kings and commoners alike, are truly something to behold.  And while most of the 20000+ items created over the last 700 years (give or take a few) are salted away in highly protected vaults, together they demonstrate the importance of this most patron of saints beloved the world over. 

Picture from Museo San Gennaro
[The current show will be up until January 6th.]

Wandering the streets of Bella Napoli for the first time in years, was Heaven on Earth.  The shops, the doorways, the courtyards, the underground ruins, the baroque palaces, the churches on every street corner, even the decay was sublime.  It is clear why the Neapolitans place so much faith in San Gennaro...He's been watching over these places for centuries, and receives his share of riches - 'protection money' without even having to ask.  Because of him, the lava from Mount Vesuvius has stopped right at the city limits.  An earthquake left the city unscathed.  And judging by the hustle and bustle of Napoli these days, it looks like he's saved the residents from being buried in waste as well.  Forget the blood, this is nothing short of a miracle.

Arriving in Naples, the new spiffy train station is outstanding in every way.  A far cry from the days in which you had more homeless than bag handlers to wish you a hearty Benvenuto! upon arrival.  Once the expansive Piazza Garibaldi is complete out front, I can't help but think how wonderful it will be.  Just keep in mind, while you look around to catch your bearings, you'll have to watch your pocketbook as well.  

Walk up the city streets, the town has been littered with policemen, traffic cops and tourist info kiosks right, left and center.  They're all so helpful, I watched Nigerian street vendors peddle their counterfeit bags without any worry that they'd soon have to pick up their sheets and run.  The cops passed may turn a blind eye, but you can be sure they'll be keeping an eye on you.

Take a good long look at the industrious Neapolitans from the barmen serving you (yet another) unforgettable sfogliatella, to the shopkeepers, housewives, businessmen and police of both sexes and you're reminded of the famous Neopolitan presepe (manger scenes).  The clothes have changed, but you've got the same wild and wondrous scenery. 

And as for the sparkling emeralds on show right in the thick of it?  You can rest assured that when it comes to defying San Gennaro, not even the most hardened criminals want to mess with him.

Tante Belle Cose: January in Italy

For any Italophiles out there, of course, the best news this month was the fact that the judiciary struck down a Berlusconi law that would protect people in office from being prosecuted.  Thus the ensuing legal hassles our Premier is now undergoing.
It's true, that it distracts them from the duties of office, but, it could also keep more than one nefarious nympho from living like they're above the law, and partying like it's 1999, which, to some observers might be considered a distraction as well.

And speaking of charges, I personally was pleased as punch to hear that nine archeologists & other 'experts' were under investigation for neglect in the Pompeii collapse.  Other good news this month, is that the EU is sending Pompeii monies for propping up other at-risk buildings and so forth.  Let's just hope the funds don't end up going to prop up the construction contracts with the mob.

And, a couple more of my pet peeves were being addressed by the powers that be:   
- Kids were now going to have to take driver's tests prior to cruising around in their micro cars.  After so many senseless deaths...this is very good news.  Again, we hope that papà doesn't just grease the palms of the driver's ed instructor to let Giovanni pass with flying colors.  In fact, in a recent blitz, they nailed 51 driving instructors 'on the take' in Palermo.  At least we now know why Italians are such rotten drivers.

- The EU is trying to get the Italian banks to stop the extortion on bank account fees, double the fees of most other member countries.  As if that wasn't enough reason to store your money elsewhere, a conference will be held shortly in Lugano - in Italian - on keeping your money offshore.  It should be a nice people-watching meeting - of the who's who of Italy all in attendance...

But, my favorite bit of news was that, it took 2011 years (but who's counting?) in the making, but we finally have the arrival of 'Family-sized' milk cartons!!!  With its tag line, E' NATO IL FORMATO FAMIGLIA. E' L'ULTIMO ARRIVATO MA È IL PIÙ GRANDE DI TUTTI [family-sized form is born...the last to arrive, but bigger than all the rest]...

Coming from the country of super-size me, I can't tell you how happy this makes me.  Add to this the advent of biodegradable plastic bags in Rome...well, things in my kitchen never looked so good.  Now - to figure out how to fit it into my mini-sized fridge...

Live links in gray on official blog

Italy 2010 - The Best & Worst of a Year in Review

Following is my serendipitous selection of the Good-Buono, the Bad & the Ugly-Brutto of Life in Italy 2010.  Feel free to add your own.

milano
buono      Milan’s train station grows up – and starts adding slick services & fancy stores for passengers.
brutto       You’ll have to count on those stores for your water supply…Milan has ripped out all the fountains all around town (you know, the ones from which water flows out all day & night) because people were – gasp! – taking advantage of the freely flowing H2O and using it to wash their cars, while the homeless got cleaned up.
While I’m all for not wasting water in today’s day & age, I’d like someone to please tell me that the clean water isn’t just flowing freely underneath our feet and that shelters now provide showers.

roma
buono      Rome turned into ‘Roma Capitale’ following other capital cities in their pursuit of providing more cohesive tourist services and so on under one umbrella. Add to this a number of free evenings to the major attractions throughout the year (and the Vatican museums deserve a shout out for their night openings as well – and still free on the last Sunday of each month), and the latest announcement -- you get in free on your birthday! (Trust me, I’ll be testing their meddle on the upcoming missing Leap Day & see how the ticket agents react...) 

For now, I'll hold off judgment seeing that the latest free evenings at State-run museums in Rome, were not mentioned anywhere on the Roma capitale nor rome city websites – shame on them.

Jan 1^st also marks the day that ‘no more plastic bags’ will be used by stores – large & small – even green grocer market stands.  Not exactly true, as we’ll just be using biodegradable plastic bags.  Hopefully, it will be heavily enforced by the authorities like the hugely successful anti-smoking law.  But so far, I’ve been handed regular plastic bags, but hey, it’s only a few days in…

Activists from Retake Rome finally taking the rampant & ridiculous graffiti into their own hands – and gaining the interest (perhaps by disgracing them into action) of the Mayor's office as well.  But, will they make a long-lasting impression?  Too early to tell.

brutto     January 1^st also marks the day that tourists will start paying a tourist tax, with an increase of 1 euro at all museum entrances (not to mention at the hotels) – “To pay for all the terrific services we have in mind to offer.”  As if the 20% VAT on all that isn’t already covered.  I start losing my mind every time I think about this, so, if you want my long-winded opinion on the entire tourist tax scam, click here (or find it under Caveat Emptor on the right hand column on my blog page).

firenze/florence

buono     Turned its Piazza Duomo into a pedestrian area – and it’s wonderful.

brutto      Outlawed eating in that same inviting area and no sitting on the church steps. It's an effort to keep illegal immigrants & the homeless away, but ultimately hurts the millions of tourists who just want to take a break in a breathtaking area.

pompeii

buono      Authorities will be investigating the reasons why none of the dozens of archeologists on site could forecast the felling of the buildings.

brutto       That they fell in the first place.  Besides, the cases will probably take so long, we may never know the reasons why nor prevent it from happening again (Save building a rooftop over the entire place - a solution I'm sure the local Camorra is pushing for...)

napoli/naples

buono       Sell out shows by Saviano, the Gomorrah author both live and in TV audiences and the courage that this man has to name the most well-known secret in Italy.

brutto        That the trash piles up again for all the world to see -- along with the Neopolitans’ pat refusal to recycle, open up dumps, or see to it that those same dumps aren’t run by the mob & toxic waste isn't spilled in their path.

italy

buono        Mrs. Berlusconi finally decided not to ‘stand by her man’ – collecting her pieces and leaving the game.  Her example of walking out of the marriage farce may finally set thousands of cuckholded women and millions of ‘separati in casa’ free (of course, it eases the pain of leaving when you walk out with bags full of your Monopoly money).

brutto         Silvio’s economic plan for the underemployed youth of his time, reiterated throughout the year, “Marry rich.” 

buono        A 3hr. train ride from rome to Milan.

brutto          The price of that train ride.

Thanks for the packages, I can't wait to empty them out (Boxes carry Union labels)

with its foray into America, fiat becomes a strange source of pride for all & sundry, while taking on the unions, who have done their fare share of damage to Italy’s productivity.  and, continuing to give us colorful little 500s, they keep the love alive…

the advent of consumer’s associations. finally exercising their muscle, and getting results – on class action suits and otherwise. go to their websites to see who they’re going after.

many young women being the pride of Italy and winning competitions in fencing, tennis and swimming, among others.

prosecco outsells champagne this holiday season

brutto

Losing in the world cup along with their display of fakery on the pitch was a double-header of disgrace.

Young women who want to be showgirls or politicians (or both!) fueling the macho- man legacy and a sad statement for the future of Italy.

Aquila still in piles of rubble. But, I’m not one to complain – Ground Zero is still an open pit and New Orleans has not returned to its former self.

the last word

Blue mozzarella & fuchsia ricotta – Colorful rainbows aside, why are we importing cheeses from Germany?  Talk about a carbon footprint!

An Italian going up into outer space – for 6 months, no less.

Arrest & sequester of hundreds of mafia men & their properties

Movies set in Italy, The American, The Tourist, Eat-Pray-Love

What did you love or hate about events in Italy this year?

The Gods Must be Crazy

Photo from Il Messaggero Archives

In an extreme example of Art Imitating Life, another wall has come down in Italy (and not in the Berlin sense).  This time, an external garden wall of the Casa del Moralista (Moralist's House).  It has been raining for weeks, and, near to the fallen Domus of the Gladiators (the Schola Armaturarum) came today's crumble.  
In days of yore, if two events like that happened in a span of weeks, you'd start thinking about appeasing the gods or making offerings to Isis.  But now that we have the House of Morals seriously in disrepair, and the fighters no longer standing...I'm ready to place my own little Trevor on an altar, if it would bring an end to the decay.

Maybe that's what Berlusconi must do - make the ultimate sacrifice and stop surrounding himself with escorts and cavort with Virgins instead.  He'd have to sacrifice them in the end, though, but at least he'd do away with his 'deep throats' (in more ways than one).

Now...Lay down, Trev, Lay down!

See a slide show & good analysis here. 

And again, on 2 December, another break in the wall...
This time, at the Domus of Trebio Valente right near the Schola Armaturarum