‘Naples is a Paradise: everyone lives in a state of intoxicated self-forgetfulness, myself included. I seem to be a completely different person whom I hardly recognize. Yesterday I thought to myself: Either you were mad before, or you are mad now.’ (Goethe, Italian Journey) (Viagem à Itália,Goethe)

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“(...)we finally arrived in Naples. It was around 8:30pm, and while on the taxi journey from the airport to the B&B, I was in shock! I would have never expected that. The motorway was dark and busy; the driver was going way too fast for my liking. My dream of historical buildings was shattered by the sight of what looked like some of Sao Paulo’s outskirts with loads of old, ugly buildings and dirty streets. It was all very dark and strange. Not to mention the heavy rain. All I could think of was my untameable curly hair and the mess it would be most of the time, and how high maintenance it would be while I was here.” (Loveandpizza.it - Chapter 4)

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“Walking up the cobbled street, all we could see on our right was a huge wall, but for someone who never even sees castles, this one was very impressive. I’d read it had an hexagonal shape and that the views from the top were breath-taking. There was a kind of a piazza at the end of the castle street, right in front of the Certosa di San Martino, which used to be a monastery for the Carthusian monks, but now displays Neapolitan art and history.

‘Hey, let’s go over there. There’s loads of people down there taking photos. I bet the view is amazing.’

As we walked down, we started having a better view of the left side of the street.

‘What the fuck is that?’ I said, coming to a halt.

Lisa laughed, not used to me swearing.

‘Oi! Language, ragazza!’

I didn’t even acknowledge her comment. I just kept saying the same thing in my head as I carried on walking down the street, my eyes fixed on “him”. Yes, I actually personified the volcano.

By the time we got to the little piazza, I was enchanted, hypnotised; the city spread at our feet.. and in the background, there “he” was: majestic, reining over the Neapolitan Bay. It was a beautiful, clear day. The blue sky contrasted perfectly with the brown and green of his flanks, and snow sprinkled on his summit, as if it were a giant pandoro, a kind of panettone . The great Mount Vesuvius. The terrifying Vulcano Vesuvio. The one and only that had destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum; the one that only in my wildest dreams I could have imagined I’d see in person one day. Wow. Wow. Wow. It was love at first sight. At that moment, looking at that powerful and magical scene, I said a prayer: “Please, God, let me find in this city what I’ve always looked for. Please. Amem.’” (Loveandpizza.it - Chapter 5)

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And that's how Napoli stole my heart. I heard from several students that Napoli is practically a 3rd world city within Italy. I still hear people say today that you either love or hate Napoli. The overwhelming majority of my teenage students said they would never live in another city. As for me, in Napoli I felt (and still do whenever I go there) at home.. And I miss it soooooo badly! I do not know how to explain it. It wasn't exactly "love at first sight", as you can read in the excerpt from chapter 4 of the novel. But it was “love from the top”. At the top of the city, right in front of Certosa di San Martino, my heart skipped a beat when I saw the Vesuvius. (excerpt from chapter 5). Faraway, so close, as the name of that Wim Wenders’s movie about angels in Berlin. Napoli is pure poetry. Romantic poetry, fantasy poetry, realistic poetry, naked reality.

Napoli is the land of Vesuvius, of the miracle of San Gennaro, of the egg under the castle, of a sky so blue that it seems that the sea has changed places and is going to pour itself onto us. It’s the land of the babá with rum, the pizza margherita, the Camorra (mafia), the bags and fake shoes sold on the sidewalk, the garbage accumulated in the streets. Listening to Neapolitan dialect and not understanding anything, even if he is fluent in Italian. And where you can see the Veiled Christ. Where you can visit an entire cemetery of bones, and a crypt where you can see a skull that sweats and another one that receives promises to arrange marriages. It is a city of three layers, where you can go to the deepest layer of civilization - and of yourself. And where you can sit in front of the sea, with a huge dormant volcano in the background and have a cold beer accompanied by pretzels, or potato chips (or tripe with lemon, if you are more adventurous). It’s where you can walk along the lungomare (sea front) with no rush to go back home. It’s the city of palaces that you find in your path when you least expect.

And it was all of this (and a little more) that I tried to show in Loveandpizza.it - ​​of course, with a good hint of romance, and even a friendly ghost, to help tell the stories of such a fascinating city. I never thought of being a travel blogger, but I hope I can do justice to the wealth this city has to offer. Keep an eye out for new stuff on this website, because I will be posting more excerpts from the novel, and you will be able to learn more about Napoli through the eyes of Carolina, Lisa, Fabrizio, Luca and the other characters.

Below, some curiosities about the city:

• In 1995, the historic city centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The San Gennaro Catacombs in Naples date back to the third century AD and contain ancient graves, crypts, and countless dark and chilling tunnels.
• The main church in Naples is the Roman Catholic Naples Cathedral, known in Italian as Duomo di Napoli, which was built in the late 13th century.
• The classic Margherita Pizza got its name from Queen Margherita Teresa Giovanni after she visited Naples in the late 19th century.
• Naples is home to three large castles which are known as Castel Nuovo, Castel dell’Ovo, and Castel Sant’Elmo. All three of these castles date back to at least the thirteenth century.
• Castel dell’Ovo is translated roughly to Egg Castle and is linked to a legend involving a magic egg that contained protective powers. This egg is said to have been buried in a secret location within the castle.
• Naples only became part of the new Italy in October of 1860 as part of the Italian Unification movement.

(Source: https://www.livitaly.com/20-fun-facts-about-naples/) )

Click on the image below to read travel tips of Napoli and surrounding areas