Prosciutto, Pancetta, Salami, Salsicce, Coppa, Barbozza: an Umbria January

Prosciutto, pancetta, salami, salsicce, coppa, barbozza. The names unite in an enticing rhythm, so appealing to your ear. Even if you’re a vegetarian. When I dropped in recently at the house of  rural neighbors Peppe and Gentile,  their daughter Paola and her husband Leandro were putting finishing touches to many of these items: “gifts” from…

At Trattoria Nennella, Tasting Naples

In the difficult years following World War II, in the working class district of Naples, i quartieri spagnoli (“the Spanish quarter”)…………many a creative napoletano became adept at the art of arrangiarsi (literally, “to arrange oneself,” i.e., invent a way to survive).  Many depended on some sort of income from the American soldiers, including Elisabetta Vitiello, who opened a…

The Spanish Quarter of Naples: Where Culture is Salvation

Crowded and colorful, bustling, energetic, and animated, gritty and crumbling – no panoply of words can ever describe Naples’ Quartieri Spagnoli. The street network of the “Spanish district” was set out in the 17th-century during the Spanish rule of the Kingdom of Naples.  The troops were quartered here in this district bordered by one of the main…

Foundlings in Naples

When recently in Naples, our napoletani friends, Roberta and Adriano, knew I was eager to see more of the “undiscovered Naples.”  Roberta decided where our explorations should start:  at the Basilica della  Santissima Annunziata Maggiore. The Baroque church with concave facade is flanked by an 18th-century bell tower – currently under restoration  –  with a…

In Via San Gregorio Armeno in Naples, Top Italian Craftsmanship

A stroll amidst the botteghe of the presepari  (creche-scene artists) in Via San Gregorio Armeno in Naples is quite simply an immersion into a showroom of superb Italian craftsmanship. In the splendid presepi napoletani (Neapolitan creche scenes), figures of the Holy Family, the Magi, angels and shepherds……   ….have been traditionally surrounded by joyful dancers with tambourines.. …musicians playing…