2015 – Christmas in Naples, Italy, from the outside

A look back (first published on 24 December 2015): Christmas in Naples – different but not so different.

The Phraser

A Christmas light by the San Paolo football stadium in Naples, Italy A Christmas light by the San Paolo football stadium in Naples, Italy

The sun shines in Naples and the streets are full.  Many are just out for the occasion, to watch and be watched, and others to shop, to sell, to beg, to walk the dog.

It’s definitely Christmas but it never stops being Naples – nothing is drowned in jingles or jolliness.

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The hunt for the heart of Naples, Italy

A look back (first published on 6 September 2014)

The Phraser


We’ve glimpsed the heart of the city … we think. It’s a short, ancient artery that pumps life into the cobbled soul of Naples.

This artery, the Via San Gregorio Armeno, is dense with the past. Like all of Naples it has seen centuries of armies, rebels, rogues and kings sweep through and back again, trailed by plagues and starvation. It has survived them all, and its buildings and treasures are now protected as part of the Centro Storico by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

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Luci d’Artista (Artists’ Lights) in the port city of Salerno, Italy

The Castello di Arechi in Salerno looks down on the Luci d'Artista

The Castello di Arechi in Salerno looks down on the Luci d’Artista

The dark months of winter can be full of gloom.  This is true everywhere but in the south of Italy it feels personal.

Here the point is the sun.  Without it there is no light on the sea, no sun in your glass, no need for riposo.

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