Market Day in Lago Patria!

Pictured above: A seafood vendor hacking apart a big-ass fish on market day in Lago Patria.

One of the things I absolutely love out here are the open air markets. In Lago Patria (where I live,) there’s a market up the road every Thursday morning… a veritable mish-mash of all sorts of things, usually costing just a few euros. A few weeks back, I grabbed my backpack, hopped on my bike and made my way over to the market for the first time. On the “market road,” vendors lined both sides with tents, trailers and tables, selling everything you could think of – fresh produce, clothes, shoes, jewelry, candy, toys, handicrafts, hot foods, housewares, fresh meats & seafood, olives, breads, cheeses and of course, knock-off designer accessories. The first thing I came upon had to be one of my faves the whole day – an old rusty truck with a bed full of fresh artichokes still on their foot long stalks. For just 3 euros a bunch (or $3.81 for 5 ‘chokes,) customers would pick the perfect ones out, and then the vendor would hack off the long stems before bagging them and handing them off. In true Italian fashion, of course there were 2 men walking up and down the whole market (probably about 75 vendors in all) with instant caffe carts, selling espressos to anyone who could pull themselves away from their bargaining for just a minute… which is another thing I love about these markets – you can haggle with the vendor to your heart’s content. Of the 4 things I bought that day, I think I only paid full price for one of them, and that was because the vendor bought me a caffe to sweeten the deal. Other vendors had bedsheets laid out on the pavement, offering the best counterfeit Prada, Louis Vuitton and Burberry handbags, wallets & scarves I’ve ever seen. All over Naples, especially downtown, vendors (usually not Italian) peddle illegitimate goods on every corner. You’ll find the usual items like I found at my market, as well as knock-off Ray Bans, Adidas, Nike, Chanel & Coach accessories here and there; all laid out on sheets, so they can make a quick getaway if the gray-suited Guarda di Finanza, or finance police, starts heading their way. Its actually kind of funny to see the escape happen. The vendors grab all 4 corners of the sheet displaying their items, throw it over their shoulder in a Santa-like fashion and run like hell. It might be my new favorite kind of people watching. This sort of thing is pretty common downtown, but out in the suburbs, where I live, the Guarda tend to turn a blind eye to illegal vendors; the Guarda are so outnumbered by them that there’s really nothing they can do.

Since we are talking about the Guarda, here’s another interesting thing about Italy – to say tax evasion is really big around here is an understatement. Because Italy is riddled with so much financial crime & smuggling, the Guarda stays busy arresting and issuing fines to people illegally selling or making illegal purchases. According to Italian law, sellers must always issue a receipt with purchases, and people buying the items must be able to produce the receipt on demand. You won’t get a receipt with an illegal purchase, so if the Guarda catches you making one, you’ll be fined… heavily. At that point, you might as well just pay the full price for a real Gucci handbag. Many say that tax evasion is Italy’s 2nd most popular sport (it’ll never beat soccer) and believe me, they are really good at it; however, be warned: as tourists, it is seen as our responsibility to know the rules out here, and no amount of “non capisco” you say will get you out of a fine from the Guarda. So when it comes to street transactions, please remember you’re purchasing at your own risk… and if you see any men in gray suits eyeballing you, the deal might be worth walking away from.

Our Neapolitan Weekend, Part IV: Castle in the Sky

Pictured above: A view from the top of the Castel Sant’Elmo on Vomero hill.

Once we finished our purchases and said our “grazies,” Giovanni walked us down the street to the Castel Sant’Elmo, a medieval fortress dating back to 1275, from the era of Charles d’Anjou. After having a quick conversation with the man in the ticket booth, Giovanni handed us four free admission tickets, and explained to us that since we killed some time in his shop and now it was after 4pm, there was no charge (very good to know for the frugal tourist! Save some $!!) He instructed us to spend very little time on the bottom floor, and to take the nearby elevator to the top… up we went… and up… still going… fyi… the Castel Sant’Elmo has got to have the slowest elevator in all of Naples, in case you wanted to know. So once we got up there, it was clear the rumors were correct – the views of the city from the top were incredible. From up there, you could see the entire city and out over the sea, to the islands of Ischia, Procida, Capri & the Sorrento Peninsula. Additionally, we could see two US Navy ships at port in the bay, one of which was the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, the Navy’s oldest operating vessel, on its final foreign port stop before going back to the states to be decommissioned.

Now, I know I said that Vesuvio had some killer views, and yes, the views from the top of the volcano were awesome… but the views from the castle, with Vesuvio in the background, were just breathtaking. Like the summit of Vesuvio, there was a peaceful silence all around, so far removed from the constant horns, sirens, and the general hustle/bustle downtown. What all started as a whim to the castle turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the day – a chance encounter with a cameo maker in Vomero, who showed us his family’s beautiful work, then walked us through his city to take us to the Castel, where he got us free admission for some of the most priceless views of the city… I couldn’t have wished for the day to turn out any better.

Then tomorrow happened. Stay tuned this week for the next part of “Our Neapolitan Weekend!”

Some more photos I took from the top of the Castel Sant’Elmo can be seen below on flickr!

Snapshots from our Neapolitan Weekend

Castel Sant’Elmo, a set on Flickr.

Our Neapolitan Weekend, Part III: Why You Should Talk to Strangers.

Pictured above: Agate cameo pendant from Giovanni’s shop, the Cameo Factory De Paola.

After taking in the gorgeous spectacle, we decided to start making our way back towards the Montesanto metro station. Before I came to Naples, my friend Whitney bought me an excellent guidebook as a going away gift… and needless to say, I’ve read that thing over, over, and over again. One thing I came across in the guide was an article about the Naples Funicular lines. In case the word seems foreign to you, a funicular is basically a sort of rail cable car, that operates with counterbalanced ascending and descending cars. Excellent for a quick visit up or down some of the more hilly areas of the city, when I realized there was an accessible funicular in the train station, I was all over it. I recalled hearing somewhere that from the Castel Sant’Elmo, somewhere near the top of the funicular line, a person could experience some of the best views of Naples… so I convinced everyone to fly by the seat of their pants and trust me to go on an unplanned adventure.

Once we got out of the funicular, we found ourselves staring at a giant map of the area… which of course isn’t in English. So we are standing there, scratching our heads, trying to translate the giant map with microscopic Italian writing, when out of nowhere, a tall man in a nice suit comes up to us and asks us, in English, if we were looking for the castle. He says its right down the street and that he will show us the way. Now, I am not a very trusting individual… I’m one of those who usually keeps their guard up at all times with strangers. So as we walk, I start asking him all sorts of questions – I’m not nosy – I just want to get a feel for who the heck this guy is:

Name: Giovanni.

Where he lives: Vomero section of Naples (where we were.)

Only place he’s visited in the US: Florida

What does he do: He owns a cameo factory.

Cameo factory? Hmm. That’s interesting. Go on…

Giovanni continued to explain that Naples is famous for 3 things: pizza/pasta, Vesuvio, and cameo jewelry.

In case you aren’t familiar with the term, cameos are pieces of jewelry, typically oval in shape, commonly consisting of a portrait in profile or other images carved in relief on a background of a different color. A painstaking art form that requires a steady hand and a crap ton of patience, cameos of Neapolitan origin are known as some of the best examples of this method. Italian cameos are traditionally made from different types of seashells and coral, as well as gemstones such as agate and onyx.

Giovanni explained that he was a 3rd generation cameo carver, and that if we were interested, we could stop into his factory, which was on the way to the castle. Once we got there, it was such a pleasant surprise – more like a storefront and an artisan carving studio all in one; that day, I learned that Italians use the term “factory” a little loosely around here. The place was so interesting – Giovanni took me to his work bench, where he showed me his carving tools, shells, and other raw materials that he used to create cameos while explaining his technique, a method handed down to him from his grandfather. In a simple frame on the wall above the bench, was a faded letter from President Eisenhower, thanking Giovanni’s family for their work on “the lovely cameo” he had commissioned for his wife. Giovanni caught me looking at it, and smiled proudly as he told me about he loved to create beautiful things. It was obvious I was surrounded by a labor of love; looking around at all the glass cases throughout the shop, I simply couldn’t imagine the total amount of work hours it would have taken to produce so many delicately carved pieces.

Though meeting Giovanni was quite the serendipitous detour during our visit downtown, you know the adventure didn’t stop there… stick around for “Our Neapolitan Weekend, Part IV” I’ll be posting later this week! 🙂

 

Our Neapolitan Weekend, Part II: Is it a Church, or an Art Museum??

Pictured above: a view of the nave in the Cattedrale di San Gennaro.

Our Neapolitan Weekend, Part II: Is it a Church, or an Art Museum??

After our tour of underground Naples, we decided to go check out The Duomo di Napoli, or Naples Cathedral, down a few blocks from the Sotterranea. The Duomo is the main church of Naples, Southern Italy, and the seat of the Archbishop of Naples. Locally it is known as the Cattedrale di San Gennaro, in honour of Saint Januarius, the patron saint of Naples; however, its actually dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Filled with art, relics from saints from around the world, and rich in both French Gothic and Neo-Gothic architecture, even the earth beneath the Duomo is sacred; back in the 4th century, when the Cathedral was first founded, it was built right on top of an ancient Greek temple dedicated to Apollo.

The patron saint of the cathedral, San Gennaro, was an Italian bishop martyred in Pozzuoli around 305 AD. His body was transported to Naples Cathedral around 400 AD. In the Chapel of San Gennaro, a silver reliquary bust in his likeness contains his head. In addition, the crypt altar contains two vials of San Gennaro’s blood, which famously (and hopefully) liquefies 3 times each year, known as the “Miracle of San Gennaro.” The earliest written record of the miracle dates from 1389. (For more info on the “miracle” & the Feast of San Gennaro, check out my 9/20/12 blog post.)

Regardless of your religious preference, if you have never had the opportunity to experience the sheer spectacle of a Cathedral, put it on your bucket list. The Duomo was the second Cathedral I have been in (the first was Durham Cathedral in England) and I gotta say, the sheer magnitude of art and ornate embellishments within these structures can almost overwhelm.

To see more photos from the Cattedrale, check out the flickr album below!

Snapshots from the Duomo (Naples Cathedral)

The Duomo di Napoli, a set on Flickr.

Snapshots from Napoli Sotterranea

Napoli Sotterranea, a set on Flickr.

Some visit to the famous “Napoli Sotterranea,” or Naples Underground!