If you've never been here,
it doesn't look like this yet.
(May 26) SNAFUS & FUBARS
& Dreams (oh, my!) -- Two
most egregious examples of urban planning. Number
one concerns the State Road 145 on
the way out to Sorrento and the new 3-km tunnel
that by-passes the coast road, a scenic stretch
that has always been a pleasure to drive when
there is no traffic (say, at 3.30 a.m. on a
Sunday morning in February). It has overrun
estimated cost and opening dates many times. It
is now guaran-damn-teed to open this summer.
Small caveat: only for cars. Due to structural
considerations, there will be no TIR traffic
(International Road Transports); that is, those
large cab+trailer rigs that are always in front
of you. Thus, that traffic will still plod along
the coast. The good news: you can beat them by
going through the tunnel. That bucolic beach
stretch? It was a nice idea.) (See this later update
and this one.)
Number two: When the whole metro line is
finished, there will be three main hubs: the
main train station (now open); the airport (not
started!), and Piazza Municipio (finally, a
station in the middle of town, near the port,
five years behind schedule). Problem: the
over-hyped architects of that station overlooked
an old Angevin wall running along the sea; the
wall separated the old port from the castle (Angevin
Fortress). They didn't know it was there,
hiding underground right where the plans call
for tracks to pass. Not to worry, say planners.
Back to the drawing board and it will only cost
lots of money and take a lot of time. The
dreams? On May 31 at the Royal
Continental Hotel, The Fifth Edition of the "Urban
Conviviality Prize," will display 20
proposed designs for a new Naples waterfront.
They range from Aqualand parks to gardens, boat
harbors and, my favorite, a beach (artists
rendition, image above). That's right, turn the
seaside of via Caracciolo into a large beautiful
beach with lots of white, virgin sand like you
see in National Geographic. All you need is sand
and virgins.

- (May 30) Speaking of
dreams and those that come to naught, the
Bagnolifutura corporation, founded ten years ago
in a burst of enthusiasm for the future of one
of the seediest bits of urban blight in Italy,
was officially declared defunct, bankrupt,
kaputt by the Neapolitan courts yesterday. It
isn't clear, at least to me, what this means for
the future disposition of the properties. I have
written 10 or so separate items on Bagnoli in
these pages, some optimistic, some skeptical.
They are under "Bagnoli" and "Bagnoli, future
of" in the B section of the main index. Click here.
This item is also included on the
Consolidated Bagnoli
page.

-
(June 6) The Naples Teatro
Festival Italia 2014 starts its seventh
edition tonight with an open-air performance of
the Vertigo Dance Company from Israel performing
on the premises of the National Railway Museum
in Pietrarsa, near Naples (photo, right).
The weather is expected to be splendid! The
festival ends on June 22 and will bring to the
city thirty shows, featuring works by Chechov,
the Argentinian Marcelo Savignone and the
Latvian Rimas Tuminas plus a tribute to Eduardo De Filippo
thirty years after his death. In addition
to the site at Pietrarsa, the festival will
stage two other shows in locations other than
theaters, one of which will be Manlio
Santanelli's Per Oggi non Si Cade
[roughly: For today at least, nothing will
fall] under the direction of Fabio
Cocifoglia. The performance will be installation
art, with the audience following as if on a
museum tour. They will have audio guides that
let them listen and will able to look at videos
and installations. The story is intriguing: for
one day God decides to remove gravity in Naples
and the rubbish bags that normally litter the
streets hang over the city. That's enough to
make a theater-goer of me!
(June 6) This
delightful little building is the Church
of the Incoronata on via Medina near
Piazza Municipio and the city hall. (You may
read a brief history here.) The "sunken"
appearance is due to the fact that the building
is now well below the modern street level. The Incoronata
was built in the 1300s and a century or so later
they started raising the roads in that part of
town. As you may read at that link, the church
has had somewhat of a checkered history, at one
point disappearing entirely beneath overlaid
masonry of newer construction. Some years ago
they decided to dig it out and restore it. One
such episode of restoration led to use of the
building as a small exhibit hall about seven or
eight years ago, such as the one described here. It was
closed again a number of months ago for further
restoration; it has now been reopened and may be
visited. It comes as a pleasant surprise at the
beginning of the summer that this site is open
again. It is right across the street from other
ongoing work, the dismantling of the Neptune Fountain,
one of the most famous of the "traveling
waterworks" of Naples. Neptune is in the process
of being moved just a few yards away, very close
to where it was when it built. All of this in
preparation for the opening of the new Piazza Municipio
metropolitana station.
-

(June 11) The
local fish-wrapper ran an article
yesterday entitled “Count Dracula died in
Naples.” They ran it with a photo (right)
(though not identifying it as such) of the
infamous Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia
(1431–1477), also known to those who knew and
loved him (not the same persons) as Vlad the
Impaler, member of the House of Draculesti, and
known by his patronymic, Dracula. He was the
inspiration for Bram Stoker's 1897 novel of
that name. Those making the claim that the
Drakman died and was buried in Naples are not
teenaged TV vampire groupies, no indeed (though
they are bound to start showing up sooner or
later). They are scholars from the University of
Tallinn in Estonia, who claim to have documents
although they have not produced any. They were
last seen snooping around the church of Santa Maria la
Nova, in the courtyard, near a tomb
that has some very interesting markings on it
(photo, above, left. Actually, it really does
resemble a dragon—the source of the name Dracula.)
According to traditional sources, Vlad was
supposedly killed and entombed at a monastery in
Romania in 1477, but they say that later
inspection of the tomb found it empty! Heh-heh...
Of course, it was empty, you fools! [But see below, item
for June 13.)
(June 12) Oplontis
is the least-known archaeological site
between Naples and Mt. Vesuvius. Compared to
Pompei and Herculaneum, it is practically
unknown. Yet, it is worth a visit (see this
link to the main entry). The newspapers
now lament the fact that a long-awaited
archaeological museum for the site has yet to
even get started in spite of all the
declarations of good intention by those holding
the purse strings. If there is no museum, then
there is no place to exhibit the stuff, and
it sits in a warehouse and gathers dust.
Even worse, an entire collection of marble
statuary, amphora, mosaics, and gold jewelry is
about to leave town as a traveling exhibit. It
is part of the so-called “Oplontis Project,”
brain-child of US professor, John Robert Clark,
currently directing excavations in Villa B of
the Oplontis site. The exhibit, entitled
“Leisure and Luxury in the Age of Nero. The
Villas of Oplontis” will be on display at four
different universities in the US, at least
through 2015. I said “Even worse,” but maybe
it's not so bad. The indifference on the part of
authorities to the site at Oplontis is
unbelievable. Maybe if they see it all being
carted away...
(June 13) Dracula
update! My one-woman research team, Selene
Salvi (she is to information as Godzilla was to
Tokyo) reports back with devastating news for my
gullible little heart; to wit, the item from
June 11 (two up from this entry) is baloney,
dingo's kidneys, a load of cobblers, bilge, a
crock. But there is hope! Yes, Dracula's
Daughter! (And I don't mean the 1936 Universal
Studios horror film (film poster, right). As far
as I know, that was fiction. I'm talking about
the real deal! (Selene calls my attention to a
small volume, Il lupo e la cometa. Breve
inquisizione su Maria Balsa (The Wolf
and the Comet, a Brief Inquiry into Maria
Balsa, by Mario Ciola, ed. Telemaco,
Acerenza, 2012), and then by extension, to other
and much older works and then to the mysterious
cathedral of Acerenza (near Potenza in the
Basilicata region of Italy), in which crypts are
adorned with all manner of medieval demons,
devils, and dragons! One such crypt
(from 1524) contains the remains of the lord of
Acerenza, Giacomo Alfonso Ferillo and his bride,
Maria Balsa. Based on a 1666 (hmmm—suspicious
number!) book entitled Of the Dragona Family
speculation arose that Maria Balsa was from the
Balkans and, indeed, none other than a princess
and, even worse, the daughter of Vlad III, the
Impaler—Dracula! Long story short, that, too,
has been debunked for a variety of reasons, not
the least of which is that a Balkan princess
whose father (Vlad) had been excommunicated(!)
could hardly have traveled to Italy and been
welcomed into a good Roman Catholic noble
family. There are also a great number of
genealogical inconsistencies, all grist for the
mill of the author of The Wolf and the Comet.
The book was promoted by the town of Acerenza.
Apparently the good Aceruntini (yes, that's what
they're called) got tired of people dropping by
just to find the tomb of Dracula's Daughter.
Some people just have nothing better to do than
look for tombs with dragons on them, which
probably means only that the encrypted was a
member of the Societas Draconistarum,
the Order of the Dragon, a chivalric order
founded in 1408. (Something like the Knights Templar. Tough
customers, they say. Think nasty Masons.)
(June 13) The
remodeled breakwater at the Diaz
Circle on via Caracciolo is already known
as "i baffi"—the mustache (see
photo, right, if you have any questions!).
The drooping bits on both sides of the
original were added a
couple of years ago for boats taking part
in the America's Cup regatta. The
extensions lengthened the rocks
considerably —not a bad idea, since on the
west (left) you have a mooring for small
fishing boats, and on the right a public
beach. There is now more space to go for
your Sunday rock-stroll! (Besides, it's
cute. Look at the green eyes (two
fountains) across the street. The bridge
of the nose is a giant statue of Armando
Diaz.) Now they want to trim the
mustache, remove the "droops." Well, city
hall actually likes the new
configuration. The problem is with Giorgio
Cozzolino, the new superintendent of
everything that has to do with
architecture, archaeology, natural and
historical monuments, art and
ethnoanthropology. And breakwaters. It
seems that the original deal called for
the breakwater to be restored to the
original configuration after the America's
Cup was over. It's still there and Giorgio
says he is seeking a court order to force
the city to comply. I can see the mustache
from where I live. From my view, it's more
of a handlebar! (Sort of 1890-ish, which
is when the original was built, by the
way. So in my humble ethnoanthropological
opinion...) I like it.

Storm
damage to the Botanical Gardens
in
Portici is
'incalculable.' (photo, il
Mattino)
-

(June 17) The Bay of Naples
is not exactly "tornado alley," but every few
years we get a twister that would just be a
fierce water spout if it stayed at sea.
Yesterday, one moved inland and caused severe
damage but, fortunately, no loss of life. I
actually saw this thing forming, a funnel
trailing down out of a great cloud mass over the
eastern part of the bay about halfway between
Naples and Vesuvius. By the time I had run home
to get a camera, it had moved inland and then
west towards the city, where it brought massive
flooding, heavy hail, uprooted trees, and downed
traffic signals and tram power lines. It struck
hard up on the Vomero hill above where I live.
It had touched down first at Portici,
site of the former Bourbon Palace, currently the
Agriculture department of the University of
Naples and devastated (some sources say
"destroyed") one of the most important botanical
gardens in Italy. The garden opened in 1872 and
even survived the ravages of WWII as Allied and
Axis armies moved right through the area. The
Botanical Garden built up an important
repository over the years of botanical species
from all over the word. The director says the
losses are incalculable. Heavily wooded parks at
the higher elevations of the city, such as the Floridiana and the Capodimonte
Wood have been closed until further notice
while the damage is assessed.
(photo credit, left: Fulvio Salvi)
photo by Piedi
per la Terra
(June 25) This is
remarkable—a summer camp for children in one
of loveliest and greenest imaginable places, and it
is in Naples! Specifically, this
place here. The camp and many other activities
for children are promoted by Piedi per la Terra
(Feet for the Earth), a non-profit social
organization. Paraphrased from their literature:
Since 1998
we have promoted environmental education and
activities for children. They play with nature and
science in true hands-on surroundings,
experimenting with their sense of creativity,
getting valuable experience and learning how to
cooperate with one another.
The camp is for ages 3 to 12 and is run "day
camp"; that is, from 8.30 am to 4.30 p.m with
activity themes changing weekly. This year there are
10 sessions, from mid-June through mid-September.
You sign your kid up on a weekly basis, for one or
for all ten, from How a Farm Works, to
Our Tree Planet to The Chicken is
My Friend, and one that I might sign up for
(!) that will teach me how to make toys from
recycled products.
update
from the 2016 activities here
(June 25) OK, I'm
impressed. Yacht-watching season swings into
high gear. That thing in the middle is the Eos (the
Greek Goddess of dawn and large boats). Eos is
a three-masted Bermuda-rigged schooner. She is one
of the largest private sailing yachts in the world,
and some say the largest if you count the bowsprit.
Built by the Lürssen yard in Bremen, Germany, the
ship was launched in 2006. As of 2009 the Eos is
the property of movie and media billionaire Barry
Diller, husband of fashion designer Diane von
Fürstenberg. Overall length (of the ship, not Diane
von Fürstenberg) measures approximately 305 feet
(92.92m). Naval architecture by Langan Design;
Interior design: François Catroux. If you are in the
mood to quibble over bowsprits (and who isn't?),
other contenders for longest private tubs are here. Other
stats: beam (i.e. the ship's breadth at its widest
point) 44.29 ft (13.50 m); Propulsion: Twin screw
with 2 × 2,333 hp (1,740 kW) MTU diesel engines
(HEY! They have sails AND engines?! and I'm not
counting the 56 galley slaves --ok, I made that one
up!); Speed: 16 knots (30 km/h) maximum; Complement:
16 guests, approx. 21 crew. Aluminum hull and
superstructure. Barry and Dianne were here overnight
and left early this morning. A shame. I wanted to
swim out for a pizza. (Oops, they came back a few
days later and docked at Mergellina. Here's a better
view--)
And more
important stats:
-IMO
: 9377456 -MMSI: 319087000
-Call Sign: ZCPM3 -Gross
Tonnage: 1517 t
Summer DWT: 242 t
Flag: CAYMAN ISLANDS (KY) (or maybe Kentucky)
Home port: GEORGE TOWN (Two words! Cayman
islands.)
Oh, gross tonnage (GT) relates to a ship's
overall internal volume. It is based on the
moulded volume of all enclosed spaces of the
ship. Do NOT(!) confuse this with gross register
tonnage, deadweight tonnage, compensated gross
tonnage, displacement, or summer deadweight
tonnage (DWT), which is the sum of the crew,
passengers, stores, fuel, lubricant and cargo
when the ship floats at the summer load line,
which is at the middle of the Plimsoll mark.
(Also see Boats of the Bay)
End of Miscellany page 45