A BRIEF HISTORY OF MOBILITY NAPLES VOMERO FROM THE CENTER AND VICE VERSA THANKS TO THE 4 FUNICULARS THAT EVERY DAY UP AND DOWN THE HILL TOWARD THE HEART OF THE CITY.


Fundamental for connection to the rest of the hilly districts of the city, funicular railways together with the Metropolitan foster the dynamism of Naples. The funicular station, Chiaia and Montesanto serve the Vomero district, while the Mergellina serves as a liaison between Posillipo and the sea.  
4 The set of plants runs along 3,200 m of track, partly in tunnel and partly uncovered, and 16 stations. The entire system is used by an average of about 55 thousand passengers per day (13 million annually) for quick movements and targeted. Concise history  - At the end of the 800 economic changes in the country provoked a strong recovery in Naples initiatives and investment, which, among other things, made ​​strong construction activity aimed at urban settlements of a certain level in the city center, in the area of Chiaia and Mergellina and on the Vomero hill. The sites began to spring up here and there, along with population growth in those areas: the condition imposed the creation of agile links between the hill and the city center. Thus, in 1880, two engineers from Naples (C.Cigliano and E.Ferrara) studied two systems of mechanical transport with a cable system to connect the Vomero to the city center (Funicular Montesanto) and the low-western area (Chiaia Funicular ) and obtained an agreement by the City for construction.  constructions After the end of the IXX century it was not until the second decade of the twentieth century, to see implemented in Naples Funicular other plants.  Firstly, one of the so-called Central, made ​​to complete the service of the Chiaia funicular and Montesanto and to connect the hill to the city center. too complex for the Mergellina motivation that led to its construction was the same as the first two funicular railways: the enhancement of the surrounding  building plots.  FUNICOLARE THE CENTRAL -  The Central Funicular , which connects to the Vomero neighborhood of San Ferdinando, was inaugurated on October 28, 1928 to meet the growing mobility needs from the Vomero to the center and vice versa. Its exercise that accompanied the old and Chiaia funicular Montesanto, and the name was due to the intermediate position between the two. The line is approximately 1234 m long, with an average gradient of 12%, and is crossed by 2 trains of 3 cars each, with a maximum capacity of 450 passengers. In April of '97 were finished all the renovations, which concerned carriages and stations.The funicular railway station of Naples is one of the ropeway, in urban areas, more 'important in the world for length, efficiency and capacity of transport. FUNICOLARE OF THE CHIAIA  - At the end of 1800 the Vomero hill was hit by the wave of construction which we have spoken, aimed at the transformation of the hill in a residential neighborhood. The funicular of Chiaia and Montesanto would support the mobility of the future new users hills. That Chiaia was the first to come into operation October 15, 1889 and connects Piazza Vanvitelli (interchange with Line 1 of the subway) to Rione Amedeo, in the Chiaia district (interchange with Line 2). Initially designed for steam traction in 1900 the line was fully equipped with an electric traction trains. The line is about 500 m long, with a constant slope of 29% and with 4 stops. And 'crossed by two sets of two cars each with a maximum capacity of 300 passengers.  's first restructuring in 1976 and caused the demolition of the buildings that housed the Liberty upper and lower stations; for over twenty years, the two stations were hosted by complex relief, permanently laid off and replaced by new arenas with nostalgic design highly original forms. The races, interrupted in 2002 for work, resumed in 2004.  FUNICOLARE OF THE MONTESANTO  - The funicular of Montesanto was inaugurated May 30, 1891, after five years of work and two years after the opening of the funicular of Chiaia. It connects the top of the Vomero (San Martino) with the neighborhood Montecalvario, specifically with Montesanto square, where there is an interchange with the railways Sepsa (Cumana and Circumflegrea) and line 2.  funicular is about 824 m long, with an average slope of 20,84%, and is crossed by two trains with two cars each, with a maximum capacity of 300 passengers. A first renovation took place in 1977 and the plant was reopened only in 1984 According to the project there will be a fourth stop in Viale Raffaello where two elevators rise in the tuff up to Castel Sant 'Elmo.Between 2004 and 2005, the plant was closed for upgrading work station less than that now lives next to the lines of Cumana and Circumflegrea. The inauguration of the station in 2008 and restyled once again the flavor of the original architecture Liberty: central portico, the two side turrets and the upper loggia (the building dates back to 1882, is a national monument), with the novelty of the panoramic terrace . FUNICOLARE OF THE MERGELLINA  - That is the most recent of Mergellina funicular in Naples. Entry into service May 24, 1931 to facilitate mobility in the new quarters posillipini. Initially privately owned was later taken over by the City. The route crosses private parks and gardens where you can enjoy impressive views.  The line is 550 m long, with 5 stops and a lower portion distinct from strong gradient (46%). The exercise is carried out by two trains, each consisting of one car, and a maximum capacity of 60 passengers. The plant has undergone completely renovated in 1990/91 and 
2008.

eventinapoli.com

SOPHIA’S SASSY SAYINGS – Ageing gracefully requires a great attitude to everything from birthdays to well-being, as summed up in some of the star’s best-loved quotes:

‘You shouldn't drag yourself down because you turn 50. If you have achieved something in life, age doesn't scare you.’

‘A woman’s dress should be like a barbed-wire fence: serving its purpose without obstructing the view.’

‘I always think positively. It is very rare that you find me in a mood that is sad or melancholic.’

‘Discipline is the great equalizer. If a young woman is beautiful but has no discipline, she will lose her looks as she grows older. If a plain woman is disciplined, she will undoubtedly become more beautiful with time.’

‘Sometimes, with exercise for example, I avoid action until I am almost sick with guilt. Then at the last moment before I sink into despair, I give myself a sort of mental slap and say "OK, girl, you'd better get going right now or all is lost!"

‘Having pride in your experience will keep you satisfied with your age, whatever it is. If you can look at yourself and know that you have faced difficulties and overcome them, taken risks and dealt with the consequences, gambled with your time and your love and at least sometimes won, then you will feel glad to be the age you are…’

‘Sex appeal is 50% what you have, and 50% what people think you have.’



- See more at: http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/buon-compleanno-sophia#sthash.Bdaw1GF7.dpuf

The House that Axel Built

"To live in such a place as this, to die in such a place, if ever death could conquer the everlasting joy of such a life!  What daring dream had made my heart beat so violently a moment ago when Mastro Vincenzo had told me that he was getting old and tired, and that his son wanted him to sell his house? What wild thoughts had flashed through my boisterous brain when he had said that the chapel belonged to nobody? Why not to me? Why should I not buy Mastro Vincenzo's house and join the chapel and the house with garlands of vines and cypresses and columns supporting white loggias, peopled with marbled statues of gods and bronzes of emperors and...I closed my eyes, lest the beautiful vision should vanish, and gradually realities faded away into the twilight of dreamland."

Even if we are lucky enough to one day find ourselves standing on a spot where we know, or rather feel, that there we could happily spend the rest of our days, it is likely that this dream will remain precisely that for the thousand and one reasons that dictate that we should live elsewhere.

That Axel Munthe wrested his vision out of the realm of dream and planted it solidly on the heights of Anacapri is a fact that is there for us all to go and verify. Villa San Michele, today a complex of villa, chapel, museum, gardens, ancient ruins, nature reserve, study centre and consulate, testifies to the dogged and patient determination with which Munthe pieced together the stones, marble fragments, loggias and columns which his dream had presented to him the day when as a young medical student convalescing in Sorrento he decided to cross the straits to explore the isle of Capri.

Years were to pass as the young Swede first completed his medical studies and went on to become not only highly respected by his colleagues but also greatly in demand as a physician to high society. But during this period he never lost sight of his vision and eventually withdrew to Capri to supervise the construction of Villas San Michele on the very site where years before the spirit of the place had told him that he could build his home if he were prepared to pay the price. The price was that of renouncing fame and riches in his career as a physician. Munthe surely knew, as we know now, that it was a small price to pay. All the more so given that the fame he gained as a healer of the poor, as a lover of animals, as a writer, as a man who showed us that with determination dreams can become concrete and can be passed on to future generations, far outweighed the trinkets of fame he would have gained as a healer of the frivolous ills of the Parisian upper-classes

Munthe bequeathed his dream to the Swedish State, placing it thereby into the hands of the Swedish Institute for Classical Studies in Rome. Under the careful management of the Axel Munthe Foundation formed to supervise the valuable patrimony, the legacy has grown both in size (now covering approximately 16 acres) and in cultural importance. Seat of the Swedish Consulate, the Villa also offers rooms for visiting scholars and every year plays host to almost 200,000 people, who flock to see the gardens, views and museum pieces that the villa offers. Outside of the high-season, the visitor can once again savour the peace and beauty of this unique spot and understand, whilst still marvelling at the man's sense of vision, why Munthe was prepared to give so much to pass his days there.



David Taylor

Italy's best-loved screen and style icon, Sophia Loren, will celebrate a significant anniversary this week.

Set to turn 80 years old on September 20th, astonishingly, nothing much has changed. Despite many lovelorn offers (from co-stars Cary Grant and Peter Sellers, among others), unusually in the fickle world of showbiz, she instead maintained her one and only 50-plus-year marriage. She works when she wants to; she dotes on her children and grandchildren; she appears regally at red carpet events. Looking every inch the naturally glamorous movie queen - from still enviable hourglass figure to heels - she eclipses so-called stars half her age. She is the ultimate role model not just for older women, but perhaps Everywoman.

We look at her life and her most famous quotes for a glimpse of her secret.

‘Screen goddesses are rare enough, but celluloid divinities who can act are a breed apart.’ Robert Pardi, on The International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers.



Sophia Loren is the self-professed ugly duckling who, at 14, blossomed into the proverbial beautiful swan. Called giraffe and stuzzicadente (‘toothpick’) at school, she would become known as the world’s most beautiful woman. The shy girl whose talent transcended a background of extreme poverty in war-torn Pozzuoli, near Naples, to illuminate half a century of Italian, French, and Hollywood film.

An international icon, over 100 films - several award winning – she stands as both Italy’s greatest cinematic export and ‘the embodiment of Italian womanhood’. Born Sofia Scicolone, she was known as Sofia Lazzaro early in her movie career – because her beauty was allegedly said to raise Lazarus from the dead! Renowned as 'la Loren' or 'Donna Sophia', even the papal secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, in discussing the Vatican’s opposition to human cloning, once joked that ‘an exception might be made in the case of Sophia Loren.’

The subject of such affection does not consider herself beautiful in the classical sense, but concedes her looks are ‘interesting.’ Following early screen test critiques, she was told to ‘shorten her nose’ and lose weight from her hips – but refused to conform to such ‘corrections.’ She puts her eternal good looks down to ‘having a beautiful mother’ (apparently a double of Greta Garbo) - and discipline. She maintains that she will only perhaps consider plastic surgery when she is 100. ‘I wouldn’t want to be a caricature of myself.’

At 72, she agreed to grace - with customary taste - the Pirelli calendar. She deflected her constant decision not to disrobe in films with the classic quip: ‘When Sophia Loren is naked, there is a lot of nakedness.’

She has acted alongside Hollywood greats including Charlton Heston, Marlon Brando, Clark Gable, and Charlie Chaplin. Just some memorable films span Quo Vadis, El Cid, Aida, The Gold of Naples, rom-com Houseboat to later favourites, 1994’s Pret--Porter and 2009’s musical Nine.

She is the recipient of a record six David Di Donatello awards for Best Actress, a Grammy, five special Golden Globes, an Academy Award in 1962 and an Honorary Academy Award in ’91, and Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award, in 1995. As one director said, ‘Sophia is perhaps the only movie star who has never forgotten where she came from.’ Wonderfully human, devoid of glamour and downtrodden in de Sica’s classic wartime tearjerker La Ciociara (Two Women), she was the first Oscar-winning actress for a foreign language film.

Off-screen, too, her Neapolitan roots and warmth show through in her endless embrace of la dolce vita and Italian food. As she once quipped, ‘Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.’ Today she may keep her famous curves in check with pasta portion control - but still attributes her secret for ageless beauty to ‘a love of life, spaghetti, and the odd bath in virgin olive oil.’

If the life shows in the face, la Loren wears past cares with ease. Even divas have their problems – and she has faced her fair share with some dignity and a mantra of ‘moving forward, never looking back.’ Once condemned by the Vatican and authorities for her first ‘illegal’ marriage to Carlo Ponti, who can forget her 18-day prison sentence for (alleged) ‘tax evasion’? Just two major milestones to never leave a visible mark. 

The first female celebrity to premiere her own perfume, ahead of her own eyewear range, she was the perfect person to pen her own beauty book. Thirty years on, the advice remains as timeless as its author. Written before botox and cosmetic surgery were de rigeur, practical tips include taking a daily walk; using cold-pressed olive oil as make-up remover and moisturiser; cultivating ‘internal beauty’, and the right attitude in coming to terms with age.

Sophia believes in keeping her image simple and suitable. Her signature smoky-eyed maquillage and flowing, feminine hairstyle she has always kept. She recalls being resourceful when poor – she dyed her navy skirt and white blouse black, to wear as a ‘go anywhere’ outfit. A life in fashion later, she exclusively favours Armani. ‘The cut and tailoring of a Giorgio Armani suit is mysteriously elegant – the formula can’t be defined.’

Rather like the Signorina of rare star quality herself… She is perhaps the best personification of a wonderful Italian adage: that women can be considered beautiful no matter what age they are if they take care of themselves. As such, we salute Sophia, the magnificent matriarch of movies!


- See more at: http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/buon-compleanno-sophia#sthash.Bdaw1GF7.dpuf

September marks the end of the summer holiday season in Italy, most people are back to work, everyone has new end-of-summer resolutions, and kids are finally back to school...or almost back to school! I recently mentioned to a British friend that my daughter is not back in school yet, she looked very surprised and asked: 'But when did their summer holidays start?' When I explained that school closed in early June, she looked even more puzzled and added, 'What do you mean? They had three full months off?' - 'Yes!' School terms are not the only difference between the Italian educational system and those of other Western countries. So we thought it would be useful to know more about it if you are considering or planning to move to Italy with your children. You can find below a list of ten useful things you should know before enrolling your child in an Italian school.

  GENERAL INFORMATION Regardless of nationality, education in Italy is compulsory from 6 to 16 years of age, and is divided into five stages: kindergarten (scuola dell'infanzia), primary school (scuola primaria or scuola elementare), lower secondary school (scuola secondaria di primo grado or scuola media), upper secondary school (scuola secondaria di secondo grado or scuola superiore). Asilo  (Kindergarten)  From the age of three to the age of  six, children are sent to nursery school. This is non-compulsory, but most Italian families do send their kids 'all'asilo'. Children are looked after by two teachers per class, they play, start socialising and learn to recognize letters and numbers. 

 Scuola Primaria (Primary School) Also known as 'scuola elementare, primary school lasts five years.  The educational curriculum is the same for all students who are given a basic education in Italian, English, mathematics, natural sciences, history, geography, social studies, physical education, visual and musical arts.  There are three main teachers per class, plus an English language teacher who works with children across several classes.

  Scuola secondaria (Secondary school) Secondary education in Italy lasts 8 years and is divided into two phases: Scuola secondaria di primo grado (Lower secondary school), also broadly known as Scuola media, which corresponds to the Middle School grades, and Scuola secondaria di secondo grado (Upper secondary school), also broadly known as Scuola superiore or less formally as Le Superiori, which corresponds to the high-school level. The scuola secondaria di primo grado follows primary school and lasts three years (roughly from age 11 to 14). The scuola secondaria di secondo grado lasts five years (roughly from age 14 to 19). 
 
There are three types of scuola secondaria di secondo grado:
 Liceo (lyceum) - the education received in a Liceo is mostly theoretical, with a specialization in a field of studies, for example humanities, science, or art; less attention is devoted to technical-practical education. Currently, most of the curricula have a similar structure and some subjects in common (such as Italian literature, history and mathematics), while some subjects are peculiar to a particular type of course (for example ancient Greek in the Liceo Classico, or scenography in the Liceo Artistico).  Istituto tecnico - offering both a theoretical education and a specialization in a particular field of studies (for example economy, humanities, administration, law, technology, tourism.) Istituto professionale - this refers to vocational schools preparing people for specific trades, crafts and careers. Some schools offer a diploma after 3 years instead of 5. 
Any type of secondary school that lasts 5 years grants access to the final exam, called esame di maturità or esame di stato which takes place every year between June and July and is necessary to be able to apply for admission to any university.  According to the Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated in 2013 by the OECD, Italian secondary education ranks as the 21st in the world.

italymagazine

Sergio was born in Naples on Saturday, May 13, 1972. As a child he demonstrated an evident creative capacity that helped him overcome a childhood of economic difficulty. He began, by ... chance, to attend the theatre academy at the Bellini theatre in Naples, where he won a scholarship that the academy, ... by Tato Russo, gives  every three years. After only one year at the academy Livio Galassi offered Sergio a part in Moliere's George Dandin. At this point he performed in a series of theatrical pieces from the classic Napolitan comedies of Scarpetta to the Greek tragedies, from comedies of Goldoni to the Shakespearean tragedies, not to forget contemporary works. Sergio decided to temporarily leave  the theatre in order to dedicate and investigate the world of cinema.. He was selected, for Lina Wertmuller Ferdinando e Carolina, after three years of auditioning. ... this, his first cinematic experience he was nominated for the prestigious Globo d'oro award as best male lead. Immediately after he acted in another film.

 www.sergioassisi.it

Every owner of Isola La Gaiola has mysteriously suffered various misfortunes after acquiring this Italian paradise.

And you thought this island looked charming, right?

It's impossible to deny that Isola la Gaiola is hopelessly cursed -- the island pairing has touched each of its owners with wreck and ruin since the early nineteenth century. These days, the two rocky islets and their lonely, crumbling villa float abandoned just about 30 yards off the coast of Naples, connected to each other by a solitary stone bridge.

Swim on over... if you dare.

Isola la Gaiola is actually comprised of two minor islands in the Gulf of Naples -- it's part of the Gaiola Underwater Park, which protects the gulf's rare wildlife and its ancient Roman ruins. On La Gaiola, visitors will find the remains of an ancient temple to Venus. The poet Virgil is said to have taught his students on the islands or in the remains of the Roman harbor, which are now sunken below the water.

A hermit named "The Wizard" first inhabited La Gaiola in the early 1800s. Afterward, the island's singular, solitary villa was built. A series of wealthy owners took control of the island, from a Swiss businessman to Fiat bigwig Gianni Agnelli to billionaire John Paul Getty. Each of them seemed to encounter misfortunes of varying degrees around the time they acquired the island.

Abandoned in fear, the island now sits alone, waiting for daredevil swimmers to approach it from the Naples shore.

You can also get to La Gaiola via a glass-bottom boat, snorkel or diving tour.

...and if you'd like to live there, we're pretty sure the mysterious villa is permanently up for grabs. Cursed or not, the island's cobblestone streets are adorably quaint, with a great view!

Huffington post

The Naples waterfront will be transformed once again into the world's largest pizza from Tuesday 2nd to Sunday, 7 September 2014. The Caputo Napoli Pizza Village , sponsored by Pizzaiuoli Neapolitans and the patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture, now in its fourth edition , via Caracciolo make an outdoor pizzeria - with more than 45 bakeries and 150 Pizzaiuoli - for six days.

During the event there will be the end of the thirteenth  World Championship of Pizzaiuolo, won last year by the Neapolitan David Cavitiello. In previous editions Naples involved the musicians of the Conservatory San Pietro a Maiella, comedians Made in the South, Simone Schettino and many other artists.

Once again, the program will be full of music, cabaret, shows, concerts and shows, also will be set up a 'children's area with fun workshops, workshops and tours of the new Museum of Pizza.

Many tour operators will launch proposals for the tastiest event of 2014, including Trenitalia, Air Berlin and Meridiana. You will be able to join and attend the event without consuming too, but for those who want to enjoy pizza in one of the 45 historical Neapolitan pizzerias, the Rotunda Diaz will be placed in 24 cases, the full menu of margherita or marinara, water, coca cola or beer Peroni , dessert and coffee or ice cream or coffee grandfather's will cost € 10 .

Spaccanapoli

Pompeii was the most fantastic thing i had seen untill i went to herculanium. It is simply amazing (and thankfully a lot smaller than Pompeii). It is very easy to get to from sorrento. Just get the Circumvesuviana train and get off at Eculano. when you come out of the station it is just a short walk (less than 10 minutes) to the bottom of the road opposite the station and the entrance is straight facing you. you can not go wrong as it is sign posted all the way.

Entrance to Herculaneum, Pompeii is e11.00 and entrance to the museum at naples is e9.00
For visitors from Euopean countries under 18 years of age and over 65 years entrance is free but You must have evidence of age (i.e a passport) with you, visitors between 18 and the day before their 25th birthday entrance is half price. but ONLY IF RESIDENT IN EUROPE.. Various other passes ect can be purchased at various prices (3 day passes to all 5 ancient sites (Herculaneum, Pompeii, Oplontis, Stabiae, Boscoreale) are e20.00

Opening times
November - March. Every day from 8.30 am to 5 pm. (last admission 3.30 pm)
April - October. Every day from 8.30 am to 7.30 pm. (last admission 6 pm)

Closed on January1st, May 1st and December 25th

by Balam

The Feast Day of San Gennaro is the most important religious festival in Naples, Italy. San Gennaro, the Bishop of Benevento and martyr who was persecuted for being a Christian and finally beheaded in 305 AD, is the patron saint of Naples and the city's 13th century Gothic cathedral is dedicated to him. Inside the cathedral, or duomo, the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro is decorated with Baroque frescoes and other artworks, but most importantly it holds the saint's relics including two sealed vials of his coagulated blood housed in a silver reliquary. According to legend, some of his blood was collected by a woman who took it to Naples where it liquefied 8 days later.
On the morning of September 19, the feast day of San Gennaro, thousands of people fill the Naples Cathedral and Piazza del Duomo, the square in front of it, hoping to see the saint's blood liquefy in what's known as the miracle of San Gennaro. In a solemn religious ceremony, the Cardinal removes the vials of blood from the chapel where they're kept and taken in a procession, along with a bust of San Gennaro, to the cathedral's high altar. The crowd watches anxiously to see if the blood miraculously liquefies, believed to be a sign that San Gennaro has blessed the city (or a bad omen if it doesn't). If it liquefies, the church bells ring and the Cardinal takes the liquefied blood through the cathedral and out into the square so everyone can see it. Then he returns the reliquary to the altar where the vials remain on display for 8 days
As with many Italian festivals, there's much more than just the main event. The ceremony is followed by a religious procession through the streets of the historic center where both the streets and the shops are closed. Stands selling toys, trinkets, food, and candy are set up in the streets. Festivities go on for eight days until the reliquary is returned to its place..
The miracle of San Gennaro's blood is also performed on December 16 and the Saturday before the first Sunday in May as well as special times during the year to ward off disasters, such as an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, or for visiting dignitaries.

Martha Bakerjian