MERCATO DI PORTA NOLANA (Part 15)

  NAPLES, ITALY

Seafood isn’t the only game in town.

Fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and cheeses, breads and desserts, and grocery items round out the market’s offerings.

--Napoli Unplugged

MERCATO DI PORTA NOLANA (Part 14)

  NAPLES, ITALY

Best bets are anything veraci, live, like vongole veraci or capoitni veraci. 

--Napoli Unplugged

MERCATO DI PORTA NOLANA (Part 13)

 NAPLES, ITALY

Seafood means: clams, mussels and oysters; shrimp, squid and octopus; sea bass and sword fish; anchovies and sardines; the all-important bacala – salted cod and

captioni – eel for the traditional Neapolitan Christmas Eve dinner, and everything in between, plucked fresh out of the sea.

--Napoli Unplugged

MERCATO DI PORTA NOLANA (Part 12)

  NAPLES, ITALY

Rarely frequented by tourists, Porta Nolana Market is where locals go in search of ingredients for their daily meals that are so rich in seafood.

--Napoli Unplugged

MERCATO DI PORTA NOLANA (Part 11)

     NAPLES, ITALY

If you don’t mind crowds, chaos and confusion, this market is not to be missed.

--Napoli Unplugged

MERCATO DI PORTA NOLANA (Part 10)

     NAPLES, ITALY

I’m pretty certain this beautiful cat didn’t drive the motorcycle to the market.

But who knows?

Naples is a unique place with more than its share of ghosts and mysteries.

MERCATO DI PORTA NOLANA (Part 9)

 NAPLES, ITALY

The daily market takes place just a few blocks north of the port in the area around Piazza Nolana, under the watchful eye of the two towers that once stood guard over the ancient port.

--Napoli Unplugged

MERCATO DI PORTA NOLANA (Part 8)

    NAPLES, ITALY

The market is convenient for Rome day trippers arriving at Stazione Napoli Centrale.

It's an easy stroll through Piazza Garabaldi to the streets where it starts; Via Santa Maria delle Grazie a Loreto and Via Padre Ludovico da Casoria

MERCATO DI PORTA NOLANA (Part 7)

    NAPLES, ITALY

For block after block, you see artfully displayed food.

And you hear vendors in rubber boots calling out jokes to each other while selling their wares to passersby. 

MERCATO DI PORTA NOLANA (Part 6)

  NAPLES, ITALY

Porta Nolana market is outside, on the street, running among crumbling buildings.

MERCATO DI PORTA NOLANA (Part 5)

   NAPLES, ITALY

Dive in for anything from luscious tomatoes and mozzarella to golden-fried street snacks, cheap luggage and bootleg CDs.

-Lonely Planet

MERCATO DI PORTA NOLANA (Part 4)

 NAPLES, ITALY

Let’s start the week off with a beautiful cat picture.

This sweetheart looks well-fed and much-loved.

The feline friend lives on the street, tempted by the seafood and other delights at the market.

MERCATO DI PORTA NOLANA (Part 3)

  NAPLES, ITALY

The market's namesake is medieval city gate Porta Nolana, which stands at the head of Via Sopramuro.

Its two cylindrical towers, optimistically named Faith and Hope, support an arch decorated with a bas-relief of Ferdinand I of Aragon on horseback.

--Lonely Planet

MERCATO DI PORTA NOLANA (Part 2)

  NAPLES, ITALY

Naples at its most vociferous and intense, the Mercato di Porta Nolana.

It is a heady, gritty street market where bellowing fishmongers and greengrocers collide with fragrant delis and bakeries, contraband cigarette vendors and Bangladeshi takeaways and grocery stores. 

--Lonely Planet

MERCATO DI PORTA NOLANA (Part 1)

 NAPLES, ITALY

Diverse locals meet daily, from morning to mid-afternoon, to stock up on fresh meat and produce at Mercato di Porta Nolana, near the port and within walking distance of the main train station.

GRAFFITI IN ROME

 RANDOM IMAGES THAT SAY ROMA

Colorful Trastevere

Funky, bohemian 

    Working class roots, eclectic present

ROMA, ITALIA

BASILICA DI SANTA MARIA IN TRASTEVERE

Nestled in a quiet corner of Trastevere's focal square, this is said to be the oldest church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Rome. 

In its original form, it dates from the early 3rd century, but a major 12th-century makeover saw the addition of a Romanesque bell tower and a glittering facade. 

The portico came later, added by Carlo Fontana in 1702. Inside, the 12th-century mosaics are the headline feature.

--Lonely Planet

ROME -- INCIDENTAL -- 12

 IL MESSAGGERO ICONIC HEADQUARTERS

Il Messaggero was founded in December 1878.

On 1 January 1879 the first issue of Il Messaggero was published under the management of Luigi Cesana.

The paper aimed at being the newspapers of newspapers and at providing its readers with all opinions and all events.

Once with a circulation of nearly 400,000, it now sells fewer than 90,000 copies per day.

--Wikipedia

ROME -- INCIDENTAL -- 11

FORNO

Forno Roscioli is one of Rome's top bakeries, much loved by lunching locals who crowd here for luscious sliced pizza, prize pastries and hunger-sating supplì (risotto balls). 

The pizza margherita is superb, if messy to eat, and there's also a counter serving hot pastas and vegetable side dishes.

--Lonely Planet

ROME -- INCIDENTAL -- 10

ROME

Rome’s historic centre’s main sights are free and easy to visit in a meandering wander, stopping for lunch, a coffee or ice cream for an energy burst. 

Don’t miss the Pantheon, a magnificently preserved ancient Roman temple, with a circular hole in the huge domed roof open to the heavens.

A couple of streets away is the splendid Piazza Navona, Rome’s elegant showcase square. 

A short amble further and you’re at the foaming, massive Trevi Fountain, and the baroque Spanish Steps, a grand stairway that’s perfect for taking a perch and watching the world go by.

Close by, the Piazza del Popolo is an impressive oval-shaped square complete with an Egyptian obelisk, home to some wonderful Caravaggio masterpieces in the Santa Maria del Popolo church.

--Lonely Planet