I never tire of the contrasts that confront you in Naples.
For any one wanting a souvenir, sooner or later you end up in the street that specializes in a mountain of such objects.
It remains one of those places we always go back to, for here there is everything you could ever want to remind you of a stay in the city.
Tina always looks out for the figures associated with the Nativity, because her mum collects them, and until recently would always display the full collection at Christmas.
These jostle with more risqué figures of impossibly fat men and slim women who crowd the glass cabinets and spill out on to rickety tables.
And for those with a more serious side, there are the religious ones, which range from saints painted on slim wooden panels, to porcelain giants, complete with wings and halo, which share a shelf with Jesus, Joseph and Mary.
While next door the shop is full of silly plastic animals, cartoon characters and the odd toadstool.
But what they all have in common is that they are bright, outrageous and made of plastic.
More than once I have wondered how long these impulse buys stay with the purchaser.
Some no doubt make it home, but most will be lost in transit, left in the hotel or become a victim to the need to lighten the weight of the suitcase at the airport.
Most of what is on sale, is tack, …………. garish, poor quality, over priced and ugly, but there is no getting away from that simple fact that they are fun, and that for me is Naples.
Location; Naples
Pictures; a little bit of Naples for sale, 2019, from the collection of Balzano
It remains one of those places we always go back to, for here there is everything you could ever want to remind you of a stay in the city.
Tina always looks out for the figures associated with the Nativity, because her mum collects them, and until recently would always display the full collection at Christmas.
These jostle with more risqué figures of impossibly fat men and slim women who crowd the glass cabinets and spill out on to rickety tables.
While next door the shop is full of silly plastic animals, cartoon characters and the odd toadstool.
But what they all have in common is that they are bright, outrageous and made of plastic.
More than once I have wondered how long these impulse buys stay with the purchaser.
Some no doubt make it home, but most will be lost in transit, left in the hotel or become a victim to the need to lighten the weight of the suitcase at the airport.
Most of what is on sale, is tack, …………. garish, poor quality, over priced and ugly, but there is no getting away from that simple fact that they are fun, and that for me is Naples.
Location; Naples
Pictures; a little bit of Naples for sale, 2019, from the collection of Balzano
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