April 25th 1945, a day of liberation and now a national holiday

I am looking at a picture posted by an Italian friend on facebook of a man in a train compartment in the rush hour.

Nothing you might think odd about that except that he has a  gun slung over his shoulder.  I missed it when I first came across the image and was drawn back by her comment and the date.

She wrote that she found “it fitting, [and] particularly laden with meaning,” because April 25th is a national holiday in Italy and marks both the end of what was left of Mussolini’s fascist state but also the end of the Nazi occupation of Italy on that day in 1945.

Signor Prigile, August 14th 1944

And so I guess the picture was a posed comment on the events of that day eighty years ago.

I would like to have used it but in the absence of copyright details for the present it will just have to sit on facebook and what ever Italian news agency issued it.

In its place there is this picture of Signor Prigile, an Italian partisan in Florence taken on August 14th 1944.

British troops had been ordered to avoid fighting the Germans in the precincts of the city of Florence but Italian Partisans, occupying the Fortress Di Basso exchanged fire with the German snipers that remained after the German forces evacuated Florence.

Now like many of my generation I was brought up on a diet of national stereo types and given the close proximity of the war the crude picture of Italians was that all they ate was  pasta and were all to ready to surrender.

It was an image much hyped by the propaganda of the war years and ignored the many brave Italians who opposed the Fascists both before and after they came to power in 1922.

It also ignored those that against their will were conscripted into the armed forces, to fight first in Abyssinia and Greece and later in North Africa and on the Eastern Front.  Nor is much said about  those who were held in Soviet prisons long after the war and those who never returned.

This I hasten to add is in no way a defence of the fascist regime which so brutally eliminated parliamentary democracy in Italy and did nothing to prevent the exploitation of working people.

Rather it is recognition that there were many Italians who opposed Mussolini and resisted as best they could.  And some who risked their lives to protect allied prisoners of war who had escaped and were  on the run from the German Army.

Corso Giacomo Matteotti on an April afternoon

And I often think of that opposition when we are in the Corso Giacomo Matteotti which is one of my favourite parts of Varese.

Here you can find posh clothes outlets, elegant cafes and wonderful food shops ranging from the expensive bakery to ordinary fruit and veg shops a fishmonger and a butcher.

It is named after the socialist MP who denounced the fascists in the Italian Parliament for election bribery in 1924 and was murdered by them just 11 days later.

So I shall be talking to our Italian family later this evening and asking them how the holiday has gone.

And no sooner had I posted this story last year, than Barbarella sent me this wonderful story of her grandmother.

"I am the grandchild of partisans. My grandmother was a “staffetta”, which translate into relay. 

Liberation Day, April, 1945

She was relaying messages amongst partisan groups who were fighting and hiding in the hills around Bologna. My grandmother was called Albertina (I gave this name as a middle name to my daughter), she used to put messages inside the metal bar handles of her bicycle, then putting the handle bit on top. 

Transporting messages between groups and risking her life. Sometimes she used to have some freshly made pasta for them, when she could afford to make it.

Memorial to the Partisan, 2018

What I woman, I am so proud of her. Passed away in 2006, at the age of 94. It is such a powerful story." of courage.

And this year Barbarello added a link to "Bella ciao", or "Goodbye beautiful"* which was originally an Italian protest song from the 19th century but my Wikipedia tells me "was modified  and adopted as an anthem for Italians resistance movement by the partisans who opposed fascism and the occupying German army.**


Location; Italy

Pictures; Corso Giacomo Matteotti from the collection of Andrew Simpson, Signor Prigile, August 14th, 1944. “This image was created and released by the Imperial War Museum on the IWM Non Commercial Licence. Photographs taken, or artworks created, by a member of the forces during their active service duties are covered by Crown Copyright provisions. Faithful reproductions may be reused under that licence, which is considered expired 50 years after their creation and is in the public domain, Wikipedia Commons.",  Liberation day, 1945, courtesy of Barbarello Bonvento, and war memorial to the Partisan, 2018, Intra, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

* Bella ciao, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4CI3lhyNKfo&vidve=5727...

**Bell ciao, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bella_ciao

Walking the streets of Naples with a comic genius ........ Totò

Now there is no escaping Totò in Naples.

He was born in one of the poorest parts of the city in 1898 and was the illegitimate son of Anna Clemente from Sicily and a Neapolitan nobleman who did not legally recognise him until 1937.

By which time Totò had become a popular entertainer who in that year made the first of 96 films, many of which we still regularly watch on Italian TV.

And he was one of those all round entertainers, performing variously as a comedian, film and stage actor as well as a poet and song writer.

But above all it was his comic genius which delighted generations of Italians and earned him the nickname of the Prince of Laughter.

Yesterday we sat and re watched Totòtruffa 62 in which a poor man supports his daughter’s stay at an expensive boarding school by a series of outrageous money schemes including the sale of the Trevi Fountain to a foolish businessman.

And such was his popularity that at his death there were three funeral services.

So I am not surprised at how a full half century after he died he is to be found everywhere in Naples.

We sat beside him at a small cafe where his life sized model advertised Caprese, which is a salad made from tomatoes, mozzarella and basil.

There was an exhibition devoted to him; the shops were full of Totò souvenirs, from key rings to painted plates and masks.

And in that small street devoted to all manner of nativity figures more than a few were of the man himself.

Location; Naples



Pictures; Totò in Naples, 2017 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

The places I usually don’t photograph ................... nu 5 King Umberto of Italy

Now Kings and Queens I don’t usually do but we were in the big park in Varese when I can across King Umberto and I became curious.

He stands on the edge of the park facing the Town Hall and I can’t say I knew much about him but as the second King of Italy and the last to be buried in the Pantheon in Rome, it seemed a interesting piece of research.

He was born in 1844, ascended the throne in 1870 and was assassinated in 1900.

According to one source he was deeply conservative and supported the Bava-Beccaris massacre in 1898, when food riots in Milan led to the authorities using force in an effort to repress the demonstrations leading to the death of 80 demonstrators.*

He was also in favour of both the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria Hungary and Italy’s policy of colonial expansion.

Needless to say there were more than a few who were not disposed to him and after surviving a number of assassination attempts was killed in 1900.

All of which leaves me wondering how he got the nickname the Good (il Buono).

But no doubt someone with a greater knowledge of Italian history will help me out.  Of course it might just be another example of a version of history written by the Establishment.

Well we shall see.

Location; Varese, Italy

Pictures; Umberto King of Italy, 2016 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

* Umberto I of Italy, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umberto_I_of_Italy

Tall, elegant with a hint of decay .................. abandoned in the park ......... Viareggio 2010

It was one of those indifferent mornings which made going down to the beach a less than attractive idea so with the promise of cheap bikes for hire we went along to the park.

It stretches for miles is full of tree lined avenues and is perfect for a bike ride which seemed to be what shed loads of people were doing.

But I have never learned to ride and I was not about to so while the rest of the family disappeared off into the distance I went looking for pictures.

And as so often happens this one came from nowhere.

She was one of about half a dozen which were part of an event now long forgotten.

They stood in various stages of decay their wheels half hidden by the long skirts.

I only took the one but now wish I had taken the time to record the others.

All of which just leaves me to say that Viareggio is in Tuscany, with decent beeches and just about an hour from Florence but that is another story.

Location; the park, Viareggio, Tuscany

Picture; in the park in Viareggio, 2010 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Down on the Corso Garibaldi in Naples waiting for the tram

Now, if you know where to look you can find a tram in Naples.  

On the Corso Garibaldi, 2006

This one runs to the Corso Garibaldi and is one of the  three services which are routes 1, 2 and 4.

I have no idea what happened to route 3, but given that this is Naples there can be any one of a number of explanations.

The most likely is that it was lost once when the tram network was more extensive.

The good news is that trams are on the increase again in the city and that has to be good.

They first began running a service in 1875 which was two years before Rome and at present there are 11.8 km of track.

I wish we could have caught one last month when were there but next time I shall.

Near the Porta Maggiore 2010

And in the same way when we return to Rome I will board one of their green ones.

My preferred choice would be one of  these older ones, but I am guessing it will have been replaced by the new sleeker models.

Well, we shall see.

Location; Naples & Rome

Pictures; Napoli, line of trams in Corso Garibaldi. At the head of the line is Peter Witt-type tram no. 975, ©grahamec, permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 and Roma, Older tram near Porta Maggiore 2010, © Luca F, who as the copyright holder (Luca F.) of this file allows anyone to use it for any purpose, provided that the copyright holder is properly attributed.

Naples .... squeezing cars, people and lots more on to those narrow streets

Now you can never get enough of pictures of Naples and of these it is the ones showing the narrow streets where everything squeezes in every available space.

Location; Naples

Picture; Naples in 2017 from the collection of Saul Simpson 

Outside Venice ............

We were travelling back from the seaside west to Varese.

There had been a vague plan to do Venice but in high summer with young kids that was never going to happen.

Instead we stayed by the beach, and on the long way back the traffic jams pulled us up by a field.

Location;  somewhere outside Venice.

Picture; outside Venice, 2009 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Missing the tram in Milan

Now it is odd just what you can miss on a visit to Milan.

Crossing under the Porta Nuova 2013

Some of our family live just a little north of the city in Varese and we sometimes take the train to Milan, but although I see them in the distance I have never caught a Milan tram.

The service began in 1881 and now extends to 170 km with 17 urban lines and one interurban line and about half of the tram lines pass by, or terminate near Piazza del Duomo.

So given that the piazza is a favourite spot you would think we would have hopped on one but no, and I don’t think I have even got a picture.

So there you are.

Location; Milan

Picture; Trams numbers 1754 and 1582 of the ATM of Milan under the Arches of Porta Nuova, 2013,  Giorgio Stagni, who as the creator has licensed the picture under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

With Bernie and Lori from rural Oregon ...... on the island they call Bella ..... looking out on Lake Maggiore

Isola Bella on Lake Maggiore pretty much lives up to its name.

It is just 320 metres long by 400 metres wide and is divided between the Palace, its stylish gardens and a fishing village.

The guide books will tell you it took 400 years for its transformation from a small community on an empty island to a stunning place, visited by the good and great, along with the rich and not so nice, who were the movers and shakers of European society in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

In the process its very wealthy owners constructed a huge palace, laid out the gardens and made it the Beautiful Island, and there is the rub, because during the season it will be visited by countless parties of tourists, all intent on sampling that beauty.

And that can make it a very crowded island.

Not that I am against mass tourism, after all why shouldn’t such a place be available to everyone?

And I have to say that on the day we took the ferry north from Stresa, across the lake to the island, we were not overwhelmed by those who wanted to share the place with us.

True, there were boat loads of them, drawn from all the nearby countries, and some from much further afield as well as a few groups from North America, but the island accommodated us all.

Part of the reason is that as well as stretching out, the island climbs upwards in a series of narrow pathways which twist and turn and rise to the Palace itself.

Dotted along these paths are the shops some of which seem to cling precariously to their neighbours, threatening to topple over with the weight of people and tourist merchandise.

And of tourist merchandise there is a lot, from the inevitable picture t-shirts, and bottles of limoncello, to bags and bags of coloured pasta which look so authentic but will no doubt sit in a cupboard for months before being thrown out.

As is the way of these places much of the material is very expensive, and could be bought for half the price in a shop on the mainland or at home.

But as we all know buying the souvenir at the place is a must, despite the chances that it originates two continents away, made by workers who will never get the opportunity to stand in that tourist shop and buy the goods they produced.

Not, that such petty considerations, should get in the way of enjoying a place which has history, atmosphere and a presence.

Added to which there is always the opportunity to meet people, like Bernie and Lori from rural Oregon and the Swiss party who had travelled south down the lake and planned to take in all the remaining four islands, before heading off to Milan.

We met in the small restaurant with views out across the lake, swapped addresses, and talked about the beauty of the island and joked about the expensive souvenirs.

I doubt that we will stay in touch, but meeting new people is always part of the joy of holidays and at least when I think back to Isola Bella I will smile at Bernie’s story of the purple inflatable plastic aubergine he bought on a whim in Stresa, and the discussion on whether to give it as a gift to his ageing aunt in Florida.

Location; Isola Bella on Lake Maggiore





Pictures; Isola Bella, 2018 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Dolce far niente ........... The sweetness of doing nothing

Now the Italian saying Dolce far niente, which means the sweetness of doing nothing perfectly sums up those idle times, when rather than feeling guilty, you just embrace the moment. 

Better still if the sun is shining and you have taken yourself off to a cafe or bar, chosen to sit outside, sip an aperitif and watch as all around you people busy themselves.

We were in Intra on Lake Maggiore and having taken a leisurely trip on the ferry, it was our turn to look for a cafe where we could sit and do nothing.

Along the way we encountered a couple sitting on the stone steps that led down to the water, listened to a lazy and occasionally animated conversation about tiramisu and ended up at the cafe in front of the war memorial gazing out across the waters of the lake.

I suppose we could have gone looking for some historic and interesting places which no doubt would have been very educational, but instead we joined the other customers at that cafe by the memorial.

And picking up on that conversation about tiramisu we talked about the food of the south from Naples where Simone and Rosa grew up which led on to a discussion about my favourite Sicilian salad made with slices of orange and tiny bits of onion, mixed with olive oil and oregano.

There will be those who having overheard the conversation will snort and dismiss us as pretentious and not to be taken seriously.

But on reflection they are the sort who would never dream of spending time just doing nothing, and so that “sweetness” will never enter their lives and their loss will be that bigger one which is all about slow conversations that twist and turn, go off at a tangent and rarely return to the point they started.

That said, in the course of that wibbly wobbly exchange comes a few jokes, a bit of new knowledge and brings you all, that bit closer.

Added to which  the coffee will be good, the aperitifs even better, and after a suitable passing of time, there will be new things to order, and lots more to talk about..


Location; Intra, but really anywhere










Pictures; dolce far niente, Intra, 2018, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Pizza by the metre ....... a history lesson, a culinary experience and just a bit of fun

Now I have to say I was a tad sceptical about the metre pizza, having been introduced to the real thing in a tiny side street in Naples.

And I was more than satisfied by our meal in the place.

But when the metre pizza is served in the restaurant which styles itself the University of Pizza you just have to check it out.

Of course pizza is one of the world’s original street foods and is still sold as that pretty much everywhere.

That said I was intrigued by ordering by the ruler and I wasn’t disappointed.

We had travelled down the railway line from Sant’ Agnello just a couple of stops to the Pizza a Metro da "Gigino" L'università della pizza.*

“This historic restaurant, located in the centre of Vico Equense, in the Naples province, is world renowned for its creation.

Created by Gigino Dell’Amura, the Pizza a Metro has delighted its customers with its unique taste, authentic ingredients and its exclusive shape.

The restaurant, also known as “Università della pizza” offers a big selection of pizzas, which can be enjoyed according to the “size” of your appetite. In addition to pizza, you can enjoy the chef’s specialities: large appetisers, seafood and meat specialities, and cakes for every taste.

The pizza a metro was born in 1930s, thanks to the idea of Luigi Dell’Amura, a.k.a. Gigino. Cleverness, fantasy, intuition, hard work transformed the way of making pizza.

The idea of creating pizzas with different sizes according to the number of people at the table was born in order to satisfy the need to serve more guests in the shortest possible time but with high quality standards.

And finally, the Pizza a metro and the old bakery of the Dell’Amura family became a big restaurant – the pizzeria.”**

So there you have it.  There were six of us and the waiter suggested we should have a meter and a bit which we did, topped with mushrooms for me and an assortment of other “things” for the rest.

It was daunting to say the least when it arrived but we ate it all.

We could have had a selection of other Neapolitan dishes and there were plenty who were ordering some enticing food.

But we stuck to the pizza.

Now it all sounds a gimmick but it works.  The food is excellent as is the service and the restaurant.

And as they say in all the food magazines were pleasantly surprised at the bill which along with the meter and a bit pizza, and four beers and two still bottles of water was just €64, which was when we worked it out even cheaper than my favourite place in Naples.

In the last few months his pizzas have gone up from €3 to  €4.

Leaving me to say that the meter pizza was indeed the real thing.

Which is a god point to close.  I don't of course want to accused of being pretentious.

Location; Vico Equense

Pictures; inside the Pizza a Metro da "Gigino" L'università della pizza. in 2017 courtesy of ALTO•VISUAL and in an earlier time courtesy of Pizza a Metro da "Gigino" L'università della pizza


*Pizza a Metro da "Gigino" L'università della pizza, http://www.pizzametro.it/en/index.html

The hotel amongst the clouds

Now I like the way that the unexpected can happen from a seemingly ordinary trip in to the mountains.

We had decided to take the opportunity of a bright sunny morning to visit the Sacred Mountain which towers above Varese and is home to a village, a stunning church and fourteen little shrines which you pass at intervals along the Holy Road before reaching the tiny village of Santa Maria del Monte and that 15th century chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

The hardy will walk the 2 kilometres from the city to the summit, while the less hardy will opt for the funicular at the first chapel.

Now we tend to do the walk, usually at Easter when despite a sharp chill in the air, the sun shines and there are magnificent glimpses of the surrounding countryside.

This Sunday we opted for the funicular but as so often happens, missed the car park and by degree ended at the top which had its own rewards, because we decided to explore the village.

You walk along twisted narrow alleys which climb and alternatively drop down with the buildings rising steeply on either side and end where you began.

At this point three of us needed a lavatory, which proved difficult to locate but as ever the resourceful Simone discovered the hotel.

Given that it was closed I doubted our luck was in, but the owner politely allowed us to use the facility and as you do I got talking to him.

His English was far better than my Italian and his voice had that deep gravelly tone of the north and he offered to give me a tour of the main rooms which date back to the early 18th century.

A subsequent owner added two more floors at the start of the next century only for the place to close after the last war.

Now it is used for conferences, and special occasions, which seemed a shame for as a venue I can think of nowhere better to spend a few days.

But perhaps not so many people want to make the long trip up the mountain and sleep amongst the clouds.

I think that is a pity but there you are, at least I got my own private invite to the splendours of the place and more than a few pictures, so I was pleased.

What I failed to do was to take his name or that of the hotel which was a bit of an oversight.

Still I did give him my card so just maybe he will look up the blog and on the strength of this story get in touch and offer up a bit more of the history of the hotel.

I hope so because I bet there is more than a few stories of this magical place and above all of some of those that over the last couple of centuries took the Holy Road to the summit and tarried for a while in this hotel in the clouds.

Leaving me just to reflect that this wasn't a bad  day out on the Sacro Monte.

Location; Varese

Pictures; Sacro Monte, 2017 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Travels with my train ticket......... north from Varese to the Lakes and Brescia

Now, I wasn’t sure about going to Brescia, from Varese, the journey will take 2 hours by road and three and a bit by train, and at the end of it you have a city which one guide book described “as the second biggest city in the region, with a population of 200,000, which is considered the industrial capital of northern Italy”.

Down a narrow street looking for ruins, 2018

But it also added, “that it was founded over 3,200 years ago, was an important regional centre in pre Roman times and has the best preserved Roman public buildings in the north".

So given that I like trains and Roman history, it was an adventure set to happen.

The journey like all such adventures involved changing in Milan from Milano Nord to Milano Centrale and then catching the train to Brescia.

And that is all I shall say about railway stations, despite the groans from all  those who like to read about such places.

The plan had been to visit those Roman public buildings but that never quite happened.

The Pallata seen from a distance, 2018

Instead we came across some interesting little side streets, and saw the Pallata Tower from a distance.

Most people seem to refer to it just as the Pallata.

It rises 32 metres into the sky, was built in the 13th century, and was part of the medieval walls.

Along the way we stumbled over other equally interesting bits of the old town, but never got round to asking what they were.

Still that is how it is, when you pretend you are not a tourist.

Leaving me only to add that "Brescia has three railway stations. 

The main station Stazione di Brescia, which opened in 1854, is located on the Milan-Venice railway and is the starting point for the rail lines Brescia-Iseo-Edolo, Brescia-Cremona, Brescia-Parma and Brescia-Lecco. 

Wet streets and interesting buildings, 2018

The station has 11 platforms and is used by about 20 million passengers per year. 

Other railway stations are Borgo San Giovanni  and Brescia Scalo, with no passenger service and used as a freight station.

From Brescia, high speed trains connect to Milan, Rome, Naples, Turin, Bologna, Florence and Venice; one can reach Milan in 35 min, Venice in 1 hour and 35 minutes, Florence in 2 hours and 15 minutes and Rome in 3 hours and 35 minutes. 

In addition there are international day trains to Zurich, and overnight sleeper services to Paris and Dijon, Munich and Vienna."

Just in case I am accused of giving short shrift to all the railway enthusiast’s who read the blog.

Location; Brescia

Pictures; Brescia, 2018, from the collection of Balzano

On being Billy no mates in Varese ....... meeting up

Now on a busy Thursday morning in Varese while the family are off shopping there is little to do but sit and watch as the city passes you by.

Location; Varese

Picture; meeting up, 2017 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Of ferries, and monuments and odd bits of transport history ....... by Lake Maggorie at Easter

We were a mixed bag on the mid day ferry to Intra.

There were a handful of locals, off to meet friends and family, a few tourists and us, along with an assortment of cars, two motor bikes and a lorry.

There weren’t that many of us, but then the ferry service across Lake Maggorie runs every twenty minutes so unless you have a pressing appointment there is no need to force yourself on to a full boat.

That said I am guessing there is a morning and evening rush hour, but at noon we pretty much had the ferry to ourselves.

Now the weather at Easter can be unpredictable.  Earlier in the week it had rained incessantly with the odd flash of lightening.  But Thursday had dawned sunny and bright and by the time we arrived in Laveno it was almost t-shirt weather and so on a whim we had taken the ferry to Intra.

It is a short enough journey lasting about twenty minutes, and the views across the lake were magnificent.

Not everyone however was bothered with the scenery, and this included one of the tourists who resolutely spent the journey staring at a map, and continued to do so as we docked.

He didn’t even give a glance as the platform at the landing point was lowered into place, which was a shame because had he done so he would have got a glimpse of transport history.

Looking down there was the original landing stage which I suppose had been abandoned when the ferry’s got bigger or the vehicles got larger and there was a need to add a new ramp which is lowered when a ferry arrives and raised once it had departed.

Given the small number of people on the ferry, we were ashore in a matter of minutes and within another five were parading beside the Lake looking for a suitable place to eat.

And there were plenty of bars, and restaurants along with the usual mix of touristy shops and in the warm sunshine were doing a grand trade.

At the Caffe Sempione an elegantly dressed couple had taken up a table with a commanding view over the water having chosen to ignore both the “Tea Room” and the “Lounge Bar”.

But the majority of people had oped for the large cafe whose tables and chairs were situated just behind the the war monument.

And not for the first time I pondered on the difference between many British war memorials and those erected in Italy.

In Britain they tend to be sited by churches, cross roads or specially designated spots which only come into their own on special occasions.

Not so many Italian monuments which are planted foursquare at the heart of the town giving them a prominent position amongst the living.

And so while you sit sipping your coffee or aperitif, there is no ignoring the sacrifice made by people on your behalf in wars which might otherwise be long forgotten.

All of which I think is a fine way for a war memorial to work.

Location; Intra, Lake Maggiore

Pictures; Intra, 2018 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

At home in Torre Annunziata in the Gulf of Naples

Now according to one travel authority the top ten things to do in Torre Annunziata range from 21 sights and landmarks, six outdoor activities, nine night spots and a handful of shops, spars, and parks.

Baba and zeppole

But after the short flight from Milan down to Naples and the 30-minute taxi ride from the airport, the remainder of the first day’s stay should really be taken gently.

This usually consist of a stroll to the local supermarket for a few essentials, including a selection of pastries, one of which must be a  zeppole and my favourite which is baba.

Then after a rest, a more serious wander to the nearby piazza where they sell fried potato croquettes.

These are called panzerotto but differ from the usual ones which look small calzone and use mashed potato instead of bread dough.

Looking for the piazza

By which time there is not that much left of the day, and the most sensible thing is to head back to the apartment, and settle down for the night, so as to be  ready for the morning’s adventures.

Torre Annunziata is a small place, and it is where Rosa was born.

The plan is to visit some of the old places and take in a few more from where Simone grew up, which is close by.

Today the town is a suburb of Naples, with a population of just over 42,000 but has its own distinct dialect which is a variation of Neapolitan.

It never occurred to me before that this will be what Simone and Rosa would have used at home and it will be what Tina and her brothers and sisters heard in the family home as they were growing up.

But Rosa and Simone left in 1960, and while they have been back, I wonder just how much it still looks like the place they knew.

The Encyclopedia Britannica described the town as "a seaport of Campania, Italy, in the province of Naples, on the east of the Bay of Naples, and at the south foot of Mt Vesuvius, 14 m. S.E. of Naples by rail. Pop. (1901), 2S,070 (town); 28,084 (commune). It is on the main line to Battipaglia, at the point of junction of a branch line from Cancello round the east of Vesuvius, and of the branch to Castellammare di Stabia and Gragnano. 

It has a royal arms factory established by Charles IV., and other ironworks, considerable manufacture of macaroni, paper, breeding of silkworms, and some fishing and shipping. 

The harbour is protected by moles. Remains attributed to the Roman post-station of Oplontis were discovered in making the railway between Torre del Greco and Torre Annunziata, a little west of the latter, in 1842”.

Down a street

But that was in 1911, and today my guide book tells me that it still has industries based around the navy, armaments and pharmaceuticals.

Just leaving me to ponder on the current exhibition of “sculptures and objects from Roman villas” at the Palazzo Criscuolo.

It will cost us just € 3.00, and not for the first time I ask Tina if they might offer concessions for OAPs but reflect that my concessionary bus pass might not pass muster as identification of my senior age.

So instead I will use the virtual guide to see what I am missing, which can be accessed from the town’s municipal web site.*

Who said you can’t live in the fast lane in Torre Annunziata?

Location; Torre Annunziata

Pictures; Torre Annunziata, 2019, from the collection of T. Balzano

*Comune Di Torre Annunziata,  http://www.comune.torreannunziata.na.it/hh/index.php

You never know who you will bump into ……..

It was my first time in Rome and as you do we wandered down to the heart of ancient Rome.

The Emperor Augustus ….. or to be strictly accurate, the replica, on the Via Fori Imperiali

Picture; Emperor Augustus, Rome, 2008, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Sacro Monte di Varese

“The Sacro Monte of Varese is located a few kilometers from the city and nestled in the regional park ‘Campo dei Fiori’ which literally translates to "Field of Flowers’. 

It consists of the Holy Road and the Sanctuary, as well as the small medieval village surrounding the Sanctuary. 

The Holy Road with its 14 chapels, rise up the mountain to the little village of Santa Maria del Monte and it ends with the Sanctuary (15th chapel) dedicated to the Virgin Mary. 

The rise is 2 kilometers along on a cobblestone path, and every chapel represents one of the Mysteries of Jesus Christ's life. You can find at the mountaintop the Sanctuary, the Cloister of Monache Romite Ambrosiane, 

The Museo Baroffio e del Santuario, the Casa Museo Lodovico Pogliaghi, the permanent nativity scene, and different restaurants, bars, a pizzeria, three hotels and a bed & breakfast.

The recently restored Vellone-Sacro Monte funicular operates between a parking lot at the first chapel ‘Prima Cappella’ and the top of Sacro Monte on Saturdays and Sundays throughout most of the year”.*

Location; Sacro Monte di Varese

Pictures, Sacro Monte di Varese, 2020, & 2016, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

* Sacro Monte di Varese, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacro_Monte_di_Varese

In Mergozzo with tall houses and twisty streets

Mergozzo is a tiny place, sandwiched between the mountains and the lake, with a population of 2,135 and a cluster of houses which nestle beside each other.

Their design defies any sense of planning and they spread out in all directions.

And for the unwary tourist they hold surprises, like the way they make a road a dead end, simply by growing out of their neighbour.

Added to which because the old town hugs the side of the mountain, the streets climb up in long stretches of stairs, disappearing into the shadows.

Beyond this old bit of the town, are new houses which are neat boxes following a common plan with equally neat gardens to front and back and an ample place for a car.

This last feature is in distinct contrast to the old town where because of the twisty narrow streets car spaces are at a premium.

And that adds to the charm of the place, where you are never far from the sound of the water lapping the stone wall by the lake, or the careless conversations of locals and tourists in the town square.

Location; Mergozzo

Pictures; Mergozza, 2018, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Remembering those who went to fight from Sant’Agnello

Sant’ Angello is just outside Sorrento and like everywhere has its own war memorial.

It stands in front of the Municipal Building in a small open space filled with flowers and sits perfectly at the heart of the town.

To one side are some street benches, and on the other a series of cafes from which you can stare back at the statue and the names inscribed on the four faces of the memorial.

It is easy to forget that Italy stood with the allies in the Great War and while the Fascists took the country into the that second war on the side of Nazi Germany there were many who opposed that alliance with Hitler.

And there were many who not only opposed Fascism and the Fascist adventures in Africa, and then from 1940 in Greece and elsewhere, but also were killed by the regime and later by the German army for that opposition.

All of which makes those tired jokes about Italian bravery both bad taste and inaccurate.

From the socialist deputies murdered when Mussolini took power to the partisans who fought both his government and the Germans that opposition was fierce and determined.

All of which were in my thoughts as I sat in the sun yesterday beside the war memorial of Sant’ Agnello.

The life of the town moves past it and I doubt that many give it much of a glance, but then that I suspect is how most memorials are regarded.

They are a memorial to those who died and are venerated as such but remain just a part of the towns existence.

And that is how it should be.


Location; Sant’Agnello






Picture; the war memorial, Sant’ Agnello, 2017, from the collection of Andrew Simpson