New year's eve in Naples

I hope Naples will not be crowded on New Year's eve, as I will be here (in Naples) until the 5th of January. The train from Rome to Naples was too crowded yesterday,  as many young people didn't respect social distancing rules 😷🤨

I had breakfast at the Gambrinus, which is heir to the ancient Neapolitan tradition. It is at least since 1800s that in Naples coffee is more than just a drink. Since Gambrinus was born it has been the meeting place of intellectuals, politicians, and businessmen.

Happy New Year to you 🥂

Snow in Northern Italy

After the II world war Piaggio SpA, an Italian motor vehicle manufacturer, made the first model of a three-wheeled light commercial vehicle. Since its 1948 introduction it has been offered in a series of body configurations. With more than 70  years of history and success, Piaggio is a brand recognised in numerous areas of the world. It is the absolute market leader in India in this specific product field.

This morning a friend of mine, who live in the Alps mountains (the Northest part of Italy), has just sent me a photo of his house covered with snow. Actually, it is not the view of Italy that first comes to mind. 

Have a nice weekend!

Renault 4

In my previous post I mentioned Citroën 2cv after I had seen an old one while I was walking. This morning I saw another old one: it is Renault 4, which had been produced from 1961 to 1992 by the French car maker Renault. I was happy to see that old car, as it was the car I used to drive when I was 20 years old. 

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of Renault 4, that's its name, the French manufacturer has created the "Suite N. 4" that has maintained the same dimensions and external lines of  the original model. 

While I was walking I also took pictures of two of the oldest stone fountains. These two small town's landmarks, which were both built in the late 16th century, provided water supply for horses and donkeys.  

At the local market I saw an easy way to enjoy fresh tomatoes in late Autumn 🍅

Have a nice Sunday :-)

Rome in late Autumn

This week, on a rainy thursday in late Autumn, I went to Rome for job once again. I hate wet socks, that's why I put in a change of socks while I was there. It seems people who live there are able to ride those manual scooters also on rainy days 🛴 ... but abandoned manual scooters along Rome's sidewalks were so dangerous.

I soon noticed that Christmas decoration were already there along many streets and squares. 

On the way back, while I was walking along an historical alley of the town, I saw a Citroën 2cv on the cobblestones. It's an old car manufactured in France from 1948 to 1990. In the late 1970s the Citroën 2cv was a very popular car. It has always been so colorful, al least two colours.

I also took the next two pictures in Rome:  refurbishment of a historical building (Ministry of Finance) and an urban green space, which provides psychological relaxion and supports physical activity.

The last picture above shows that on the 42nd parallel lemons are already on branches. Lemon is an excellent source of vitamin C.

Good morning

This morning I had cappuccino at the coffee bar near my house. After the waitress had prepared the cappuccino, she wrote "good morning" ("buon giorno" in Italian language) on top of it.  There was a small Italian flag painted on the cup handle.  I thought people who love their job are always kind. One week ago she made another decoretion while she was making cappuccino and coffee cups.

The picture below shows a mural that I saw while I was walking along an alley in the older part of the town. It's easy to see it was painted recently, as the woman in the mural wears a masks :-)

With regards to the mask just above mentioned (and social distancing rules), I am sorry to hear that while many people inoculated with both doses are reporting symptoms of Covid-19, scientists in South Africa have just warned of a new strain of Covid-19 ... Just in time for 2022. EU and UK say they have restricted travels from the South African region to their countries. On the one hand, the effects on the economy of the new detected variant may be devastating, because of its multiple mutations. On the other hand, today "Moderna Inc." share price is rising by 22.45% ... 😦

God Bless the South African people. 

The old town of Tolfa

On 7th of May I already wrote (and published) a short post about Tolfa, which is a small town located in the hills not far from Rome. Yesterday I went there once again for job. This journey gave me the opportunity to enjoy the old side of Tolfa and its characteristic stone houses.

The first picture above shows the hills surrounding the small town of Tolfa completely covered with oak trees. That's why many houses have fireplaces and wood heating systems, which reduce emission from fossil fuels. 

While I was walking through Tolfa's old narrow alleys, I noticed that each house had its typical wooden door.

I really had a great time there, as I didn't hear any car noise. 

Have a nice weekend!

Mid Autumn

 Just a pictures taken this morning on a sunny Saturday in mid Autumn.

The name of the tourist facility showed above is "Riva di Traiano". It's a port located in Civitavecchia (70 Km North from Rome), which is home to many cultural and sporting events that attact sailors from over Italy. Inside the port are numerous shops, coffees, restaurants, sailing clubs and leisure facilities in addition to parking for both users and visitors.

On Tuesday, 9th of November, I went to Rome for job. After I had finished the task, I walked through the oldest part of the Italian capital. 

While I was walking through the narrow streets of the most lively area of Rome, I discovered typical restaurants, cafès, art galleries and specialized shop.

Have a nice weekend!

In the hills on October, 31st

A few images taken on October 31st in the hills (Itri, 90 km South from Rome). This time there weren't many olives in my mother's garden. So we couldn't make olive oil. 

 

We also enjoyed chestnuts cooked in the fireplace.

Lemon flowers were blooming and the surrounding vineyards began to change their colours.

I hope you will have a nice week!

Plastic apples

The apples in the picture below seem realistic decorative apples for home or kitchen decoretion. Unfortunately, they are true apples, and they were shipped from one of the Northernmost village in Italy. I saw them at the supermarket in Civitavecchia (Central Italy). 

I also saw Australian walnuts, Chinese garlic, and Argentinian almonds! Maybe, we should boost the supply of fresh, healthy and locally produced food.

 

The photo below has nothing to do with plastic red apples and walnuts shipped from the Southern emisphere. One week ago I went to Naples, South Italy, once again. As I mentioned in my previous post, published on 28th of September, I already went there last month. In Naples I saw "The seven acts of mercy" represented in the Caravaggio's oil painting. The painting was made in 1607 and it is housed in the church of "Pio Monte della Misericordia" in Naples. Caravaggio combined all seven acts of mercy in one composition, instead of seven separate panels around the church.

https://www.caravaggio.org/the-seven-works-of-mercy.jsp

If you go to Italy, please don't miss to visit Naples. I will go there in December, once again.

I took just two pictures

During the 1st week of October the weather was not on our side in Italy. Today at least it is a sunny Sunday ... after a rainy and wet week. The two pictures below shows the cloudy sky I saw on Thursday, 6th October  ...  the gateway to a modern designed harbour for pleasure boats, with its achitectures of historical works (1st pic), and an old Italian car built in the early 1970s (2nd pic): congrats to the owner, as it looks new 🚗

On the vaccine front, protests against Italy's Covid certificate grew violent yesterday, while thousands of people took to the street of the Italian Capital. As it is known, Italy's government issued a law requiring COVID-19 vaccine or negative testes for workers to enter their offices and workplaces.

Meanwhile, Supreme Courts in many countries have already ruled agaist using vaccine passport to restrics access to the workplaces.

In accordance with the principles of the Italian constitution, we see what the Italian government will be able to do.