NAPLES
Naples is the capital of the Campania region. The city
is the third most populated municipality (city proper) of Italy, but the second
metropolitan area, after Milan.
It was founded between the 7th and 6th centuries BC by the Greeks and was named Neapolis, which means new city.
I
asked my students what was their favorite American food. Most of them replied,
“PIZZA!” By far pizza has become America's favorite food over the past 50
years.
It
is believed that Italians invented the pizza, however the origins go back to
the ancient times. Long ago the Babylonians, Israelites, Egyptians and other
ancient Middle Eastern cultures were eating flat, un-leaven bread that had been
cooked in mud ovens. The bread was much like a pita, which is still common in
Greece and the Middle East today. Further it is known that ancient
Mediterranean people such as the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians were eating the
bread, topped seasoned with olive oil and native spices.
The
lower class of the Naples, Italy is believed to have created pizza in a more
familiar fashion. In the late 1800s an Italian baker named Raffaele Esposito, was
believed to have created a dish for visiting royalty. According to the story,
the Italian monarch King Umberto and his consort, Queen “Margherita” were
touring the area. In order to impress them and to show his patriotic fervor
Raffaele chose to top flat bread with food that would best represent the colors
of Italy: red tomato, white mozzarella cheese and green basil.
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| We stopped at the Caffetieria Medina for a quick expresso. |
The
king and queen were so impressed that word quickly reached the masses. The end
results were that the dish was well received to the extent that others began to
copy it.
Driving
in Naples
Oh
My!!! My husband and I were standing at a corner road waiting for our friends
to pick us up to take us to their home in Avellino. What did we see?
We saw scooters from 2-6 people, one even had their family dog! No helmets! Scooters
completed “U” turns when they missed their turns or made left-hand turns from
the right lanes. If moving cars stopped, the scooters weaved in and out of lanes
and even used sidewalks when necessary. As a pedestrian, I made sure all moving
vehicles had the right of way. Horns were used like musical instruments.
Beep!
Beep! B-E-E-P!!!!!!!
Hold onto your hats and watch the “Driving Lesson” from Naples:
AVELLINO
We finally made it back to Avellino.
Avellino is a town and commune,
capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy.
It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains 42 km (26 mi)
north-east of Naples
and is an important hub on the road from Salerno
to Benevento.
There is nothing like the unique taste and texture
of the largest fresh figs from Avellino. They are lusciously sweet with a
texture that combines the chewiness of their flesh, the smoothness of their
skin, and the crunchiness of their seeds.They just melt in your mouth!
 |
| Walking around Avellino. |
Our friend's cousin got married. We stayed an extra day in Avellino to experience this extraordinary and beautiful Italian wedding. Everyone in the town came to help celebrate this joyous event! And oh, did I mention the fresh caught seafood, home-made pasta and the wine? We celebrated from dawn to dusk.
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