Posted by grazia on January 19th, 2010 — in Campania
Alife is a very ancient Italian city that counts 7502 inhabitants and is located in the province of Caserta in Campania.
Its origins date from the Sunni and its streets have seen Romans and Saracens, who have plundered it.
Alife is situated in the Volturno valley and is surrounded by the mountains of Matese. The river Torano runs 
through it, making the surrounding land fertile and productive.
The structure of the modern town of Alife has retained much of the urban plan of Rome. It is rectangular and the internal roads draw rectangles as well.
There still are the walls of the Roman era, then restored in the Middle Ages. The walls have a length of 1.9 kilometres. Along the walls every 39 meters there are towers that were designed to strengthen the walls and to allow people a better view on the surroundings. (more…)
Posted by grazia on December 9th, 2009 — in Campania
The Neapolitan Crib along with the bagpipes, the raffle and the menu of Christmas Eve (December 24), is one of the strongest symbols of the Neapolitan Christmas.
Crib is a religious symbols, but it is also loved by not too religious Neapolitan families because the Neapolitan crib is the place where the sacred and profane, spiritual and daily life, prayer and irony live as one.
The proof of it is Via San Gregorio Armeno. One of the most famous streets of Naples, which, during the Christmas period, discloses with its cribs people mind to Christmas.
Via San Gregorio Armeno is the famous street of the artisans of the manger, well known throughout the world for its shops devoted to the art of the crib.
The street and the shops can be visited throughout the year and the visitor is so taken back every time to the magical Christmas atmosphere.
For every family in Naples, Christmas is also a visit in San Gregorio Armeno.
Difficult to describe in words or images, the multitude of small shops and stalls crowding the colourful Via San Gregorio Armeno.
Here it is possible to find everything for the crib: houses made of cork or cardboard in different sizes, electrical objects as windmills or waterfalls, 30 cm high terracotta hand-painted shepherds dressed with tailor-made clothes. (more…)
Posted by grazia on November 27th, 2009 — in Campania, Italy
Spaghetti con le vongole.
The spaghetti with clams are one of the most famous and appreciated dishes of the traditional Neapolitan cuisine, where they are most known as “vermicelli with clams.”
Although now the spaghetti with clams are prepared in every corner of the world, it is impossible for anyone who goes to Naples not to try this delicious dish. 
The spaghetti with clams have also become one of the dishes required for the Christmas and New Year meals.
In Naples there are at least two ways to cook them. The tomato is the main difference: it is an ingredient or it is not?
Some people prefer the spaghetti with clams without tomato sauce, others are with it, some eventually accepted to crush some cherry tomatoes in the oil. (more…)
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Posted by grazia on November 15th, 2009 — in Campania, Italy
Ingredients
• 500 gr. spaghetti
• 300 gr. baby octopus 
• 300 gr. peeled shrimp
• 300 gr. mushrooms
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• chopped parsley
• 1 / 2 cup of white wine
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• salt and pepper
Preparation
- Clean the mushrooms, cut them into thin slices and stir-fry them in a pan with a bit of oil just for a minute. (more…)
Posted by internetauthor on November 13th, 2009 — in Campania
When visiting Naples, be ready for wonders not just in the cuisine and the scenery, but in the experiences you can accumulate in this fine city. Not your typical town, and certainly not one of the top tourist spots in Italy, Naples is a fine city to visit just off the beaten path. It is also the center of many other popular day trips making Naples an ideal spot to spend a few days while in Italy.
Pizza Vera Napoletana
Very Napoleon pizza is the authentic version of the delicious Italian meal. Pizza originated in Naples and is likely the region’s biggest export, but until you’ve tried pizza in Naples, you have no idea what the differences are between the original and the millions of variations there of. Da Michele and Di Matteo are both popular names when it comes to trying the most authentic version of Naples pizza (more…)
Posted by grazia on November 11th, 2009 — in Campania, Italy
Torraca is a small municipality located in the south of Campania in the low Cilento, not far from the borders of Basilicata.
It has the characteristics of a medieval village with the presence of a baronial castle.
Torraca is located above thick Mediterranean scrubland and offers great panoramas of the sea over the Golfo di Sapri, reaching up to the Calabrian coastline. 
The name of this medieval village built around the Castle of Palamolla, probably derives from the name of a family, Torre de Jaco, who lived there centuries ago.
The revolutionary and patriot Carlo Pisacane was in Torraca in 1857, and in the historical Piazza Olmo gave a speech to the crowds to urge them to fight for the unification of Italy.
Photos from n3m01983 and Spazialis (more…)
Posted by grazia on November 9th, 2009 — in Campania
Agropoli is a town of 20,806 inhabitants in the Italian province of Salerno in Campania.
Overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, on the southern end of the Gulf of Salerno, sitting just below the Piana del Sele, Agropoli was an important maritime location for the Romans.
Today it hosts a large tourist port and is the main gateway leading from the sea to the National Park of Cilento and the Vallo di Diano.
The strategic location of the “pearl of the Cilento” (as it has been defined), has always had a great significance from several point of views.
Today Agropoli is the perfect place for tourists, that will be fascinated by the historical and natural beauties of the city but also from neighbouring places like Paestum, Castelcivita, Pertosa, Velia and all villages of the National Park of Cilento, easily accessible from Agropoli. (more…)