Celebrating Your Inner Italian
Ferdinando Scianna: Viaggio, Racconto, Memoria (Travel, Story, Memory) is currently showing at the Modern Art Museum in Palermo.
I had never seen Scianna’s work prior to this show. Now, I can’t imagine a world without it. His eye is keen and empathetic.
Mt. Vesuvius looms only a few miles east of Naples. It casts its shadow of destruction down the centuries so that when you are in Naples, you can never forget that life is fragile.
Maybe that’s why the people of Naples are so alive and fiercely proud of their city, a city that’s a survivor. Every Neapolitan we encountered was quick to point out the treasures of their place.
The Chapel of San Severo with Giuseppe Sanmartino’s gossamer sculpture of the Veiled Christ.
The Archeological Museum laden with decorative treasures from Pompeii.
The pizza at L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele.
The incomparable bay and lungomare.
Caravaggio’s The Seven Works of Mercy in Pio Monte della Misericordia.
Seafood seafood seafood!
The presepe (intricate nativity scenes) artisans on the street of San Gregorio Armeno.
Flaky sfolliatelle pastries filled with sweetened ricotta.
The incomparable vista from Castel Sant’Elmo Castle, and easy walk from the Montesanto Funicular stop.
Coral and cameo artisans. I succumbed at Cameo Factory De Paola on Via A. Caccavello.
Spaccanapoli, the long wide street that from an aerial view “splits” the city in two parts.
During two August visits, one at the beginning of the month and the other one at the end of the month, to the city by the bay, we experienced these places and tastes. We stayed first at the excellent Palazzo Decumani hotel in the historic center. The property is top notch and the staff wonderful. For the second visit, we booked Soffitta dell’Artista in Mezzanine, through airbandb.com, a guest house and art gallery combined on thriving Via Tribunali. It was fun breakfasting with fellow guests: a family of six from France and a couple from Austria.
Of course, there are gems we didn’t have time for but you need a reason to return to the life of Naples. Click here for more experiences.
Few experiences are as memorable as sharing time and a spectacular destination with an intimate group of friends, colleagues, or grown-up family.
• Pecorino cheese-making demonstration and tasting.
• Olive oil comparison blind tasting.
• Watercolor painting class.
• Pasta making session and tasting.
• Wine estate tour with tasting.
• Magnificent medieval Siena—home of the Palio—and a private tour of the Brucco contrada with author Dario Castagno.
• Outing to the stunning hill town of Montepulciano.
• Presentation on the restoration of Villa Pipistrelli conducted by antiques expert Susan Pennington.
• Lavish buffet breakfasts and gourmet evening meals prepared by a private chef at Villa Pipistrelli.
• Free time to explore Montestigliano, the 2,500-acre Tuscan estate on which Villa Pipistrelli is tucked away.
• Social time with author Jennifer Criswell and other English-speaking experts on the culture, cuisine, and lifestyle.
Four week-long itineraries are reserved for you to choose from:
April 11–18, 2015
April 18–25, 2015
October 3–10, 2015
October 10–17, 2015
Photographer Kellie Hoeke
When we first saw Kellie Hoeke’s evocative photographs of Tuscany, we thought to ourselves, “Well, she’s in touch with her Inner Italian!” But, when we invited Kellie to be profiled here, she hesitated.
She told us, “My first and only visit to Italy was in 2004 to celebrate my 40th birthday. Although I loved it there I don’t have recipes and stories from al fresco meals shared with newly formed friends. Heck, I don’t even have one single relative who ever lived in Italy! So I thought, what would I be doing on SimpleItaly? Well, the answer is, I have some pretty darn nice images of my stay there and I sure wouldn’t want those going unshared by others who love the place as much as I do.”
Well, Kellie, we say, it’s not the quantity of time you spend in Italy that counts. It’s the quality of time that Italy spends in you! Here, in her own words and images is Kellie’s Italian take on life.
"Soft Window" in a Tuscan hilltown.
I am a photographer living in the Lehigh Valley region of Eastern Pennsylvania. Our countryside has aged beautifully next to the Lehigh River in among hills and green valleys. Add to that landscape seasonal changes that offer ever-extraordinary treats for your eyes: Velvety moss-covered forests in spring to late fall where nothing is left but the flowing yellow feathers of a willow tree in the brown landscape to the cold of winter’s end with a deer running across a snowy field. I am inspired every day to capture what yet has to be told about this beautiful area.
And so it was when I was in Italy that I recognized and felt so close to the land that I had to remark to my husband how reminiscent it was of Pennsylvania’s landscape, both temperately and topographically. He agreed and we moved on to experience more.
A vineyard in Tuscany.
As we took in the sights and architecture we were floored by the history and beauty that combine to make Italy what it is-breathtaking and old-so old you can only, as a photographer, hope to click off a few pixels that might remind you of the sights as you walked each hill town and tried to take it all in.
Yes, I was nothing more than a tourist, but I drank in the history and slow pace of the Italian surroundings. Again and again, I felt the peace, despite the busy schedule we all kept while trying to pack in what we could in the time we had there. The images I managed to bring home are a constant reminder of the time we had, the beauty we were treated to and the pull that you have let in, like a new love, wanting more.
So “Living Italian” to me means not letting the little stuff get me down. It means finding beauty everywhere and surrounding myself with beautiful people and beautiful things. I start each day looking outside and am amazed at sunrises and sunsets every single day.
Scene on the street.
What nurtures my Inner Italian is beauty.
As an artist I never stop looking for it and capturing it.
Photographer Kellie Hoeke owns Sweet peas Studio, specializing in individual and family portraiture, and Dreamages, where she creates custom- finished-and-framed Italian travel images. In-home consultations are available.
For information, call the telephone number below.
All images on this post ©Kellie Hoeke.