My City: Naples or Napoli
My name: Pep Minichino
Profession: Creative Consultant
NAPLES MY CITY: Pep hand out a string of good reasons to visit Naples! Let´s start with the names. Italians named Napoli, before Parthenope, Palepolis, Neapolis. The final meaning of Naples is “New old city”. The first inhabitants decided to live in a fertile land, close to a explosive volcano, the Vesuvius, and an active caldera, the Phlegraean Fields. Actually, the nature of the people, the Neapolitans, is in the middle.
Here I grew up: I have many names. Now it´s Pep, but before I was Giuseppe, Peppino, Peppe. A guy who left Naples at eighteen. No stamps of journeys on my passport. Too many changes in my life and places where I lived.
I study at the University of Bologna under the wing of professor Umberto Eco. Then I begin to work in advertising industry as art director. Finally, founder of two local aggregators Campanica Kampanika about Campania, a coastal region near Naples in southwestern Italy.
My holidays on a green island – 19 miles from the city of Naples – as water is the element of my zodiacal sign and fire the ascendant. All the benefits of the thermal waters on Ischia have high mineral salt content and are very hot.
I walk along the lively market
Why Naples? When to recharge my battery, I walk along the lively market of Pignasecca, within popular neighbourhood of Montesanto, and it fill me with happiness. The life change in the oldest marketplace in the center of Naples.
My early memory: Too many different houses my family changed, up and down, but when we arrived to live in the Arenella district the statue in the middle of the square target my childish heart. A bronze sculpture representing the artist Salvator Rosa by long hair with brush and palette on his hand.
We all love fish and pig filet
My favourite places to eat: Just gourmet street food every time, everywhere. Eccellenze Campane to taste the culinary excellence of the territory with a glass of Taurasi, the first southern DOCG wine. Occasionally in the Chiaia district, Ristorante da Dora to enjoy the Neapolitan seafood cuisine or Umberto to enjoy the dishes of a traditional restaurant.
What do you eat there? Carb and veggie addict – Neapolitans are called mangiafoglie – sometimes we like to order baccalà, fried fish, and black pig filet. My favourite: paccheri from Gragnano filled with buffalo ricotta, parmesan and San Marzano tomato sauce. Basil leaves and Vesuvius little tomato to complete the decoration of this vertical plate of pasta dish.
Typical local food? That’s amore! Pizza Margherita da Michele, Pizza Elena da Sorbillo, Calzone da Starita.
Watch a game with Napoli SSC
Meet the locals: Piazza Bellini nightlife crowded by bars and alternative people is the place to meet friends. Perditempo, Caffè Arabo and Intra Moenia our favourite date places in the historic centre of Naples. Close in Piazzetta Miraglia very funny is to watch a SSC Napoli game with tifosi azzurri and with a plastic glass of beer in hand: #forzanapolisempre.
My favourite bar: La Fonoteca start downtown to sell cd and vinyls, nowadays when we buy streaming music the founders decide to open, still selling music, an aperitivo and cocktail place for the young trendy people of the Vomero and around. A place useful to date some clients for a chat and a cup of coffee.
Best for a first date? The Belvedere of San Martino in Naples is where I twenty years ago began my life adventure with Enza.
My secret place in Naples: The port of my city, where is possible to discover continuously little secret places for some introspective reflections. The sea horizon, the volcanic mountain, the male castle is just the background scenography of my visual treasure objects. Not necessary the art of photography.
The opera house Teatro San Carlo
Best advice: A wild, colorful, sexy ode to the music and people of Naples. ‘Passione’ is a documentary film directed by the American actor John Turturro on location in the city – just imagine that the Teatro San Carlo of Naples is the oldest opera house still functioning in Europe – with archival footage and accounts from Enrico Caruso to Pino Daniele.
Favourite shop: Where it`s possible to buy finest men’ clothing – ‘Old England’ in via Toledo, where to find some shirts, jacket or suits also from the Neapolitan tailoring school.
My favorite Event: Contemporary art opening in private galleries or at the MADRE, Museum of Contemporary Art Donnaregina. The art scene spread parties, shows and exhibitions even in others public places like the MANN, National Archaeological Museum of Naples, and Capodimonte, Royal Palace Museum and Park.
Taxi or other local transport? Proud, like everyone in the city of the beautiful metro stop of ‘Toledo’, we suffer the regularity of the public transport in the entire region. The population density and the fragility of the layered underground slow down a new transportation system.
Keep away of: The buttadentro! The chucker-in! A category of waiters outside bars, pizzeria and restaurants, almost situated in touristic locations, invite gently, sometimes with menu in a hand, to sit at the tables.
In addition, just a short boat trip from Naples, you are on the island of Ischia – or the new name Iskiah. Carla loves this island.
