The city of Naples, Italy has produced a fairly prolific musical tradition. One Neapolitan love song, Core' ngrato (Ungrateful Heart), reflects the ruminations of a young man who had been spurned. (Click for the English translation.)
Here is the interpretation by the Three Tenors:
My son just landed in Rome this morning. He's there for a week, touristing. We have friends with family in southern Italy ("on the boot" they say). He says it's gorgeous but I presume having his (we adore her) girlfriend with him is influencing his opinion. He says the countryside is beautiful, they're going out for gelato and wine.
Any suggestions I can text him? They're going to Tuscany (actually staying in Chianti), Montefalco, Florence, and Rome.
Posted by: Sue | April 30, 2011 at 07:23 PM
Your son is very fortunate. Have never been to Chianti or Montefalco. Both Rome and Florence, of course, have well-worn tourist tracks, and themselves constitute museums in a sense; but the great cathedral in Florence (Il Duomo) is probably my favorite of all those I have visited in Europe.
Posted by: Joe Guarino | April 30, 2011 at 07:51 PM
Roma Capitali del mondo. Palermo Secondo..
Becareful on Il Ponte Vecchio. They will try and sell you antiquies that they made just that morning. By droping the object into the river. And then retrieving it. Voila Antique..I know. One tried to sell me a flint lock pistol with a Phillips Head Screw in it. Tony
Posted by: Tony Racina | April 30, 2011 at 08:11 PM
The Three Tenors. You want music? Listen to these gentlemen.
Quantu bedda รจ me soggira
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMq3NmgC2mM&NR=1
Posted by: Tony Racina | April 30, 2011 at 08:13 PM
Yep, Tony, it seems they try to sell you junk near a number of the more heavily traveled tourist attractions in Italy. (I guess that happens here, also.)
The You Tube you provided is probably a lot closer to the type of music our people had. By the way, you don't see accordions much any more-- I remember seeing lots of them around when I was a kid, a couple of cousins played, etc.
Posted by: Joe Guarino | April 30, 2011 at 08:47 PM
Tony,
Is that you on the Tom-Tom.?
The lights are reflecting off his his head so brightly that I can't see the face.
Posted by: Fred Gregory | April 30, 2011 at 11:22 PM
Joe. Tell your friends to stay away from NAPLES. I watched a movie last night (Italian) about the Napolitano Camorra...Naples is over run by Colombians, Africans and Nepolitans who are doing drugs. I was in Naples in 1949/50 with the Sixth Fleet. That city was beautiful..According to this movie. It is a complete disator. Dumping chemicals in open pits and buring it. The food being poisioned. Cancer on the increase. I think, I've noticed many tours not even mentioning Naples. The garbage is herrendous. I can't spell. But you get the idea. Tony
Posted by: Tony Racemus | May 01, 2011 at 11:51 PM
Tony, Naples certainly has a dark underside. Tourists definitely have to be careful in that city. When my family went four years ago, it was a blast. The city is otherwise great to visit, and has some amazing things to see. I would not want to live there, however.
Posted by: Joe Guarino | May 02, 2011 at 06:34 AM
When I was there on deployment with the 6th Fleet in '71, the seamy side was obvious, but there was plenty of positive things, too.
We were there on two occassions that summer, including a two week tender availabilty stay. Several of us used three days of that time to visit Rome, where we broke any number of 6th Fleet/US Navy regulations within just a few hours.
Those times were one of the highlights of my summer vacation in the Med, courtesy of Uncle Sam.
Posted by: bubba | May 02, 2011 at 08:24 AM
Bubba, in the vicinity surrounding Naples, there are many neat places to visit also: Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius, the Greek ruins at Paestum, the Amalfi coast, the royal palace at Caserta, Capri, etc. One could easily spend a week or two in Campania. (And Tony, yes, one could also easily spend a week or two in Sicily.)
Posted by: Joe Guarino | May 02, 2011 at 12:58 PM
Joe. Sailors should visit the California Bar and the Snake Pit if still there. I met a very famous guy in the California bar. Many years ago. Viddi a Napoli e poi murri..See Naples and then you can die. Povera Italia. Perhaps Mt. Vesuvius will blow its top and bury it for a few generations. Sorry to say. But it's true. Garbage stacked up in the streets. Tell me it's gone. Please. Tony
Posted by: Tony Racemus | May 02, 2011 at 09:14 PM