#mergellina

[postcard-from-the-past]

Fishers in the Mergellina district of Naples, Campania region of Italy

Italian vintage postcard

[carsmatchinghomes]

[parthenopehasnograve]

«Its setting on the Bay of Naples gives the city an outstanding universal value which has had a profound influence in many parts of Europe and beyond» - UNESCO

© phtony_pisani IG

[laterrazzasorrento]

Il Vesuvio ed il Castel d’Ovo. #napolidavivere #sea #napoli #seascape #nature #casteldellovo #naples #italy #vesuvio #sea #travel #picoftheday #sun #love #castle #photography #mergellina #landscape #mare #napolidavivere #instagood #travelphotography #golfodinapoli #lungomarecaracciolo #italia #view #photooftheday #sunset #igersitalia #igersnapoli #panorama (presso Golfo di Napoli) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnW4AUoNC93/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[comeunombranelbuio]

05.02.2022

SE..

SI NUN TE TROVO, I ‘TE CERCO

SI NUN ME TRUOVE TU ME CIRCHE?

SI TU PARTE, IO T’ ASPETTO

E SI T'ASPETTO, TU ME VIDE?

SI TE PENSO, SCRIVO QUACCHE RIGO

E QUACCHE VOTA NUN T'O DDICO

SI TU ME PIENZE, IO PO RIDO

MA SI TE VECO, MANCA O’ RISPIRO

[peoplematchingartworks]

[nondedicocanzoni]

TTSEM🥀

Scennimmo a Mergellin'

Nun ne parlamm' cchiù'

It's me and you'

Na rosa 'e cient' spin'

Na bott' dint"o cor'

Tu t'hê scurdat' 'e me

[tacabanda]

(via Federico Berti, Mazurka in Lam per Pianoforte solo, ‘Mergellina’ - FEDERICO BERTI)

[postcard-from-the-past]

View of the Mergellina district of Naples, Campania region of Italy

Italian vintage postcard

[carsmatchinghomes]

[osiiiris]

Secondo Emeritus - Naples

Primo | Secondo | Terzo

Naples. My beautiful Naples. My beloved, adored Naples. It is the city where I studied and grew up in and it is also literally filled with mysteries and legends. I thought Naples would have been the perfect formation place for a young Secondo Emeritus. Let’s see what may have influenced and inspired him in his religious journey.

1 - The musical church. 

Ghost’s music has always been heavily loaded with the Devil’s Tritone: also called Diabulus in Musica or Devil’s Interval, it is an unsettling dissonance produced by an unusual arrangement of notes that gives that spooky, devilish tone to music. In Infestissumam, it was featured on 9 out of 10 songs. The use of the Tritone was banned in Medieval times (In Ghost, its use dramatically dropped with Prequelle, with only 2 out of 10 songs featuring it). So what if I tell you that, in contrast, in Naples there is a church that functions as a musical score, whose music protects it from evil?

Basically, there is a church in Piazza del Gesù that has a particular pointy ashlar on the external facade. Under the side (the one facing the ground, so if you look up from the street you can see them) of each of these little pyramids are carved symbols, which turned out to be Aramaic letters that were later translated into musical notes. So, it turned out that the whole church is a big score, and it’s playable. The whole melody, called Enigma, was played for the first time inside the church to celebrate the discovery. You can hear the music here (sound quality is not the best).

Will it protect the church from Ghost’s music?

2 - The skull cult.

Naples has very intricate underground galleries, almost all visitable. One of these is Cimitero delle Fontanelle, a famous catacomb where the remains of about 40.000 people who died from plagues are stored. It is said the “anime pezzentelle” cult was born here: it is a particular relationship each Neapolitan establishes with a chosen skull. You literally adopt an abandoned skull, which according to our tradition is the seat of the soul, and your duty is to care for it, protect it and also create a special niche for it. In exchange, the soul of that skull will protect you.

A nice place for a Bone Daddy.

3 - Pretty and Evil like Mergellina’s devil.

Knowing the passion our Secondo has for women, here is a story about a very devilish one.

In Santa Maria del Prato church, in the Mergellina area, there is the only representation of the devil as a woman in a painting.

The legend has it that said woman was the beautiful Vittoria D’Avalos, who seduced the Bishop Diomede Carafa, who commissioned the painting in 1542 to represent his victory against the woman’s lust (we're all believing him, right? 🙄).

Now that story has a way of saying that refers to femmes fatales as “Pretty and Evil like Mergellina’s devil”.

I’d say she may be considered among the first-ever Sisters of Sin. 

4 - Who gives life can also take it.

Infestissumam is filled with references to birth and Jesus, turning it into the birth of the antichrist and creating a narrative that is completely opposite to the birth of the Son of Man. Now, in Naples, there is a statue that embodies both concepts.

Back to Piazza del Gesù: On a very high pedestal in the center of the square stands a statue of the Virgin Mary, the Mother. That's all... until you position yourself at a specific point in the square and look up to see the statue transformed into the Reaper. His face is hidden by the cowl, staring straight at you, with a sickle at its feet and a snake crawling on it.

Depending on your point of view, the giver of life becomes the taker of it.

5 - Body and Blood… but especially blood.

What never stops to fascinate me about the relationship of Neapolitans with religion is the very thin line between devotion and pure blasphemy. It is the case of the “miracle” of San Gennaro’s blood. It happens twice a year and it consists in bringing the Saint’s blood in a liquid state again (after centuries it is obviously solidified). The particular thing is that during this ritual, the worshippers (and the priests too) literally insult the saint to convince him to make the miracle happen, because if it doesn’t work, it means that something terrible is about to happen.

(Last time it didn’t work was right before the Covid pandemic 🙂)

I’d say this could have been a great inspiration for Body and Blood and Idolatrine.

Honorable mention to the fact that I have lived 32 years now on this Earth and I never attended this event even though I would like to.

Bonus: Now, I said that Dante would come back in the chapters, and he is. In fact, not only Virgilio died in Naples (and he is the protector of the city) but, apparently, the gates of Hell Dante mentioned in his comedy were located on the Averno lake, near Pozzuoli, not far from Naples.

[canesenzafissadimora]

I balconi del millenovecento. Prima dei telefoni i balconi, si usciva fuori e si mandava a dire. Erano lo sfogo della casa, le ragazze non uscivano a spasso tranne per la funzione, la domenica. Però stavano in vista sul balcone, passava il giovanotto, un fiore conficcato nell'occhiello, una sbirciata a scippo, l'intesa fulminata, telegramma spedito con le ciglia. Al balcone tra i vasi la ragazza dipanava un gomitolo, ricamava a telaio, fingeva di pungersi con l'ago per liberare gli occhi messi in giù. Mia nonna si fidanzò al balcone. E mia madre, d'estate, dopoguerra, con altri amici esce sul balcone per il fresco e un uomo, ventott'anni, sedutosi vicino le chiede di sposare. Provengo dall'incontro di loro due là fuori, a Mergellina, col cielo giocoliere del tramonto. Ma da un altro balcone s'era affacciato pure l'impettito a dichiarare guerra, sporgendosi rapace e pappagallo sulla folla ubriaca di se stessa. Era meglio se usciva alla finestra e meglio ancora se teneva chiuso, così non si guastava la storia dei balconi e dell'Italia del millenovecento.

[gue-suita]

se devo andare in grecia per farmi la vacanza in mezzo ai napoletani vado a farmi direttamente il bagno a mergellina

[theonevoice]

Oh no, my friends... Lately I was considering the chances that in s3 Aziraphale may find an unlikely ally in Michael, both being sword-wielding angels, but I've just suddenly remembered: in Christian mythology, one of the main endeavours linked to the cult of the Archangel Michael it's him slaying the dragon.

And the word "dragon" has a long documented use as a interchangeable synonym for... snake.

(left: The Archangel Michael and the dragon, Maestro di Soriguerola, XIII century; right: The Archangel Michael and the snake, Chiesa di San Lucca in Foro, XI century)

(Saint Michael slaying the devil, also known as "Diavolo di Mergellina", Leonardo da Pistoia, 1542)

I'm worried for our demon now... what if Michael attacks Crowley? What if Aziraphale doesn't arrive in time, or the Metatron stops him from intervening?

😢

[apropositodime]

Mi sono innamorata di Napoli tantissimo tempo fa.

Ancora prima di andarci.

Da ragazzina, quando al telegiornale scorrevano immagini bellissime della città, con notizie meno belle.

Ricordo le mie parole

" quando sarò grande andrò a visitare Napoli"

Con lo sguardo stranito di mia sorella, lei ascoltava le tragiche notizie io guardavo le bellissime immagini, amavo quei panni appesi 😅.

Poi senza nessuna fatica la vita mi porta a Napoli più di una volta, direi tante volte.

Ed è stato amore a prima vista, non ne ho mai avuto dubbi.

L'ho vista e rivista, girata di giorno, di notte , respirata , ascoltata, mi ha sempre emozionata.

Quante persone belle, quante cose buone.

La pizza nei posti più improbabili, ricordo quella pizzeria con tavolini di plastica in mezzo alla strada, a Porta Capuana. Solo Margherita, marinara, e piazza fritta. Altro che pizza gourmet.

Le sfogliatelle

La mozzarella

La birra, e i taralli a Mergellina

I cornetti giganti pieni di Nutella la notte.

I Babà

I panini (a Caserta però) e enormi e strapieni da Peppe.

Zeppole e panzerotti

Il pane, chi se lo dimentica quel pane, i cortili con il forno a pietra e la signora che ti vendeva il pane ancora caldissimo, fatto con grani antichi, impastato da mani sapienti.

Ricordo i pentoloni in cortile a fine agosto, la pummarola fresca.

Se chiudo gli occhi sento i profumi, vedo i colori, e ascolto quel caos così familiare ricco di tradizioni indissolubili. 💙

Ogni suo angolo sussurrava qualcosa di importante.

Napoli non viene capita, viene giudicata ancora prima di tutto.

Tornerò a trovarti un giorno, con vera gioia 💙

[nondedicocanzoni]

MARE D' INVERNO

Mare, Non ti posso guardare così perché Questo vento agita anche me.🖤