The sounds of Italy... E non solo: Vacanze Romane, Sophia Loren e accenti Napoletani

I like all types of music, however having done ballet for over 10 years I have to say Classical and Opera music are probably my favourite genre. So when I get homesick I often put this on... What better way to hear the sounds of my country through one of the greatest tenors?

CD: Luciano Pavarotti - Amore (bought from a charity shop)

My two favourites tracks are:

Core 'ngrato - Old neapolitan song, written by Alessandro Sisca and Salvatore Cardillo, Italian emigrants who moved to New York from Southern Italy in the early 1900s. Cardillo didn't think much of the song and even referred to it as a "porcheria" however the song eventually became a huge success back in Italy.

« .. Mi dici che tutti in Italia cantano quella mia "porcheria" e che io mi sono fatto un nome grazie a essa, ma in tutti questi anni ho scritto molte altre canzoni vere... » Cardillo

I first heard this as a child when I saw Sophia Loren singing the chorus in the iconic film 'Ieri, Oggi, Domani' (1963). Back then we only saw the first episode of the movie - I don't recall seeing the second or third part until many years later (it's not quite for the kids!). We found it so enjoyable we ended up acting out parts of the story and played 'poor Neapolitans' with our neighbours kids... The imagination you have as a child is unreal.
Set in Naples, the first episode tells the real story of a woman (Sophia Loren) who sells cigarettes off the black market to support her family and continously becomes pregnant by her unemployed husband (Marcello Mastroianni) to avoid prison due to an unpaid fine. Loren and Mastroianni's charming characters managed to depict the light-hearted and lovable spirit of Neapolitan life and culture so well and with such charisma they even made poverty seem appealing to us as children...

La bellissima Sophia and Mastroianni in una scena tratta dal film di Vittorio de Sica

Chitarra Romana (Roman Guitar) - my second favourite song from the album, written by Eldo di Lazzaro, an unquestionable classic in Italian music, it's of personal significance to me because it inspired two of my most recent and most enjoyable trips to Rome. I heard this on the radio last year whilst trying to figure out plans for my birthday and it inspired a last minute, long weekend in the Italian capital. One of the best trips, I really got to explore Rome so well in a relatively short space of time (2 days) and got to celebrate my birthday in the eternal city, la città eterna as we call it.

Just a few pictures of my trip - February 2013

Il Colosseo

Basilica di San Pietro

L'ultimo Angelus di Papa Benedetto XVI - I was fortunate enough to make it into the square during Pope Benedict's last public speech as Pope.

La Pietà di Michelangelo

One of my favourites by Caravaggio - La Buona Ventura ( The Fortune Teller, 1594) Musei Capitolini. As the young man has his palm read, he seems pleased by what he is told however he fails to notice the gypsy is sliding the ring off his finger... The second version he painted from 1595 is kept at the Louvre, Paris (after having seen both I think the French got the better version!)

Piazza di Spagna

The symbol of Rome - Romolo e Remo

Il Vittoriano

Roman seagulls at the Foro Romano

On the night of my birthday, I followed the tradition and threw a coin in the Fontana di Trevi... and in fact that ensured me a trip back in October

Birthday celebrations at the Boscolo Exedra Hotel, my favourite I always stay here

Later on in the year on another trip back to Italy, I was having a coffee at Cafe Florian, in Piazza San Marco, Venice when the cafe's band started playing the Chitarra Romana... The next day I caught a train to Rome. Again another memorable trip to this amazing city...

Pictures of my second trip to Rome for the year - October 2013