—The new Oscar Niemeyer auditorium (photo, right) in Ravello has just been inaugurated with a series of concerts featuring the San Carlo orchestra, the young soloists of the Academy of La Scala, violinist Salvatore Accardo with the Italian Chamber Orchestra, and the "Bolshoi School" youth ballet from Brasil.

—Once again, Ice Park has opened a skating rink (photo, below) adjacent to the Maschio Angioino—that is, the Angevin Fortress at the main port. Naples is one of about 20 locations throughout Italy with such rinks in the winter months. The Naples rink opened in early December and will close in mid-February. You can watch ice-shows by pros and even pay 6 euros an hour to skate (while the pros stand on the sidelines and giggle).

—The city is in the midst of a five-month Baroque binge. There are exhibits and tours going on at five of the major museums in the city: Capodimonte, San Martino, the Villa Floridiana, the Villa Pignatelli and the Royal Palace. From the brochure describing it all:

"Back to the Baroque will focus on the many deeply rooted attitudes and practices that characterized Naples in the Baroque era...[from 1600 to 1750, when]...the city was riven by constant contrasts of vice and virtue, poverty and excess, criminality and nobility...[and...]...was perceived and experienced as a vast stage where the human condition was played out...The Baroque thus becomes both a metaphor and a concrete manifestation of the condition of Naples and Neapolitans."

—I don’t know if I can digest any more news about the splendid future of Bagnoli, a place that makes the phrase “totally degraded pit” seem like precious understatement. In any event, the announcement has come through that, thanks to 76 million euros from European funds, the grand Bagnoli Green Park is on its way to being realized. It’s true that they said more or less the same thing 15 years ago, but this time...just you watch. We’re talking about 120 hectares (almost 300 acres), an area as large as the grounds of the great royal palace of Caserta, much of it on land that used to contain the Italsider steel mill in Bagnoli, all full of trees, flowers, lakes and fountains. Stay tuned. Fifteen years from now, I may have a similar notice for you.

—The most clogged street in the city—and that is saying a lot!— is (will you open the envelope please) via Marina. Big surprise. It's the east-west artery for all traffic along the port and has been undergoing major rebuilding for three years. Post-holiday work is in full swing, and the entire thoroughfare is a construction site. Tram lines have been discontinued because they have to tear up some track, and two lanes of cars are channeled into one for about a mile. They say it will be finished by the summer, which means if you get on that road this morning, you may be off it just in time to go swimming in July.

—The Caserta Chamber of Commerce is seeking to acquire for nine million euros the ex-Bourbon hunting lodge known as “Carditello” (photo, below) The site is located to the south-west of Caserta, midway between the towns of San Tammaso and Casal Principe and is currently in a state of semi-abandonment. The property was acquired in 1745 by Charles III of Bourbon, and the “Carditello” lodge became one of more than 20 such royal pleasure haunts of the Bourbons of that age. "Carditello" is in the Volturno plain, an extremely fertile area long known for the production of mozzarella and other agricultural products. The project to acquire the property presumably aims to incorporate the site into the considerable tourist itinerary that the province of Caserta has to offer, including the Caserta Palace, just a few miles away.

—In Quarto, near Naples, just a few feet away from the Ipercoop, a gigantic mega-mart lies what is left of the ancient Roman Villa del Torchio (torchio is a wine-press), one of the most interesting examples of Roman rustic architecture in the area. The villa has been dated to about 100 AD and was the main wine producer for the nearby town of Puteoli (Pozzuoli). The ruins were uncovered during digging for the shopping center. The eternal struggle between studying the past and building for the present seems to be going in favor of those with the shopping carts. The villa del Torchio is surrounded by refuse and, at least for now, is neglected.

—Buy this suit—or maybe you could have an “accident.” Carnevale is coming up. Traditional garb for Mardi Gras festivities generally comes from the Commedia dell’arte, the medieval Italian set of “masks” (costumes) each representing a stereotypical regional character. Pulcinella, the mask from Naples, is well-known. This year, however, a shop owner in Secondigliano (near the airport) has a “Mafioso” mask on display: a dark-blue suit with pin- stripes. Now, says the sign, you can dress just like your favorite wise- guy, Tonio Fortebbracci, in the wildly popular TV drama about the Mafia, L’onore e il rispetto [Honor and Respect]. The character’s name in the show is really Fortebracci (with a single B). The misspelling is to avoid law suits, I suppose—or maybe accidents.

—There are 34 tow-truck drivers in Naples. It's among the least desirable of all city jobs. It's difficult to do, and the drivers are subjected to ridiculous amounts of verbal abuse by those who park wherever they want—which means everyone and everywhere. A pay dispute has the drivers now threatening to strike. There may soon be no cars getting towed away! In complete solidarity with the downtrodden working classes, I say hear! hear!, We Shall Overcome! and where were these folks when I didn't need them a few weeks ago when I got my car towed at the airport? I mean, a runway is big enough for us all, right?

photos: (left) ice-rink; (right) Carditello