VISIONARY PARISH PRIEST TRANSFORMS DEGRADED QUARTER OF NAPLES

RAI, Italy's state TV, is soon to launch a new series on the work of Don Antonio Loffredo, the charismatic and visionary parish priest of the Rione Sanita, one of Naples's most degraded areas.

When he took up office in 2001, he found a desperate situation of chronic unemployment, poverty, crime and Mafia intervention in this area in the very heart of Naples, practically cheek by jowl with the city's other face – the bustling city of tourism, shops and tourist attractions.

Father Loffredo found a revolutionary solution. The quarter was full of historic churches, monuments and art – all in a state of total degradation. No visitors ventured into this ill-famed area to see any of its neglected jewels. He therefore began with the ancient monumental Catacombs of San Gaudioso under the Basilica of Santa Maria della Sanita, dating back to the Greco-Roman period, engineered a grant for restoration work and enrolled a team of local teenagers to help clean and restore the fascinating sequence of cavernous underground cemeteries. Twenty years later, they are now one of Naples top tourist attractions run by a local cooperative called “La Paranza” (the name of a typical Neapolitan trawling fishing boat)

The initiative has not only guaranteed work and earnings for local youth. But has expanded into other areas, such as the restoration of the Church of Santa Maria della Maddalena dei Cristallini, badly damaged by bombing during the last war. La Paranza has turned the building into a centre of contemporary art, with blue the predominant colour of the interior.

The nearby abandoned Church of Sant'Aspreno ai Crociferi, instead, has become a show place for the works of the celebrated artist Iago and is also open to the public.

Father Loffredo transferred from the parish in the Rione Sanita three years ago, but his work has been carried on by La Paranza, the group he founded.

M.STENHOUSE

Info: https://catacombedinapoli.it

TAORMINA SHOWS THE CONTROVERSIAL FEMALE DAVID

The third century BC Greek Theatre of Toarmina (Sicily) is the unexpected setting chosen for “Gesti Scolpiti” (Sculptured Gestures), an exhibition of works by controversial contemporary artist Jacopo Cardillo. Known as Iago, the Naples-based sculptor is known for his interpretations of classical works of art, re-elaborated and re-presented in a new and sometimes startling form.

The exhibition comprises four highly symbolic pieces. Three of those centre around the theme of the human hand: “Impronta Animale” (Animal Imprint)), “Memorie” (Memories) and “Prigione” (Prison) all symbolizing the profound and lasting impact made by the human race on the world around them.

The star of the show, however, is Iago's interpretation of Michaelangelo's celebrated “David” in which he reproduces in gilded bronze the life-size figure of the biblical hero king, poised with sling dangling at the ready to attack the giant Goliath. In Iago's controversial version, however, the David has the body of a woman. Last year, the sculpture sailed the seven seas as part of the “Made in Italy” promotional world tour on board the show piece of the Italian navy – the majestic full-rigged ship “Amerigo Vespucci”.

Iago also hit the headlines in 2019 when his marble sculpture “First Baby” went into space with the European Space Agency's Space Mission Beyond.

The exhibition runs until the 3^rd May 2026.

Info: glicineassociazione@gmail.com and also Instagram and Facebook page

FESTIVAL REVIVES ROME'S PREHISTORY

The ancient Latin League has a full emersion revival on the 20^th -21^st September 2025 when the annual feast in honour of Jove will be recreated on the wooded slopes of the sacred mountain Monte Giove (now known as Monte Cavo) some 30 kms south of Rome.

The Lega Latina (the Latin League, composed of a cluster of small pre-Roman city-states) met each year to cement alliances and bonds of mutual collaboration until they were defeated and absorbed into the Roman empire.

The present Festival aims to recreate the joyous atmosphere of the ancient event with dance rituals, performances, games and crafts, including an exhibition of Ancient Roman football, a costumed procession with priests, dancers, vestal virgins and Roman soldiers in formation.

However, the 21^st century is also represented with a spectacular exhibition of sky diving (presented by the Societa Sportiva Lazio, 2025 champions of Wind Suit and Speed Skydiving).

The event is organized by the local Arco di Diana Association, active in exploration of pre-Roman sites in the area, as well as adventure trekking and social activities.

The two-day event takes place in the fields of the Dakota Ranch riding school situated in the wooded territory once the home of the ancient Latin League.

M. STENHOUSE

Info: +39.346.5151929 Facebook ARCO DI DIANA APS

PAESTUM TEMPLES FROM A NEW ANGLE

The celebrated archaeological site of Paestum offers an exciting new viewing experience between the 27^th Sept – 9^th October 2025 with the 14^th Festival della Mongolfiera (Balloon Festival) in which visitors can soar air-bound over the tops of the three 2,500 year old Greek Temples.

The hot air balloons are assembled in the Balloon Park next to the archaeological site, surrounded by street performers, children's side shows and a display of giant kites.

Two kinds of flights are available: the Volo Vincolato (Captive Flight) is geared towards families and the less daring tourists. It is tethered to the ground by a 120m- long cable that allows the balloon to hover over the treetops and the temples. The “Free Flight” instead is for the more adventurous: it allows passengers to float off freely in the company of a pilot who guides it back to earth at some designated spot.

Info: Tel. +39.333.5601504 www.paestumballoon.it

STAR GAZING WITH THE VATICAN

The recent visit of Pope Leone XIV to the Specula Vaticana during his summer sojourn in the hilltop town of Castelgandolfo on Lake Albano has rekindled interest in the historic papal astronomical observatory situated in the palace precincts.

The observatory is one of the oldest astronomical institutions in Europe, linking its history to the scientific research facility set up in 1578 by Pope Gregory XIII, who also substituted the inaccurate Julian calendar with the Gregorian calendar still in use today.

The Vatican observatory was in use until the 1930s when the light pollution of the city of Rome began to limit the range of star viewing and Pope Pius XI decided to have it transferred to Castelgandoldo. In 1981, a corresponding research laboratory (the Vatican Observatory Research Group VORG) was set up in collaboration with the Mt. Graham observatory in Tucson Arizona USA.

Meanwhile, the historic Specula Vaticana continues to operate under the supervision of a team of Vatican scientists. It also runs a summer school every second year for international astronomy students, now into its 19^th edition.

Guided tours are available that include the historic viewing cupola in which the Schmidt star viewing telescope is installed, the meteorite collection and the “carte du ciel” camera used in the international mapping project of the stars to which the Vatican contributed between 1910 and 1921.

Info: prenotazione polomusealecastelgandolfo@scv.va

WHEN FAIRYTALES BECOME TRUE

The Museum of Civilization (MUCIV) in Rome's EUR district is offering an exclusive exhibition of Italian traditional folklore and traditions with the title “Le Fiabe Sono Vere” (Fairytales are True) with over 5000 exhibits ranging from processional masks, Sicilian puppets, magic potion cups and containers, books of spells, historic paintings and illustrations, costumes and amulets, toys, musical instruments, ex votos and so on, all pertaining to the enchanted world of the collective imagination when country people struggled to come to terms with their environment and the caprices of Nature.

The exhibition aims to present the symbolic structure of traditional fairytales and their relationship to the environment in different geological areas, such as the wilderness and forest, the sea and the village.

The ground floor has been set up like a traditional village piazza, with live performances and visual aids.

“Le Fiabe Sono Vere” runs until the 1^st March 2006

Info: Tel. +39.06.549521 www.museodellecivilta.it

Night Visits To Wonder Rooms

Rome continues into the autumn with a packed programme of cultural events.

The 1^st September Sunday offers a night visit to the unique Wunderkamen Artificialia House Museum, set up by musicianand composer Marco Lo Musico in five rooms of his home, followed by a musical recital. Maestro Lo Musico began to create his museum during the Covid pandemic, when he was unable to travel and go on tour as usual, taking inspiration from the great collections of curious of the 16^th-18^th century belonging to noble families like the Hapsburg, the Gonzago and the Medici. They were made up of a wide variety of objects, like exotic plants, preserved anatomical deformations, strange shaped rocks and shells and all kinds of artefacts. These collections were virtually the forerunners of modern museums. The Wunderkammer House Museum follows this tradition, creating a world of fantasy and curiosity.

Info: Tel. +39.349.4030660 https://wunderkammer-roma.com

IT'S SUMMER!

We'll be stopping now

for the summer break!

Back again in September!

CALABRIA in ALBANIAN STYLE

The holistic Oniriko Festival (1-3 August 2025) in Civita, a historic town in the heart of the Pollino National Park, Calabria,

offers a perfect opportunity to explore some of the unique and intriging features of one of Italy's least known regions.

Apart from a handful of famous coastel resorts, Calabria is little known to foreign visitors. The rugged mountains of the Sila that occupy

much of the interior, the ancient villages, the works of art, churches and monuments are not on the well-trodden tourist tracks.

The Oniriko Festival will highlight Civita's centuries-long tradition as an ancient Albanian colony, dating back to the 16^th - 18^th century

when Albanian refugees arrived from Greece, seeking refuge during the Ottoman invasion of the Balkans. The Colony has survived and thrived since then,

conserving its own language, known as “Arberisht”, and its own traditions. The “Arbereshe” have been officially recognized by the Italian state as a l

inguistic and cultural minority.

Civita is listed as one of the “Most Beautiful Borghi (historic small towns) in Italy”. Among its unique features are the “Bridge of the Devil”

spanning the Raganello ravine, the ornamental chimneys that adorn the roofs of several of the old buildings, as well as the Kodra “Talking Houses,”

named after the Albanian post-cubist artist Ibrahim Kodra, who was fascinated by the curious facades where the position of the doors and windows

recalled stylized human faces.

Info: Tel. +39.338.10.48800/333.2904534 jblasa@jblasa.com https://calabrianellanima.com

ARIAS FLOAT DOWN THE TIBER

The Tiber river was the unusual setting for opera performances of Giacomo Puccini's evergreen“Tosca” between the 21^st - 27^th July 2025. Jubilee visitors to Rome crowded the river embankments and the Ponte Sant'Angelo (Bridge of the Angel) to listen to soprano Elena lo Forte, together with baritones Fabio Andreotti and Alessio Quaresima, singing the celebrated arias from Puccini's tragic tale that was set in nearby Castel Sant'Angelo. The singers floated by on a boat which plied the tract of river in the city centre between the Vatican and Ponte Garibaldi under the Aventine Hill.

“Tosca lungo il Tevere” was part of the initiative “Lungo il Tevere Roma...un fiume di Cultura” (along the Tiber...a river of culture”) an initiative sponsored by the Lazio regional council and launched in 2018, but then suspended. This edition is also enhanced visually with projections of videos depicting “Tosca's Rome” on the embankment walls.

Organizers hope that the initiative will become a regular feature of the Roman summer festivals.

M.STENHOUSE

Source: “OggiRoma” www.oggiroma.it