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Books

Art and architecture

Acton, H, The Bourbons of Naples (Methuen, 1956; Prion, 1998) A slightly lengthy but well-documented historical account of the rulers of Napoleon-era Naples.

Boccaccio, G, The Decameron (1350; Penguin, 1995 eds. McWilliam, G H and George Henry) Boccaccio’s 14th-century collection of bawdy stories is one of the classics of Italian literature, a kind of Mediterranean Arabian Nights, and some of the best stories are set in Naples.

Burns, J, Hand of God: the Life of Maradona (Bloomsbury, 1996) A cut above the average sports biography, this is an insightful look at the Maradona phenomenon, dealing with everything from his Camorra connections to his sublime ball skills.

Casanova, G, History of My Life Vols I and II In this memoir, Casanova tells tales of his youth in Padua, Venice, Corfu, and Milan as well as Naples. It is an account of political intrigue, literature, art, philosophy, and, of course, love, but also how to make good hot chocolate. ISBN 0801856620

Corrivetti, C, Occhi su Napoli/Focus on Naples A beautifully produced photographic book on Naples, documenting the art, the monuments, the streets and the people of the city in both colour and black and white. It has occasional quotes about the city in Italian and English, and even comes in a slipcase. May be hard to find abroad. ISBN 8886795084

Croce, B, Estetica (Cambridge UP, 1992) One of the most important works in the philosophical study of aesthetics, this book by Naples’ greatest philosopher is also a general theory of everything: the intrinsic connection between the mind, society and art.

Hazzard, S, Greene on Capri (Virago, 2000) The relationship between Graham Greene, the island of Capri, and his writing is explored in this intelligent book written by a friend he met there.

Lewis, N, Naples '44 (William Collins, 1978; Eland, 2002) The renowned travel writer writes here about his time in Naples after the liberation of 1944. The way the Allied forces turned a blind eye to, or even encouraged, the Camorra in order to try to maintain order explains a lot about the modern city.

Munthe, A, The Story of San Michele (John Murray, 1929) This foreigner-living-abroad tale, first published in 1929, still has thousands of loyal fans, many of whom visit the Villa of San Michele on Capri, to see it for themselves. Thousands more, never having heard of the book, visit the villa anyway and then buy the book on their return home. All in all it’s the centre of a thriving industry.

Sontag, S, Volcano Lover (Jonathan Cape, 1992) Based on the famous love triangle of Sir William Hamilton, his wife, Emma, and Lord Nelson, this is a historical romance, but also covers opera, Goethe and, of course, volcanoes.

Tippett, J, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast: Walks, Tours and Picnics (Sunflower, 1996) Despite an occasionally twee feel, this is an excellent and easy-to-use guide to the numerous good walking possibilities on the Sorrento Peninsula, the Amalfi Coast and Capri. Good maps are included.

Vico, G, New Science (Cornell UP, 1948, trans. from the 3rd ed. (1744)) This humanist philosophical work by one of Naples’ greatest philosophers inspired James Joyce’s Finnegan's Wake. It deals with the development of cultures, societies and language, and is now seen increasingly as one of Italy’s most important philosophical works.

Language

In hotels and bigger restaurants, you’ll usually find English is spoken. In Naples you may not find it spoken elsewhere that much but on the islands, in Sorrento and on the Amalfi Coast, you shouldn’t have too many problems.

But Naples also has its own language – Neapolitan. Really it’s a dialect, but you can buy Italian-Neapolitan dictionaries in the bookshops, and it’s certainly different enough that even with good Italian you will sometimes find yourself surrounded by a strange clipped tongue which you can’t follow at all. Influenced by Spanish, French and even Arabic it’s one of the most widely spoken of the Italian dialects.

Basics

thank you grazie

hi/goodbye ciao

good day (until after lunch/mid-afternoon) buongiorno

good evening (after lunch) buonasera

goodnight buonanotte

goodbye arrivederci

please per favore

I’m sorry mi dispiace

excuse me permesso

yes si

no no

Numbers

one uno, two due, three tre, four quattro, five cinque, six sei, seven sette, eight otto, nine nove, 10 dieci, 11 undici, 12 dodici, 13 tredici, 14 quattordici, 15 quindici, 16 sedici, 17 diciassette, 18 diciotto, 19 diciannove, 20 venti, 21 ventuno, 22 ventidue,

30 trenta, 40 quaranta, 50 cinquanta, 60 sessanta, 70 settanta, 80 ottanta, 90 novanta, 100 cento, 200 due cento, 1000 mille.

Questions

how? come?

how much? quanto?

when? quando?

where? dove?

why? perché?

what? Che cosa?

Problems

I don't understand Non capisco

I don't know Non lo so

I don't speak Italian Non parlo italiano

How do you say …(in Italian)? Come si dice … (in italiano)?

Is there anyone who speaks English? C'è qualcuno che parla inglese?

Shopping

this one/that one questo/quello

less meno

more di più

How much is it/are they? quanto costa/costano?

Can I have …? posso avere …?

Eating/drinking

Can I have the bill? posso avere il conto?

What's this? cos'è questo?

Is there a menu? c'è un menù?

Where's the toilet? dov'è il bagno?

Hotels

a double/single room una camera doppia/singola

a double bed un letto matrimoniale

bathroom bagno

Is there a view? c'è una bella vista?

Can I see the room? posso vedere la camera?

When is breakfast? a che ora è la colazione?

Can I have the key? posso avere la chiave?

Time

morning mattina

afternoon pommeriggio

evening sera

night notte

soon presto/fra poco

later più tardi

What time is it? Che ore sono?

today/tomorrow/yesterday oggi/domani/ieri

Gestures

Italians are famously theatrical and animated in dialogue and often resort to a variety of gestures in order to accompany or in some cases substitute words. Knowing a few of these will help you both to understand what’s being implied to you and also to become more Italian during your stay.

Side of left palm on side of right wrist as right wrist is flicked up Go away

Hunched shoulders and arms lifted with palms of hands outwards What am I supposed to do?

Thumb, index and middle finger of hand together, wrist upturned and shaking What the hell are you doing/what’s going on?

Both palms together and moved up and down in front of stomach Ditto

All fingers of hand squeezed together To signify a place is packed full of people

Front of side of hand to chin To signify ‘nothing’, as in ‘I don’t understand’ or ‘I’ve had enough’

Flicking back of right ear To signify someone is gay

Index finger in cheek To signify good food

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