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| Photo by New York Scugnizzo |
May 28, 2023
Photo of the Week: Villa Rufolo's "Garden of the Soul" in Ravello, Salerno
May 27, 2023
A Look at the Fifteenth Annual Battle of Bitonto Commemoration in New York City
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| Portrait of King Carlo di Borbone (c.1761) by Anton Raphael Mengs and The Battle of Bitonto (c.1750) by Giovanni Luigi Rocco |
"Go forth and win: the most beautiful crown in Italy awaits you." – Elizabeth Farnese to her son Charles of Bourbon*
Special thanks to our dear friend Vittorio, who regaled us between courses with a few classic Neapolitan songs and arias. Viva 'o Rre!
* Quoted from The Bourbons of Naples by Harold Acton, Methuen and Co. Ltd., 1957, pg. 17
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| Stamps with selvage commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the death of Pope Pius IX, 1978, Vatican |
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| Since it was his feast day, I brought my stamps commemorating the 1100th Anniversary of the death of San Gregorio VII, 1985, Vatican |
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| A handful of coins and medals were on display, including this 1995 commemorative 500 Lire from San Marino and Daughters of the American Revolution good citizen medal |
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| Medal awarded to the soldiers who fought in the 1849 Campaign in Sicily by HM King Ferdinando I of the Two Sicilies |
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| Caponata |
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| Carciofi fritti |
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| Arancini |
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| Pasta alla Norma |
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| Braciole stuffed with hard boiled eggs |
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| Cavatelli |
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| Patate e peperoni al forno and braciole di maiale alla brace |
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| Chevalatta over rapini |
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| Gamberi Oreganati |
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| Partygoers were well sated |
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| (Above & below) Vittorio regaled us with a few classic Neapolitan ditties |
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| David and John |
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| Mike and Alexis |
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| Cindy and Isak |
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| John, Maria and Maria |
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| Mike, Vinny and Andrew |
May 22, 2023
May 21, 2023
Aurelio De Laurentiis Awarded the Title of Knight Grand Cross of the Constantinian Order of St. George
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| Photos courtesy of S.S.C. Napoli |
Source: www.sscnapoli.it
May 20, 2023
Feast of San Bernardino da Siena
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| San Bernardino da Siena, ora pro nobis |
Through his preaching and the use of his IHS trigram, representing the first three letters of Our Lord’s name, San Bernardino made popular the devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. According to some, the abbreviation also stands for Iesus hominum salvator, which is Latin for “Jesus the Savior of Men.”
Retiring from his position due to illness, San Bernardino wished to evangelize in the Kingdom of Naples. The itinerant preacher died in L’Aquila, Abruzzo, on May 20, 1444, at the age of 64. After his death, his body was exposed for veneration and it miraculously excreted a prodigious amount of blood, which caused the factious inhabitants to cease fighting amongst themselves. The Aquilani refused to allow his body to be taken to his native Tuscany and a great many miracles have been attributed to the Saint.
In celebration, we’re posting the Prayer of St. Bernardine of Siena. The accompanying photo, courtesy of Fr. Eugene Carrella, was taken at the Church of the Assumption in New Brighton, Staten Island. Evviva San Bernardino da Siena!
Prayer of St. Bernardine of Siena
Jesus, Name full of glory, grace, love and strength! You are the refuge of those who repent, our banner of warfare in this life, the medicine of souls, the comfort of those who mourn, the delight of those who believe, the light of those who preach the true faith, the wages of those who toil, the healing of the sick.
To You our devotion aspires; by You our prayers are received; we delight in contemplating You. O Name of Jesus, You are the glory of all the saints for eternity. Amen.
Brief Excerpts from ‘Sketches of Popular Tumults: Illustrative of the Evils of Social Ignorance’ by George Lillie Craik [2]
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| Portrait of a Brigand by Charles de Chatillon (1777-1844) |
While doing research for an upcoming piece on Cardinal Fabrizio Ruffo and the Sanfedisti, I stumbled across Sketches of Popular Tumults: Illustrative of the Evils of Social Ignorance (1847) by George Lillie Craik. Replete with interesting anecdotes, I decided to share a few choice passages about Calabria and its people for your careful consideration.
The state of Calabria was very singular. The people of that extensive, wild, and secluded region were not in the beginning altogether averse to a change of government, for they were sensible of the abuses of the old administration, and weary of the feudal exactions and immunities of the barons. But they were decidedly hostile, from old national feelings, to the advance of the French on their territory, and determined to oppose any such attempt. In the towns there was a considerable party inclined to the formation of an independent and representative government; but the commissaries sent by the patriots of the capital disgusted the fiery Calabrians by assuming too commanding a tone. The Calabrians never liked the people of the metropolis, whom they regarded as effeminate and pompous, and whom, besides, they looked upon as strangers. However, most towns appointed their municipal authorities, formed a national guard, and proclaimed the republic. The country people stood apparently passive, but they did not like the name of a republic. They were attached to the forms of their religion, and jealous of the chastity of their women; and they were led to think that the republicans disregarded both. As soon, therefore, as the royal flag was again unfurled among them, the peasantry took the side that best agreed with their customs and prejudices.
The Calabrians are generally, from early practice, good marksmen. At the time we are speaking of almost every man had his musket, and went about armed. They are courageous, persevering, firm friends, and implacable enemies. The reply of the wounded Calabrian to his confessor has become proverbial. Being exhorted to forgive his enemy, as a necessary condition of his own salvation, he answered resolutely, "Se moro lo perdono; se campo l’ allampo''—"If I die I forgive him; if I recover I will shoot him." A melancholy temperament, a concentration of feelings, and a sullen distrust, render them formidable when irritated. Even their women seem endowed with a masculine spirit; their features, harsh though regular, are scowling and wrinkled even in youth, and their uncouth dress leaves them little of that delicacy which is considered elsewhere natural to the sex. The men, with their short jackets, close trowsers, leather gaiters, and sandals of undressed skin, tied by thongs, and a rusty conical hat, with narrow brim and trimmed with ribands, and images of the Virgin, may be seen skulking about behind their olive-trees, or some loose stone wall, as if in wait for some passenger to fall upon. Such, at least, is the inference a stranger would draw from their appearance. Their towns are built on steep conical hills, crowned with houses to the very top, the outer or lower buildings being joined together by walls so as to form a sort of rampart. The central region is occupied by the great Apennine ridge, wild and black, to which, however, whole colonies, with their cattle, migrate in the summer; the flats near the coast are marshy and unhealthy, and inhabited by herds of buffaloes; but the valleys at the foot of the mountains are delightful, and rich with the most luxuriant vegetation. The vine, the orange and lemon trees, the fig, the olive, and all the fruits of southern climes, grow there to perfection. Here and there you see the devastations produced by the terrible earthquakes to which this country has been repeatedly subject. There was no carriage-road through the country, and a journey from Naples to Calabria was considered, and justly too, as both a difficult and a dangerous undertaking. [Reprinted from Sketches of Popular Tumults; Illustrative of the Evils of Social Ignorance, George Lillie Craik, London: C. Cox, 1847, pp. 133-134]
Gracchus: An Opera of Civic Redemption
World Premiere Saturday, August 19, 2023 @ 4 PM
Gaius Gracchus saying farewell to his family by Dióscoro Puebla
The Palace Theatre, Stamford, Connecticut
We are in Rome in the late Roman Republic. The year is 121 BC. The ranks of the Roman Mob have swelled with the impoverished, destabilizing the Republic. Our hero, Gaius Gracchus, a Roman Tribune, is supposed to protect the people, but has become a lush and a ne’er-do-well estranged from his wife. The ghost of Gaius’s older brother, Tiberius, visits the Tribune and remonstrates with him. Tiberius Paulus, the son of the Tribune, reports to his father a nightmare of being lost in Rome while the city is consumed in flames. Gaius’s mother, Cornelia, laments the fortunes of the illustrious House of the Gracchi. She tells Gaius of rumors that his rival and political enemy, Senator Publius Argenteus, has been making overtures toward the Tribune’s wife, Licinia. Infuriated by this, and remembering his brother, Gaius vows to meet the challenge of his adversary, which he does the next day in a tumultuous Senate debate. Subsequently, Licinia is seduced by Publius. A philosopher and Manlius Prudens, Gaius’s friend and political ally in the Senate, try and restrain the Tribune’s newfound political ambition, to no avail.
Terrified by the divine consequences of her fall, Licinia visits the Sybil who offers an ominous but enigmatic prophecy. Manlius betrays to Publius the Tribune’s plans to march on the Senate, with the Mob in tow, in order to demand agrarian reform and poor relief. On the family farm, Gaius and Licinia manage to reconcile after a grievous start to their meeting. Fearing the worse, Licinia pleads with Gaius not to return to Rome. He will not be stopped. But they agree to renew their marriage vows in the Temple of Diana, a plebeian sanctuary on the Aventine. Back in Rome, the Tribune rallies the Mob and pounds on the great doors of the Senate. Publius comes out with an array of Senators and guards and declares Gracchus persona non grata et maledicta. Rioting breaks out and Rome is ablaze. Gaius repairs to the Temple. Licinia arrives. They begin their vows, but Manlius arrives with Publius and a detail of the urban cohort led by its captain. Publius intends to arrest Gaius and attempts to abduct Licinia in the process. Gaius rushes Publius and is impaled on the Senator’s sword. Licinia holds her dying husband. Publius is arrested by the captain for violating tribunicial sanctity and finally executed. Manlius exits and will hang himself. Alone in the Temple, Gaius’s wife takes her own life with the sword that killed the Tribune. Before the Temple of Concord in the Roman Forum, the bodies of Gaius and Licinia rest on a pyre. Cornelia gives the funeral oration, social harmony has been restored, and Tiberius Paulus lights the fire. Curtain.
For more information visit www.gracchusopera.com
May 19, 2023
Brief Excerpts from ‘Sketches of Popular Tumults: Illustrative of the Evils of Social Ignorance’ by George Lillie Craik [1]
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| Eleonora De Fonseca Pimentel led to the gallows by Giuseppe Boschetto (1866) |
While doing research for an upcoming piece on Cardinal Fabrizio Ruffo and the Sanfedisti, I stumbled across Sketches of Popular Tumults: Illustrative of the Evils of Social Ignorance (1847) by George Lillie Craik. Replete with interesting anecdotes, I decided to share a few choice passages on the Parthenopean Republic for your careful consideration.
The provisional government issued pompous proclamations full of that turgid phraseology which had been brought into fashion in France, and which the Neapolitans, naturally inclined to bombast, were not slow in adopting. The king and queen were compared to Claudius and Messalina, and they, as well as the aristocrats, were denounced as enemies to the people. "Those who had served the tyrant,” it was stated, "had nothing to expect from the republic." Thus the officers of the king's army were left destitute, the soldiers disbanded; and when afterwards the government, perceiving its error, wished to collect together the remnants of the old army, it was too late; the greater part had gone to seek their subsistence among the ranks of the insurgents in the provinces. The provincial courts and their employés, the armigeri, or baronial police of the feudal districts, were summarily dismissed, and of course increased the number of the malcontents. A number of convents were also suddenly suppressed. In many cases, however, it must be observed, the violent measures taken against the clergy, especially in the provinces, did not emanate directly from the central government, but from the caprice of subordinate agents, whose mischievous interference the government did not or could not restrain. In the first ebullition a number of patriots, chiefly young men, were sent into the provinces with a certificate from the central or home department, of being democratizers, a new-fangled word, and their business, without any specific instruction or authority, was to preach democracy and organize the republic. In most places they found themselves at variance with the local authorities, while they also disgusted the people; some of them were ill-treated; others, especially in Calabria, were not allowed to reach their destination. At last they were recalled: but not till they had done irreparable mischief. [Reprinted from Sketches of Popular Tumults; Illustrative of the Evils of Social Ignorance, George Lillie Craik, London: C. Cox, 1847, pp. 126-127]
The patriotic Gazette or Monitore of Naples, was edited by a lady, Eleonora Fonseca Pimentel. Amiable and accomplished, an artist, a poetess, and an improvvisatrice; she was enthusiastic in the cause of the republic. Her eloquence was often highly figurative, her philosophy and her politics were moulded by classical recollections, and this was mostly the case among the educated classes at Naples. A sort of better epicurism, partaking of the languor and effeminacy of that school, an exalted admiration of physical beauty, a high opinion of the superiority of their country, and at the same time a supercilious contempt for the millions of their uneducated countrymen, all this reduced the patriots to a coterie, between whom and the people there could be but little sympathy. [Reprinted from Sketches of Popular Tumults; Illustrative of the Evils of Social Ignorance, George Lillie Craik, London: C. Cox, 1847, p. 128]
I have a better recollection of the impression produced by the news that came from the provinces, even through the distorting channel of the newspapers. The state of the unfortunate country was obviously dreadful. We heard and read of towns taken by storm and burned, of no quarter given to the insurgents, and all the horrid phraseology of a civil war, whose dreadful import began to break upon my mind as a disturbed vision of the infernal regions and of incarnate fiends. I remember particularly reading one day of the town of Carbonara, in Puglia, being carried by the French moveable column, under a General Broussier, when the whole population was put to the sword; and this feat, which was reported as a triumph by the republicans, left a dark confused image in my mind of horrors which I could not thoroughly understand, and the two names of the town and of the general I remembered for many years after in painful association. [Reprinted from Sketches of Popular Tumults; Illustrative of the Evils of Social Ignorance, George Lillie Craik, London: C. Cox, 1847, p. 129]
May 18, 2023
Death of Count Sixto De La Rochefoucauld, Nephew of Sixto Enrique De Borbón
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| Photo courtesy of Agencia FARO @Agencia_FARO |
Sixto de la Rochefoucauld, who died in Paris at the age of 77 on May 10, 2023, was the son of Isabel de Borbón Parma and La Rochefoucauld-Doudeauville, cousin and godmother of Don Sixto Enrique, who died in 2015; He is the grandson of the Infante Don Sixto Fernando de Borbón y Braganza.
Another funeral mass will be celebrated on Friday, May 19, at the church of Saint-Médard in Verteuil-sur-Charente at 2:30 p.m., after which the remains of Count Sixtus de La Rochefoucauld will receive a Christian burial.
The now deceased is survived by his widow, four children and five grandchildren.
R.I.P.
Source: www.faroagencia.wordpress.com
In Memoriam Sal Palmeri, the “Radio Man of the Two Worlds”
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| Sal Palmeri |
Palmeri was credited with essentially inventing contemporary Italo-American radio through his “Radio ICN” and being “the voice” of Italians in the new world, constantly promoting culture and exchange between Italy and the United States and their peoples. A man of letters and culture, and playwright as well as actor, he was a kind man and effective communicator. He expanded over the years into new technologies and into providing 24-hour Italian programming. In 2013 Palmeri began utilizing streaming to reach his audiences.
Palmeri organized large events and concerts at Madison Square Garden, bringing to New York major Italian performers many would never have guessed would come to the US. During his long career he met Pope St. John Paul II and various heads of state and dignitaries.
Palmeri’s friend radio personality Francesco D’Amico announced his death in a Queens, New York hospital following a heart attack:
"It is with profound sadness that I share the news of the loss of our beloved Sal Palmeri. His presence in our lives had been truly special and his absence leaves a void that we will feel deeply."
Palmeri was a native of Roccamena (Palermo) and emigrated to New York with his family as a young man in the 1950s as his mother had been born in Louisiana, facilitating their entry. He started out originally a theatrical actor. He embarked on his radio speaking career in 1965, originally as a side job to pay for his acting courses at Hunter College, and he was among the founders of the Festival della Musica Italiana, which showcases Italian music in the US. Having forged deep ties with the music community and a large loyal following, he hosted famous Italian singers such as Domenico Modugno, Aurelio Fierro, Mario Merola, Nicola Di Bari, Gianni Morandi, Claudio Villa, Peppino Di Capri, Nilla Pizzi, many of which he brought to Madison Square Garden. He also broadcast directly from Sanremo and covered the soccer world through the "Tutto il calcio minuto per minuto" program. It should be noted that for years prior to modern internet technology Palmeri endeavored to make this all possible, and that his was the only 24 hour, seven day a week Italian broadcast. Palmeri worked out of his Ridgewood studio and presented from the Manhattan Center in the 1960s and 1970s. His first live broadcast of San Remo with Mike Bongiorno and Gabriella Farinon had to be done with a friend in Italy placing a telephone receiver up to a television so that he could transmit Peppino Di Capri. Palmeri later moved into digital technology and retired his four decades old “Buon Giorno Italia” program in 2012. He was broadcasting his “New York New York” program on Radio Amica up until last week.
Palmeri got his start in radio and the music scene through Lamberto Landi, the promoter of Italian singers, who hosted an Italian program on the WHOM station. Palmeri moved about from his studio to cover dances and Italian soirees organized by him at Town Hall, Brooklyn Hall, and Madison Square Garden. Sal Palmeri was himself an avid Palermo soccer fan and often appeared as a guest on the Palermo program “Tgs Studio Stadio”. A proud Sicilian, he loved his native island and its food and culture.
In 2006 the Italian daily newspaper and news outlet America Oggi (a successor to Il Progresso Italo-Americano), acquired Radio ICN and Palmeri collaborated with its new director Massimo Jaus and broadcasters such as Tony Pasquale, Silvana Romania, Sal Conte, Anna Garofalo, Pippo Pappo, Gennaro and Teresa Della Gatta, Gianluca Matulli and Gaspare Pipitone.
Sal Palmeri was a bridge between the emigrant and expat community and the Patria, and a nexus between the generations, speaking to the older unassimilated generation while engaging the next generation and New Yorkers of other backgrounds as well. He was himself the story of Sicilian chain migration and long years abroad and understood the lives and struggles of his listeners. Sadly, he may be among the last to generate local expat content in North America from the heart of the diaspora for the diaspora, as nowadays most content comes via internet or cable corporations and Italian events and performances are becoming more one-off niche happenings for younger expats rather than larger collective ones. As North America has lost many Italian radio programs in the last twenty years, his loss will have a major impact. A kind friend to charitable causes and the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George, he will be missed by people from all walks of life.
The former vice-president of Palermo FC and thousands of his fans publicly bid farewell to Sal Palmeri. Roccamena mayor Pippo Palmeri said in farewell to his illustrious compatriot:
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you infinitely for having brought with dignity the name of our community around the world. Thank you for all that you have said and done for all of us, making known the most beautiful part of our Country. Thank you again Sal, may God welcome you in Paradise. In the name of all of the community of which I have the honor of representing, may the most sincere embrace reach the loved ones in a moment of such great sorrow."
~ By Cav. Charles Sant'Elia
May 17, 2023
New Book — The Decomposition of Man: Identity, Technocracy, and the Church
• The Decomposition of Man: Identity, Technocracy, and the Church by James Kalb
Publisher: Angelico Press
Publication Date: May 9, 2023
Paperback: $17.95
Hardcover: $28.00
Language: English
Pages: 228
Read description
Click here to see more books
Listing does not imply endorsement
May 15, 2023
Photo of the Week: Villa Rufolo's "Garden of the Soul" in Ravello, Salerno
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| Photo by New York Scugnizzo |
May 13, 2023
Introducing the Purgatorial Society of Saint Andrew Avellino
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| St. Andrew Avellino, ora pro nobis |
Operating under the care of the Famiglia di ApostolatiThe Purgatorial Society of Saint Andrew Avellino is based in New Jersey. Our mission is simple: to empty purgatory. Everybody and anybody can and should join.
Quarterly Traditional Requiem Masses will be said for those enrolled. With society growth, more Masses will be added to our schedule. See below to for more detail and to enroll as a member.
Daily Prayer
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.
For more information visit Purgatorial Society of Saint Andrew Avellino
May 12, 2023
May 11, 2023
The Jousting Armor of Philip I of Castile is Now on View at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC
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| Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art |
May 11th, 2023 - April 1st, 2026
Now on view at The Met Fifth Avenue, Gallery 371
Among the various mock combats fought by knights and noblemen in tournaments, the joust was one of the most spectacular. The joust of peace required highly specialized armor that was unsuited to any other use, and usually made by the greatest armorers due to the exceptional metalworking skills required. This special installation features an armor for the joust of peace of Philip I of Castile (1478–1506) on loan from the Imperial Armoury, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna.
A rare example among surviving armors for its refined decoration, it is also remarkable in that it was intended for a teenager. Its owner Philip I became duke of Burgundy, count of Flanders, and the ruler of additional lands, albeit in name only, upon his birth. He began wearing armor when he was just six years old, and this one was made for training and participating in tournaments around the time that he turned 15, when he was declared ready to rule. Through marriage, Philip became king consort of Castile and the first member of the House of Habsburg to rule over Spanish territories. His jousting armors were key to shaping his public image of a capable leader.
For more information visit www.metmuseum.org
May 9, 2023
Festa Scudetto in New York City
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| Ribalta's curbside seating area is decorated with murals honoring Napoli's historic third Scudetto |
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| (L) The beautifully decorated sanctuary at Our Lady of Peace Church. (R) Real Partenopea Brooklyn's "Festa Scudetto" invitation |
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| Ribalta's Rosario Procino is attempting to rename the section of E 12th St. that runs from University Street to Broadway "SSC Napoli St." |
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| Until its official, a mock street sign has been affixed to a street post |
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| Veteran and young Tifosi take pictures by the street sign and murals |
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| Our new friends at the 4040 Store generously gifted us one of their cool new t-shirts |
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| (Above & below) Ribalta erupts into song after Victor Osimhen's goal |
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| 🎵 Siamo Noi, Siamo Noi, I Campioni dell'Italia Siamo Noi... 🎵 |
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| 🎵 Siamo Noi, Siamo Noi, I Campioni dell'Italia Siamo Noi... 🎵 |
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| 🎵 Siamo Noi, Siamo Noi, I Campioni dell'Italia Siamo Noi 🎵 |
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| (L) Joyous fans celebrating another Napoli victory. (R) We quenched our thirst with some Neapolitan lager. Love the label shaped like San Gennaro |
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| Among other Neapolitan delicacies, we enjoyed a classic pizza Margherita |