{off to Napoli!}

Hi blogland!
It has been a crazy, busy summer, and I haven't taken any vacation...I was hoping to be done with two major deadlines--one finished, but the other isn't all finished as I'd like. But in any case, I'm off to Bella Napoli to conduct archival research and I'm looking forward to a change of pace and scene, even if it isn't a vacation.
I lived in Naples for a few months when I was conducting archival research for my PhD and then I returned again in 2011 for about a week...and now I'm headed back for three weeks to look what I can find in the archives regarding a new project that I'm undertaking, funded by a British Academy small grant.
So excited!
I've booked a lovely little flat in the centro storico near the Piazzo Plebescito--very close to the national library (Biblioteca Nazionale) and not too far from the archives. The flat is fairly simple, but it's in a famous eighteenth-century palazzo, the Palazzo Serra di Cassano, well-known for its fantastic staircase:

The palazzo was built for a wealthy Genoese merchant-banking family, which is neat, considering my research interests in the role of merchant-bankers in the kingdom of Naples, from an earlier era, that of the Aragonese (15th c).

{Piazza Plebescito}

I'm certainly excited to see what I find in the archives, but I'm also looking forward to spending my spare time (evenings and weekends) wandering the lovely streets of the city, enjoying the amazing food, and of course, taking day trips to lovely places like the Amalfi Coast and the islands.
Some pics from my previous trips to the mezzogiorno, will certainly give you an idea of what's in store!

{the streets of Naples}

oh, & the joys of the islands:

{Capri}

{Capri}

{glam!}

 & the stunning Amalfi coast (I took these with an old fashioned camera from the 60s--I love the film grain on them--no filter!!!):

{Positano}

{Positano}

 & I simply love the simplicity of Procida:

{picturesque Procida}

can't wait!
stay tuned!! & do follow me on instagram!
xo
L