The journey in the footsteps of Elena Ferrante

Lungomare Caracciolo

„See Naples and die” J.W. Goethe

Almost everyone at least once in their lifetime has heard this aphorism. Naples is one of the most popular touristic destinations in Italy that is visited every year by many tourists. The city offers multiple monuments but why should we always visit only Castel Nuovo or Galleria Umberto I? And that’s why I invite you all to take a journey on which Elena Ferrante will be our guide.

Last week we got to know a little bit about this famous writer and now it’s time to visit city to which she is especially attached. The action of her book “My brilliant friend” takes place in Naples – the main protagonists, Elena and Lila, are living in an ugly district in the 50’ and 60’. It’s a place without hope for a better tomorrow, patriarchal and violent where the majority of residents belongs to a working-class. It is believed that the neighborhood described by Ferrante is Rione Luzzatti which, thanks to the popularity of her books, is now more often visited by tourists who bypassed it so far.

(Source: https://www.visitnaples.eu/en/neapolitanity/discover-naples/the-places-of-lamica-geniale-a-tour-of-the-novels-by-elena-ferrante)

Another place that appears in the book is Via Chiaia which is a popular and elegant street in Naples with many shops. There are many monuments, for example Palazzo Cellammare. For Elena Greco, who visited once this district with friends, Via Chiaia seemed like another world and it was a humiliating experience for her.

(Source: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Chiaia#/media/File:ViaChiaiaNapoli.jpg)

Among other places that the protagonists visit in the first book “My brilliant friend” there are also for example Lungomare Caracciolo, where Elena’s father takes her to show her Vesuvio, and Ischia island where Elena spends her vacation.

Thanks to the phenomenon of Elena Ferrante travelling in her footsteps has become more and more popular but these days we must unfortunately be satisfied with visiting Naples only by reading a book.

(Source: https://www.podrozepoeuropie.pl/wyspa-ischia-zwiedzanie/)

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