NAPLES

NAPLES

Naples is a city of a thousand faces: it may be chaotic and heaving with traffic but it is rich with history, art and culture, ready to surrender its mysteries to anyone who scratches the surface. Then there is the lovely bay: with its horizon bounded by Posillipo, the islands, the Sorrento Peninsula and lofty Vesuvius, it is one of the most beautiful in the world. In essence Naples is a city of many facets where the present weaves its way through its long history, and its alluring charms and architectural splendours have been praised by innumerable poets and writers. Even UNESCO's committee fell under her spell, to the extent that in 1995 they included the historic centre of the city in their World Heritage List. According to the legend, the siren Parthenope gave her name to a town which had sprung up round her tomb, which is why Naples is called the Parthenopaean City. In fact, Naples originated as a Greek colony named Neapolis "the new city", conquered by the Romans in the 4C B.C.. Rich inhabitants of Rome like Virgil, Augustus, Tiberius and Nero used to spend the winter there, but the Neapolitans themselves retained the Greek language and customs until the decline of the Empire. Since the XII century seven princely dynasties have reigned over Naples. The Normans, Hohenstaufens, Angevin, Aragonese, Spanish and Bourbons ruled successively until the end of the XVIII century. The French Revolution of 1789 brought in French troops, and in 1799 a Parthenopean Republic was set up, followed by a French kingdom (1806-15) under Joseph Bonaparte (Napoleon's brother) and afterwards Joachim Murat (Napoleon's brother-in-law), both of whom promoted excellent reforms. From 1815 to 1860 the restored Bourbons remained in power in spite of the 1820 and 1848 revolts. After the Bourbon period, in 1860 Naples became part of the new Kingdom of Italy and lost its role of capital.

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For 4-6 servings:

• 1 kg minced veal
• A few sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
• 2 slices day-old bread, soaked in 3 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 carrot, coarsely chopped
• 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
• 800 g ready-made tomato passata
• ½ garlic clove
• 1 egg, beaten
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the veal, parsley, egg and soaked bread in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mould the mixture into 20 meatballs and fry gently in a pan with the olive oil, carrot, celery and onion. Add the tomato passata and ... continue