Tarantella

The Neapolitan tarantella has long been an instrument of conciliation and conviviality for citizens, for whom the popular dance remains a dear symbol. The tarantella was born in Naples in the early 18th century, and was danced by young commoners who performed during festivals with profound collective meaning such as that of Piedigrotta and that of the Madonna dell’Arco. The etymology of its name probably derives from the complex phenomenon of Apulian tarantism.

The beggarly souls

Neapolitans are a people rich in traditions and beliefs and some of these may seem almost macabre. Among the most characteristic cults there is undoubtedly that of the “pezzentelle souls”, which also represents the very particular bond of the Neapolitans with the afterlife.

Popular tradition defines them as ‘beggarly’ souls, that is, abandoned, forced into Purgatory, certainly of people who were poor even in life.

Neapolitan horn

Naples is a city where superstition is widespread even today. One of the symbols of Naples, and its superstition, is the typical Neapolitan horn. You can find it practically everywhere: in shops, on the street on stalls, as gadgets, or printed on t-shirts, mugs and practically anything. The symbol is used as a lucky charm and has very ancient origins.

O’ pazzariello

Creativity has always helped the Neapolitan people to face life with optimism and faith in the future even when it comes to finding a job. One of these is certainly ‘o pazzariello, figura, a man with bizarre and colorful clothes, holding a stick in his hand with which he directed a small group of musicians who accompanied him. O pazzariello was a street artist, a very widespread and characteristic figure of Naples in the late eighteenth, nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century, who was used to advertise shops in the area