Rear Window

Being home sick these past few days I have the opportunity to observe the daytime life in the apartments around me. I feel a bit like Jimmy Stewart in the movie "Rear Window" (or Christopher Reeves if you saw the recent remake of that Hitchcock classic). I try not to stare or take photos of anyone in unflattering positions, nor do I zoom in on anyone's faces or home interiors -- that would feel like a paparazzi or voyeurism, and they presumably could do the same thing to me as well. There seems to be an unwritten code to only make polite eye contact if appropriate. In this kind of living situation where all the apartments are so close together, you see more into people's homes and lives that you do in a typical American suburb or apartment complex where we all tend to close our doors.

From my rear window

Here, people have their windows flung open wide for the fresh air, they call across to their neighbors greetings from their balconies, their clotheslines are draped off the balconies so the women are constantly hanging clothes, workmen are on scaffolding painting and repairing things. It is altogether an entirely different buzz than in any US place I have ever lived.

Actually yesterday I saw a man draping rugs over his balcony and using an old fashioned rug beater the get the dust out. He was a young man in his 20's I guess. Can you picture this? I also wondered to myself if anyone on the floor below him had laundry on the line because they might not have appreciated his rug debris getting on their laundry! It was out of my line of sight so I couldn't tell for use.

Laundry on the line

This lady does laundry all the time. She must have a large family. I see her everyday taking in laundry and putting out laundry. Who can imagine, no dryer? Ha! In simpler times my mother had no dryer either, or chose not to use it because she liked the smell of fresh sheets and towels. I used to hang my clothes also in KS but in our suburban neighborhood in Everett there was a restrictive covenant against "unsightly" clotheslines, even in your backyard behind your privacy fence! Hm, think about that one.

From my back terrace

This is a narrow side street right next to my palazzo which leads up to a central shopping area. The perspective gives you an idea of what the clusters of apartments look like in a rather typical Italian street.

Do not be fooled by the exterior of these apartment buildings. They may be old on the outside, and in some cases needing some paint and a "facelift" but this is a upper middle class neighborhood and the interiors of the apartments I have seen are grand and very modern, blending the best of the old and the new. Notice the satellite dish by the balcony?

My internet here is faster than it was in Everett, and our TV/Skybox reception is superb. Being on the 3rd floor of a building with a clear satellite view to the southwest helps that of course.

Bank building next door

From my terrace I have a view of a bank building. They appear to occupy all the floors on this side of the building, I have no idea if that is the entire building or what. I see people in there working in very modern looking offices and since they can look into my bathroom/closet area, I have to remember to close the blinds when I am on that side of the house dressing or bathing.


The trash here is a big problem, all wrapped up in politics and crime syndicates and who knows what all. There are some people's movements to recycle which could reduce the overall trash problem, but that seems to get undermined by the people making money from hauling trash -- or not hauling trash. This is really not an issue I care to get involved with; it feels like it is a deeply personal issue for the citizens of Naples and I am just a guest here. So when the trash gets picked up a lot of it gets burned, at least that is what I am told. Thus the pollution and smoke that started my sinusitis. When I ask Italians about the issue, it makes them visibly upset and I hear a string of Italian phrases that represent frustration, sadness, and anger at the situation.

A big hazy on the Naples skyline

The olives are ripe

How many people have their very own terrace-top olive tree? Well, I am delighted to report that I do. I hope some will still be left when Johnnie returns. Fresh olives, wow, what a treat!



I am still amazed by the structure of this palazzo (palace) built 800 years ago. Some of the original 1200 AD structure can be observed but it has had layers of work done to it over time where you can trace working from the 1700s or 1800s as well as modern day updates. One day my landlady will show me old pictures that have been in their family for years that show what it looked like before. My love of history and archaeology are being constantly stimulated by this wonderful place! I have a need to learn Italian quickly since most of the literature about the history is, of course, written in Italian!

2nd floor terrace and interior courtyard/parking garage