The Napolitaner N.07 - 'A Cuntrora

Second only, perhaps, to coffee in terms of sacredness and value it's her—the cuntrora—those early afternoon hours traditionally dedicated to rest from the heat and work. In Marco Marella's illustration, we rediscover the serenity of being "menato ncopp' 'o lietto," in the words of Salvatore Di Giacomo—sheltered from the frenzy of daily life and immersed in a scene that, through its iconography and references, is unmistakably Naples, unmistakably home. An open window reveals a cozy interior where two people rest on the bed. Outside, a "sea" of laundry hanging in the sun adds a touch of everyday life and color to the building, rendered in warm brick-red tones. The dominant colors are the building's warm red, the dark green of the shutters, ochre yellow, and the blues and whites of the hanging laundry, with a bright straw-yellow accent from the sunlight streaming through the window.