On 5th July 1984, Diego Armando Maradona arrived in Naples by helicopter, and for seven years all hell let loose in the Italian South. For so long the ailing giant that was SSC Napoli had criminally underachieved. Their fanatical support unequalled in both passion and size across Italy. None was more feared or hated. And how they ached for success. A history dramatic, explosive and tragic. Like the finest Italian operas. Then came Maradona Blessed with a ball at his feet on the field, cursed off it, the charismatic Argentine led Napoli to their first ever Title. It was the stuff of dreams. He was unplayable, then came the dark side. Maradona mixed openly with the city gangsters, Lo Camorra. He could do as he pleased whilst performing miracles on the pitch, but when the magic faded? Once upon a time in Naples attempts to chronicle those unforgettable times under Mount Vesuvius' shadow. When Diego left his inestimable mark on this Babylon by the sea. An alluring tale of wonderful football, of glory, despair and betrayal. Of corruption, gangsters and ultimately, redemption. In a city where the devil would have needed bodyguards, Maradona became bigger than God himself. A perfect storm: Welcome to Naples! The story so far: Since its original 2005 release Once upon a time in Naples has taken on a remarkable life of its own. Re-published in Spanish and Italian (and so nearly Arabic.) And the subject of much heated debate both online and off. Like Diego Maradona himself, it has divided opinions. No middle ground, it has always been loved or loathed and never ignored. But it is still standing and has finally arrived in an updated and revised edition. I have received so many emails off people reading this book in far off places. When you live in Chadderton, everywhere seems far off. The departure lounge of LA Airport. From a beach in Thailand. An African doctor engrossed whilst saving lives and working for the United Nations in the Congo. Also a Palestinian police officer who read the book in snatches whilst in the midst of Israeli Gunship attacks. And so many more. Then in 2011, when I finally thought it had died a slow, lingering, literary death, an email one Saturday night ignited an entirely new scenario. Paul Martin of EP productions contacted me with the idea of a documentary based on the book. Paul had me at 'Scarface in football boots!' So began the crazy and at times eerily world of all things Maradona. We have met and talked to characters not far removed from a Godfather movie. Recently the stakes have upped dramatically with the brilliant award winning SENNA director Asif Kapadia and Playmaker Films expressing an interest to be involved. Now as 2014 draws in all bets are off, and Once upon a time in Naples looks set to surprise even more. Just like Maradona, it refuses to go away. And long may it do so.

'Once Upon a Time in Naples' attempts to piece together the events of a dramatic period in this troubled city's history, where, albeit for a short time only, SSC Napoli ruled the roost. With a ball at his feet Maradona could dance between the raindrops. It was a time like no other.

Once upon a time. It began on 5th July 1984. A most beautiful day in the Italian South. With 70,000 screaming Neapolitans awaiting him and roaring out his name in the San Paolo stadium, Diego Armando Maradona arrived under the shadow of Mount Vesuvius in Naples, and for seven years all hell was let loose. For so long the ailing giant SSC Napoli criminally underachieved. Their fanatical support unequalled in both passion and size across Italy. None had ever been more feared or hated, but how they ached for success. A history dramatic, explosive and so damned tragic. Like the finest Italian operas' it always ended in despair. Then came Maradona. Blessed with a ball at his feet on the field, hopelessly cursed off it. When in the mood unplayable, but then there was a dark side. He mixed openly with the city's most feared and notorious gangsters, the Camorra. The feared Giuliano clan. Untouchable, beyond reproach. A lifestyle fuelled by cocaine. A lawless idol with thorns so deep they pricked to make Maradona believe for a while he was a God. Scarface in football boots. Nothing less. When not enjoying the decadent excesses of this Babylon by the sea, there was magic to be made on the field as the charismatic Argentinian inspired Napoli to their first ever Scudetto title. It was the stuff of Neapolitan dreams and Northerner's nightmares. Juventus, the Milan clubs, all despised as they mocked this last major European city before Africa. 'Welcome to Italy'. 'Vesuvio wash them with lava', claimed the banners on any journey North. In revenge, Maradona, this barbarian king, led the southern hordes against those who viewed Naples lower than the dirt on the Italian boot. A revolution took place every Sunday for seven years with battles raging both on and off the field. As the Napoli tifosi fell in worship at his dancing feet, Maradona continued to party on unabated. Sheltered from all prying eyes until the magic faded and he was tossed out like garbage. Once Upon a Time in Naples attempts to chronicle this unforgettable era of when Diego left his inestimable mark on Italian football and Neapolitan's hearts. Whom he raised to the stars only to ultimately break them. An alluring tale of wonderful football, glory, despair, betrayal, corruption and then came a moment many years later of redemption. In a city that lived for the day and chanced their hand on the forever changing moods of Mount Vesuvius, Diego Maradona became bigger than God himself. From a high their patron San Gennaro kept a watching eye, but even he could not promise to bring about a happy ending. Miracles are one thing, Maradona another. For in this city where the devil feared to tread, even the angels had dirt under their wings. Welcome to Naples.... (Once Upon a Time in Naples is the basis for the Diego Maradona film directed by the Oscar winning Asif Kapadia and produced by Paul Martin and James Gay Rees.) @johnludds [email protected]

"In the tradition of M.F.K. Fisher and Peter Mayle, this ... memoir follows American-born Katherine Wilson on her adventures abroad, where a three-month rite of passage in Naples turns into a permanent embrace of this boisterous city on the Mediterranean. It is all thanks to a surprising romance, a new passion for food, and a spirited woman who will become her mother-in-law--and teach her to laugh, to seize joy, and to love"--

In Ancient Marbles in Naples in the Eighteenth Century Eloisa Dodero aims at documenting the history of numerous private collections formed in Naples during the 18th century, with particular concern for the “Neapolitan marbles” and the circumstances of their dispersal.

As a young child in Naples, Italy, Sergio Esposito sat at his kitchen table observing the daily ritual of his large, loud family bonding over fresh local dishes and simple country wines. While devouring the rich bufala mozzarella, still sopping with milk and salt, and the platters of fresh prosciutto, sliced so thin he could see through it, he absorbed the profound relationship of food, wine, and family in Italian culture. Growing up in Albany, New York, after emigrating there with his family, he always sat next to his uncle Aldo and sipped from his wineglass during their customary hours-long extended family feasts. Thus, from a very early age, Esposito came to associate wine with the warmth of family, the tastes of his mother’s cooking—and, above all, memories of his former life in Italy. When he was in his twenties, he headed for New York and undertook a career in wine, beginning a journey that would culminate in his founding of Italian Wine Merchants, now the leading Italian wine source in America. His career offered him the opportunity to make frequent trips back to Italy to find wine for his clients, to learn the traditions of Italian winemaking, and, in so doing, to rediscover the Italian way of life he’d left behind. Passion on the Vine is Esposito’s intimate and evocative memoir of his colorful family life in Italy, his abrupt transition to life in America, and of his travels into the heart of Italy—its wine country—and the lives of those who inhabit it. The result is a remarkably engaging and entertaining wine/travel narrative replete with vivid portraits of seductive places—the world-famous cellars of Piedmont, the sweeping estates of Tuscany, the lush fields of Campania, the chilly hills of Friuli, the windy beaches of Le Marche; and of memorable people, diverse and vibrant wine artisans—from a disco-dancing vintner who bases his farming on the rhythm of the moon to an obsessive prince who destroys his vineyards before his death so that his grapes will never be used incorrectly. Esposito’s luscious accounts of the wonderful food and wine that are so much a part of Italian life, and his poignant and often hilarious stories of his relationships with his family and Italian friends, make Passion on the Vine an utterly unique and enchanting work about Italy and its eternally seductive lifestyle.

A captivating travel memoir Penelope Green delves into the myths surrounding Naples, and with the help of many locals she finds out which are true, which are not, and bravely creates a few myths of her own. Penny Green returned to Italy after a holiday in Australia ready for a challenge. She was looking for a new job and romance, and found work and perhaps love in the toughest Italian city of them all Napoli. Penny takes on her new home with almost the same open acceptance she had when she first arrived in Rome four years ago. Now, though, she is older, wiser and more experienced when it comes to breaking into a new city. The result is a colourful, first-hand account of life in a city that is filed with fear, crime, rubbish, beauty, great food, generous inhabitants and a thrilling sense of living every moment to the fullest.