Naples in the 1950s: Lenù e Lila are two girls who become friends in a poor neighborhood in the extreme eastern outskirts of the port city. Life was hard and they grew up together as best friends. At times they grew apart to then reunite and become even closer. Their story is told in four books written between 2011 and 2014 by Elena Ferrante: the first book, "My Brilliant Friend", which gives its name to the entire saga in Italian (in English it’s called "The Neapolitan Quartet"), followed by "The Story of a New Name", "Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay" and "The Story of the Lost Child". In Italy, a TV series has been based on the facts narrated in the first book (the TV series based on "The Story of a New Name is currently in the making).
The places
The events in the book mainly take place in the Luzzati di Gianturco neighborhood, where Lenù and Lila were born. But there are also scenes and periods set in the city center, including Corso Umberto, Piazza dei Martiri, Piazza Municipio, Posillipo, the Caracciolo promenade. And then there are Ischia, where Lenù goes on vacation, and Pisa, where Lenù studies at Scuola Normale.
Taking advantage of the success of "My Brilliant Friend", various guided tours have been created to visit these places, such as those offered by the 5-star Romeo Hotel in Naples.
The food
The novels not only recount the places the two friends visited, but also the dishes prepared in the houses of the two protagonists. They are of course very typical recipes of cucina povera, such as the pasta e patate (pasta and potatoes) prepared by Lenù’s mother, or the food for “special occasions” like the gattò that Lenù’s mother prepares for her future son-in-law. It is a Neapolitan adaptation of the French gateau recipe, which reached Campania with the monsù, as the professional chefs serving the Bourbons were called. Of course, this brief overview cannot end without mentioning the sfogliatella, one of the most typical and irresistible Neapolitan pastries, which in the book were purchased at the pastry shop of the Solara family. They are very difficult to make, but if you’d like to try them here’s the recipe.
If you instead prefer to enjoy them directly in Naples, here are the addresses of the best pastry shops in the city.
Neapolitan Sfogliatelle