Book of the year so far. Peter Robb is a masterful evocative writer; my love for Caravaggio's painting is due entirely to my introduction to it in his book M. Caravaggio is here too, his Naples paintings, particularly Seven Works, admired and analysed and his influence on a later generation of painters, such as Ribera, Caracciolo and Passante, described against the backdrop of the swirling politics, intrigues and street fights of Naples

But this is only partially a book about art. It is also a book of insurrection and the revolts and rebellions of the Neapolitans against their overlords are here too. The lifestories of heroes, villains and major and minor celebrities from the 14th to 19th centuries are vividly evoked

But mainly, this is a love letter from Robb to a city he clearly loves for its wildness, disorder, passions, earthiness and sheer Neapolitanism. Its convincing; I've never really liked Napoli but perhaps its time to visit it again ( )