Thinking of visiting Napoli soon? We’d love to be your DJs for the trip! We’ve created a Napoli playlist just for the occasion, and you’ll get a little taste of what’s to come below. Local artists only!
To learn more about this beautiful city, we got in touch with the members of Nu Genea, the duo formed by Massimo Di Lena and Lucio Aquilina. As they are locals, we’ve asked them a few questions about what they think of your next destination and if they have any recommendations.
Hello Massimo and Lucio, how are you? Thank you for answering a few questions for us.
All good, thanks! We’re so excited since our new album Bar Mediterraneo is out !!! And we can’t wait to start touring again 🙂
How would you introduce Nu Genea to Volotea passengers who might not know you?
We’re two musicians and djs, strongly rooted to our own culture from Napoli but always keen in connecting different people and exploring new music boundaries.
We love to research music from the past, some people call us “crate diggers”, and we ride through dusty basements all over the world to discover forgotten music gems on vinyl format. Neapolitan is the language we use for most of our songs, and we blend it with funk, soul and disco music from the 70s and 80s.
We were really excited to hear that you were going to release your new album after four years. How was the creation of this new album? What has been going on for you the last few years?
After our last LP Nuova Napoli, which was a proper focus on our hometown, we felt like we wanted to expand the radius: Napoli’s culture, music and dialect have been strongly shaped by other Mediterranean people and we tried to show this encounter through our music, collaborating for example, with a Tunisian artist called Marzouk Mejri and the French singer Célia Kameni.
Moreover, also going around and digging records from North Africa, Spain, France and of course from our hometown Napoli, played an important role in the inspirational part of the composition process of the album.
Since we watched the documentary you’re involved in, Napoli Futura, we’ve been eager to hear your personal recommendations of Naples. Could you name your top 3 restaurants and your top 3 bars?
We usually prefer to eat in modest yet amazing “trattorie” located in the historic city center: Gnocchi alla Sorrentina at Lo spiedo d’oro and Polpette at Osteria della Mattonella worth a mention. But we also recommend a stop over Sud ristorante, where chef Marianna Vitale gives her sophisticated and coloured twist to our classic dishes. You finally must visit Mimì alla ferrovia, close to the train station, Mimi is the ambassador of Neapolitan traditional cuisine.
We like to have aperitivo at Fonoteca in the Vomero area (they also have a selection of records), after dinner at L’Antiquario for a classy atmosphere or Perditempo for a chatty evening.
Is there a local dish and / or drink that you’d suggest trying out?
Pasta alla Genovese is the thing!!! Of course get a nice “limoncello” to end the meal.
What art galleries and / or museums should we not miss if visiting your region?
Our region is full of archaeological and artistical sites. In Napoli we recommend visiting nice galleries such as Alfonso Artiaco, Lia Rumma and Fondazione Morra Greco, in addition to The Museum of Capodimonte and The National Archaeological Museum. Just outside Napoli, you can’t miss Pompei ruins, obviously.
Where would you go for a nice walk and perhaps watch a romantic Neapolitan sunset?
Well, surely walking along the Lungomare of Mergellina is an amazing experience: you can feel the salty sea water, watch the Vesuvius and Castel dell’Ovo. And if you’re hungry, take a stop by at food trucks to get a few taralli and lupini.
And when the weather is hotter, which beach do you recommend for a refreshing swim?
Marechiaro village is lovely and it has inspired our song “Marechià”.
Take a kayak from the guys at “Kayak Napoli” and visit the natural reservoir of “Gajola” and “Trentaremi”. Don’t forget to bring along with you on the beach your nice panino with mozzarella and tomato. For a more relaxing journey, you can get to “Acque Minerali” spot by a boat from the village of Marechiaro.
When the sun goes down, which would be a good place to go for a dance or watch a live band?
During summer, there are several beaches for listening to music: reach the Coroglio area and you have many options. As indoor clubs, go to Duel for live concerts and to Basic for dj parties!
You’re professional crate diggers, what flea markets and record stores are good for searching Neapolitan music?
You can go to the flea market at Ippodromo di Agnano on Sundays! Go in the early morning to find the gems 🙂 be sure to have rent a car!
We usually like to even go crazier and just drive to nowhere and ask people around, where to find records. Sometimes also Napoli’s neighbouring towns offer great surprises 🙂
Futuribile Records store is the spot to find under the radar records and freshly released music: they have a great selection of Neapolitan music but also delivered with rarities all around the world.
If you could leave on a holiday tomorrow, which Volotea destination would you choose and why?
Tangeri – it’s a border place where you can witness Africa and Europe meet.
