Meet Consiglia Mercurio, one of our fantastic Italian teachers!

Hello everyone! My name is Lia, I am 33 years old and I am Italian! I come from a wonderful city called Naples, in the south of beautiful Italy.

I'm happily married to a wonderful man named Manuel and we have a cat called Gray. In my spare time I love to write, sing and watch TV series, above all I like to be with friends and enjoy a nice pizza Margherita together playing games!

I also like to travel, I often travel between Italy and Central America, in Central America I have many friends and therefore we often spend time there.

My family is the typical Italian family, there are my parents and my brothers a sister in law that it's like a real sister to me! And two very sweet nieces, I have uncles and cousins scattered in various parts of Italy, but mainly in the south.

My mom is my best friend! Then there is my mother in law, it is always said that mother in law is a thorn in the flesh, but in my case my mother in law is the exception to the rule because she is a wonderful person!Beside  2 sisters-in-laws, the smallest sister-in-law I have is 8 years old!

What about me? Well ... first of all I am a very joyful and cheerful person, they always say about me that whatever happens around me, my smile never goes out; in fact, I always like to give a smile to the people I interact with. And there are different ways in which we smile, we do it with ours mouth it is true, but also with the eyes and the hearts!

And it is precisely the heart that I put in the things I do, I grew up according to the principles that taught me that LOVE must permeate everything we do or say, which is the main ingredient of any recipe, and it is the cure to many sadnesses.

I have done several jobs over the years, but what I have the most experience in is the teaching job. I started by helping children and young people to recover school subjects or graduate. Then I started teaching the Italian language. In short, it is 8 years in total that I dedicate myself to teaching.

Naples, this ancient city, so loved and so discussed, the misunderstood city ... it is always said that when you visit Naples, you cry twice: the first time when you arrive, the second time when you leave!

Indeed Naples is full of magic and history and art and a lot of fun!

The streets, alleys, colors and flavors are like a big rainbow that enters your heart without asking your permission and you just surrender!

Many are frightened just by the thought of visiting Naples, because most of the news talks about it badly or only describes the problems or negative things, they are always afraid of being robbed or who knows what other strange idea.

But in fact crime is the same as in any other place, there are many areas to visit without being disturbed and without running any kind of danger. Indeed most of the cases you find yourself walking among typical local music, the voices and sounds of the Neapolitan people full of life and activity, people smile at you, greet you; others are hawkers, fathers of the family with small arts in their hands ... who in their own small way make their art a way to support their many families!

People from Naples are very social and try to make the best even in the worst situations.

During the COVID19 emergency, was very evident this spirit, singing and trying to be together even from their balconies with distances between them; are so many the videos on the web showing form all the balconies in Naples people singing all together a napoletan song named “Abbracciame” which means “Hug me”.

What is there to see in Naples? Well for example there are ancient castles, the royal palace, one of the most important theaters in Italy, wonderful museums and some of the oldest streets which are in themselves open and free museums!

Speaking of free things, if you are visiting Naples on the first Sunday of the month (any month) the entrance is free for any work of art or museum!

There are countless things to see in the heart of Naples, for example if you pass through Via Roma and walk towards the sea, just before reaching the promenade of Via Caracciolo you will find yourself crossing Piazza Plebiscito, ( in this square there is also the Royal Palace), arrived at the waterfront of which we spoke earlier, you will find yourself a breathtaking view, with small kiosks scattered in the shadow of large and luxurious hotels that overlook the sea. One of the most characteristic things to visit is underground Naples, you will find yourself going underground, where the ancient city of Naples exists. Well yes, you got it right! This is because over the years Naples has been built in layers, evolving over time; one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world is located in Naples: while digging to build the metro they found many ancient remains and ruins,  so they decided to turn the metro into a museum,!In short, the art available in your daily life and within reach out of hand!

And what about food ?! Well it would take thousands of pages to tell you about tasty and different foods that you can find in Naples, but among these my favorites, the ones I recommend, are the zeppole and the crocchè, and most of all: pizza!

Michele's pizzeria is one of the most famous, pizza costs only $ 4 and is simply delicious, this same pizzeria appears in a Julia Roberts movie, it is always full of people and as early as 10 am you have to get in line to be able to come in, but believe me ... it's worth it!

Editor's note: check out this inside look at pizza in Naples!

If you are a sweet lover then you cannot miss the Babbà, a typical dessert made with rum and an exquisite custard!

These are just a few of the dishes you can try, and they are only a few of the places you can see if you decide to visit my beautiful city.

The weather, the poverty, the wars in the past, and problems that still exist today, have never taken away from the population the joy and the desire to live, smile and fight!

You really have to take the time to visit Naples and its beautiful surroundings!

My family instead since some years has moved from Naples to the province of Latina, it is located between Naples and Rome, even there it is worth visiting, many do not know the wonderful beaches that are there, the green sea and the historic caves. Places like Gaeta, Sperlonga and Serapo are the favorite destinations for many people during hot summer days.

In short, there would be much to write about the places where I have lived and currently live, but I leave you the joy of discovering with your eyes and your senses the emotions that these beautiful cities can give you with every breath!