Street ambiance: chairs, tables, bottles, and happy patrons at Bar Nunzia on Via Mezzocannone, Napoli, Italy. Photo: Stephen Houston

"Presepi" or Nativity scene, part of the Capuano family's museum in the home of Vincenzo Capuano, president of the Botteghe (boutiques) di San Gregorio Armeno, Napoli, Italy. Photo: Stephen Houston

Dario (L) and Stephen (R) visiting the ancient Biblioteca Girolamini library in the church fathers’ cloisters connected to Il Duomo di Napoli (Naples Cathedral), Italy. Photo: Stephen Houston

Dario starting the "Zero Kilometer Tour" of Napoli through the "presepi" shops of Via San Gregorio, near the Chiostro (cloisters) di San Gregorio Armeno, Italy. Photo: Stephen Houston

Raffaele Calace holding an unusually large “mandolin” in his family’s living room, part of the Calace collection and museum, upstairs from the family’s workshop, in Napoli, Italy. Photo: Stephen Houston

Davide Brandi teaching Neapolitan grammar at his language and culture school, I Lazziri, in Napoli, Italy. Photo : Davide Brandi

The Neapolitan language and culture are tightly interwoven. Here, “love hearts” bearing mottos and proverbs in Neapolitan festoon a street in Napoli, Italy. Photo: Luca Casagrande

View from the summit of Mount Vesuvius (in Neapolitan, Vesuvio) looking north to the city of Napoli, Italy. This is the most densely populated volcanic region in the world. Photo:…

Stephen Houston soaking in the atmosphere of busy Via San Gregorio (Street), at the entrance to the "presepi" street market, with his intrepid guide and host, Dario Ciccarelli, in Napoli,…