There is a place in Naples, at Piazza Dante, that still believes in values. It’s Al 53, the restaurant of traditional Neapolitan cuisine that promotes values like inclusion and sustainability.
What could be better than a restaurant serving traditional Neapolitan cuisine to cement the friendship among the SEA and YOU artists? NOTHING! In fact, what could be better than a restaurant serving inclusive and sustainable traditional Neapolitan cuisine to mark the end of this wonderful journey that has been SEA and YOU and is now coming to a close? Again, nothing!
And when you consider that the restaurant serving traditional Neapolitan cuisine is a bastion of inclusivity, environmental respect, sustainability, and all the values that Sea and You has conveyed over these months, this could only be the perfect place.
Throughout these months, as SEA and YOU made stops in Granada and Porto, the constants of the concerts have always been the art of traditional music, inclusion, and friendship.
These are values that all the musicians of SEA and YOU have shared from the first day they planned the first itinerant traditional music festival in Europe, featuring Fado, Flamenco, and classic Neapolitan songs.
As was the case in Granada and Porto, in Naples too, the artists will come together for one of the most beautiful moments of the festival: sharing a meal together!
At the famous restaurant serving traditional Neapolitan cuisine ‘Al 53,’ an inclusive and sustainable restaurant that cares about its customers, what they eat, the quality of the products, and also about not wasting precious resources like water.
In the splendid setting of Piazza Dante in Naples, Spanish and Portuguese artists from CajaGranada and Ideal Fado will be able to taste the specialties of traditional Neapolitan cuisine accompanied by the staff and artists of Napulitanata.
Traditional Neapolitan cuisine, inclusivity, and sustainability. The Al 53 model
Naples is teeming with restaurants serving traditional Neapolitan cuisine, but the restaurant at Piazza Dante, Al 53, is unique. In the midst of the Neapolitan food boom, where tourists flock to the city to get the most Instagrammable dish, the difference can only be made with the love you put into the cuisine and the values you believe in.
It’s not just about pasta and potatoes, Neapolitan ragù, and desserts… We at SEA and YOU have decided to collaborate with Angelo, the host of the traditional Neapolitan cuisine restaurant Al 53 because he believes in the same values as us.
Located in one of Naples’ most iconic squares, Piazza Dante, Al 53 has decided to make a difference in this world and in international cuisine with a concept as simple as it is direct: respect for values.
A historic venue, open since May 4, 1890, reviewed by the most important food blogs and included in the list of historical workshops. A place that cares about traditional Neapolitan cuisine, but also about many social issues.
Environment comes first
At Al 53, there is an attention to the environment like never before.
It is one of the 6 restaurants in Naples not using single-use plastic according to Greenpeace’s website, a choice that Napulitanata has also made within its premises.
And because of its eco-sustainable commitment, the restaurant has been recognized at Plastica Zero by Greenpeace Local Network of Naples (zero plastic in not using disposable equipment).
Defined as a dispenser of Neapolitan public water, at Al 53, thanks also to collaboration with the N’SeaYet project, a Neapolitan association that deals with environmental protection and fighting against the waste of public water. Branded water is not found. If you come in with your own bottle to fill, it will be filled for free. A small but significant gesture in the fight against water waste.
A slow food stronghold, sourcing its products from farmer and fishermen friends, a concept that Angelo himself, owner of Al 53, defines as ‘good km.’ An almost maniacal attention to quality control and goodness of products, sought not only from the nearest place to avoid environmental impacts but also from those who share the same values.
These are the gestures that will make a difference in a not-so-distant future, and we are happy to include Al 53 in the SEA and YOU project because it is our same values that have guided us in planning the festival.
The most inclusive traditional Neapolitan cuisine restaurant in the world
There is also great attention to inclusivity themes. Everyone should feel at home at Al 53! The presence of gender-neutral bathrooms, being on the Italian Union for the Fight against Muscular Dystrophy website, and offering a discount for all types of disabilities is the best way to welcome anyone who enters the traditional Neapolitan cuisine restaurant Al 53.
This is why the restaurant has been recognized as ACCESSIBLE TO ALL by the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Association. The program that gives this recognition is EasyGoOut – “Accessibility4all”.
Unprecedented generosity, where the important thing is not to earn money or become famous on social media, quite the opposite. Angelo’s goal at Al 53 is to offer an exciting traditional Neapolitan cuisine meal, firmly rooted in the values with which his father Antonio raised him. And it is in honor of his father that on St. Anthony’s day, in June, he prepares, as tradition dictates, St. Anthony’s bread.
Traditional food and music. The perfect union
Is there perhaps a strange relationship between traditional music and traditional cuisine? Do peoples with an established musical tradition also have excellent traditional cuisine? Anything is possible. However, we cannot fail to notice how cities with a strong musical tradition are also those where culinary tradition is strong.
The most beautiful moments of each SEA and YOU meeting among Spanish, Portuguese, and Neapolitan artists have always been those of conviviality, especially in front of good traditional food.
Traditional cuisine, from any country, is a symbol of unity and brotherhood. Often, traditional cuisine and traditional music go hand in hand. It is no coincidence that traditional food taverns can also be concert halls for traditional music. This is the case of the famous fado houses in Portugal, true concert hall/restaurants where Portuguese music and local food merge into a unique and exciting experience for anyone who wants to delve into this wonderful land.
The choice to link a traditional music festival to local cuisine, in this case to a traditional Neapolitan cuisine restaurant in Naples, means going beyond simple musical tourism. It means experiencing music more intensely, as an extension of one’s soul.
By Davide Lancia