Chess at Petraio

Don Ciro and Don Luigi, old friends nearing 70, lived in old houses in the small village perched on the steps of Petraio, an unique and isolated area of Naples. Every day, when the weather allowed it, at exactly 5 PM, they would unleash their two red chairs, tied with a chain to a water pipe, because in Naples, they take everything, sit across from each other, and start their chess game. Without a table, the chessboard rested on the patient legs of whoever had the white pieces.

They were the only ones in the area who knew that game, which Don Luigi had learned when he worked in Rome and then learned to Don Ciro, who had reached a level where he could occasionally defeat his master. When the game wasn't going well for him, Don Ciro would throw the chessboard and pieces into the air, infuriating his opponent, leading to a furious argument that required intervention to separate them. The next day, at 5 PM, as if nothing had happened, there they were again, ready for another challenge.

One unfortunate day, Luigi had a heart attack while hurrying up the stairs to return home and passed away. Ciro fell into a sort of depression, eating very little, and after about a month, he too passed away. The two red chairs, one on top of the other, tied to the pipe, remained there, offering rest to some passerby climbing the old Petraio staircase. The village residents felt saddened seeing the empty chairs at 5 PM without the two old friends. However, one day the two chairs disappeared; the chain with the open lock and the key inserted was found on the ground and they were never seen again.

I like to think that Don Luigi and Don Ciro are still sitting on the two red chairs, playing chess somewhere.