NAPLES, ITALY- The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Written: May 11 '00 (Updated Jun 12 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great Archaeological Museum, close to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, great food
Cons: Crime, trash, stray dogs, intimidating feel
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| kifwebe's Full Review: Naples |
Italy holds many wonders for the wide-eyed traveller. In the deep south lies Sicily, a place which has everything from beautiful beaches, to centuries old Greek ruins, to churches ornamented with meticulously inlaid mosaic domes. The north holds Italy's monetary affluence, with historic wonders like the living museum of Venice and the nearly unparalleled beauty of Tuscany. The cosmopolitan city of Milan continues to be one of the world's fashion capitals and most consumer driven cities.
The culinary wealth of Italy is almost unfair to those of us who can't enjoy it on a regular basis. Gelato (their version of ice cream, which defies description), pasta, wine, bread, cheese - you name it with regard to culinary treats, the Italians perfected it a thousand years ago. You want to really treat your taste buds? Take a trip to the city of Bologna in the north, and eat at one of the numerous cafes - you can't go wrong.
And then there's Naples, or Napoli as it's called in Italy. It's truly a one of a kind city, and that's not intended to have an entirely positive connotation. If Italy were a sixth grade classroom, Venice would be the kid that everybody loved (despite the occasional hygiene problem), Milan would be the son of a multi-millionaire (perhaps a little self absorbed), Palermo would be the kid who was a bit rough around the edges but had a heart of gold once you got to know him (that would be me years ago I guess), and Naples would be the bully seventh grader that always took your lunch money.
Naples is imposing upon first impression. First of all, it might be the dirtiest city I saw during my latest tight-budgeted European vacation. I say might because Athens was in the same ballpark. There's trash of every imaginable variety strewn all over the place, and some of it looks like it's been there since last year. Emaciated stray dogs are just as ubiquitous as the garbage, which truly saddened me - it really made me appreciate organizations like the Humane Society back home. Pollution in Naples is a real problem. Interesting factoid - Naples did not have a modern sewer system until 1977. And the traffic is almost unfathomable - there are enough scooters weaving about to make crossing the street as daunting a task as dodging rain drops in a downpour.
You know what's funny? You start to interpret all of that as character after a while (well not all of it - the stray dogs I never did get used to seeing). If that were all that was wrong with Naples, I guess it would be tolerable because of the upside (I'm getting to that). There are other negative things though. For example, if you go to Naples, be prepared to be harassed an average of once every two or three blocks. Naples has to be the European street vending capital, although I can't remember ever seeing anything purchased during my stay. Nevertheless, if you wanted to buy a battery powered hula dancer or stolen cell phone, Naples would be the place to do it. To find the area most popular for street vendors, go - anywhere. And by the way, the sales tactics are not exactly passive. I had no personal experience with crime, but Naples is notorious for petty crime like pick-pocketing and purse snatching, so proceed with caution.
Where's that upside you were talking about, you may be asking at this point. Naples is not entirely devoid of charm. One thing that really smacks you in the head is the hanging laundry. Walk down any of the numerous alleyways and look up - you'll see that every day is laundry day, and if the sun is out, hanging laundry can be pretty photogenic. This really has to be seen to be appreciated - don't think ho-hum until you've seen it for yourself.
Naples also houses an incredible natural history museum, the Museo Archaeologico Nazionale. This is a must see museum, and almost justifies a day trip to Naples by itself. Believe me, if you're in Naples for any length of time, you'll want to find a quiet place away from the vendors, traffic, and pollution, and this museum provides the perfect escape. Inside is a surprisingly excellent collection of Egyptian artifacts, a large collection of Greek relics, and of course the bulk of what was uncovered at nearby Pompeii. One room actually contains a large scale model of the city of Pompeii as it is thought to have looked been before Vesuvius buried it around 80 AD.
Another aspect of Naples which received high marks was the food. Guess what originated there. Did you guess pizza? If you did, you were correct. If not, now you know. The pizza there is pretty incredible, although probably not exactly what you're accustomed to. The crust is thin, the sauce is not laid on very heavily, and it is always fired in a wood oven. Don't expect to be able to "build your own" either. There are a number of varieties of pizza, but if you try to customize one, the restaurant's proprietor is likely to be insulted. And another pizza a la Naples caveat - many pizzas come standard with a generous portion of olive oil poured on prior to baking. They will gladly leave that off and think of you as a silly foreigner if you ask politely (in Italian if possible). The rest of the cuisine in Naples is quite good as well with typical southern influences, which basically means that it is sweeter and spicier than in northern Italy, as well as being more seafood based.
And since I mentioned so many negatives, I have to mention at least one more positive aspect of Naples. Pompeii and Herculaneum, of buried-by-Vesuvius fame, are near enough to make perfect day trip excursions. We've all heard about Pompeii since 5th grade social studies, and a trip there doesn't disappoint. It can be reached by a train from Naples known as the Circumvesuviana, which is a local train and is therefore not covered by your Eurail Pass. Give yourself a day for Pompeii if you have the time - the site is huge and takes time to cover (but it costs only about $8 US to get in). The highlight of course is the plaster casts of the inhabitants who were unlucky enough to be around for the big eruption. Another interesting and ironic factoid - The inhabitants who were covered by the eruption were the most impoverished of Pompeii's citizens, yet they have been forever immortalized in history. While the wealthiest citizens packed up and left, those without the means were left behind to perish. But who has contributed more to history? Ironically, those who were left behind - justice was served…sort of. In case you don't know, the plaster casts were made by filling in the voids left by the bodies which were covered by volcanic ash and mud. A perfectly detailed model of a Pompeiian society member - and an archaeologists wet dream.
Also nearby is the Amalfi Coast, some of the most beautiful coastline in the world. If you want details, I have written a review on this area as well (sorry about the shameless plug). It is truly worth the trip from Naples, and I would highly recommend it. Warning: The Amalfi Coast is a very popular vacation destination amongst European tourists. Make reservations if you plan to stay there and prepare yourself for a glut of tourism (it's still worth the trip - really!).
That's Naples in a nutshell. Know that if you visit you are likely to have both good and bad experiences, and without preparing yourself for that, you may just turn around immediately and head back from whence you came. Give Naples a chance though. Along with the surrounding area there are some things worthy of a visit.
Recommended:
Yes
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kifwebe
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Location: :noitacoL
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