Founded by the Greeks, Naples is one of the oldest continually inhabited urban areas in the world. With its bay and cargo port, Naples sustained heavy damage in World War 2 and a large portion of the core city had to be reconstructed. Today that port is active with container ships and cruise ships disgorging passengers for quick tours to Pompeii .
Pizza was invented here and the city has a reputation as a fine dining destination in the region. The entire city core, where we stayed was a refurbished Cardinal’s palace, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Erin described the lanes as “urban canyons” with narrow strips of cobblestones between 4 to 6 story buildings. Capri is not far via boat, and the more tourist friendly Sorrento is a ferry ride away down the coast.
If this had been our first Italian city I would have advocated a quick trip out to……pretty much anywhere else. We used all of our learned survival skills in this city. How to avoid the scooters and taxis careening down the narrow lane ~ check! How to find a restaurant open early (7:30p) but still serving a full menu of regional cuisine ~ check. How to avoid the dog poop on the cobblestones while simultaneously saying no to the street vendor AND not running into the person walking straight towards you ~ check.
Surprisingly, I enjoyed the city and its energy. I love that it has a deep history with so much potential for meaningful exploration. I loved the amazing archaeological museum full of artifacts from Pompeii. I loved our hotel and its location. The city and region have a reputation for being under the control of various organized crime factions. I don’t know about that ~ but if the trash pick-up and cleanliness of a city depends on your trash service not being a front for the mob ~ then maybe their reputation is well deserved.
I caught some bug in Rome that sapped my energy, (not CoVid, we tested). We still were able to visit Pompeii and the Archeological museum, take a walk around town, see a concert and stay in a super nice place, so overall we still had a good time.
Would we live here? Certainly not. Would we visit again? Probably not as it is today, but if it cleaned up a few things….still probably not.
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