Naples: a gritty city that is sure to enchant

Daphne Abernethy visits the seductive southern Italian city

MAYBE its the masochist in me but I’ve always wanted to visit the southern Italian city of Naples, with its reputation for crime, rubbish heaps and the mafia. And it didn’t disappoint – for Naples is unlike any other European city I’ve ever been to. Naples is a sprawling place as you’ll see when you make the trip by taxi from the airport, about 7km north of the city centre. It’s a journey that takes you past crumbling factories, decaying tenements and graffiti-clad high-rises.

It’s clear that unemployment and waste management problems continue to affect naples. As far back as 2006 the Italian media attributed the waste disposal issues to organised crime. And the problem still hasn’t been resolved; there are large over-flowing garbage bins on every street corner.

With a population of over four million, Naples is closer to Africa than much of western Europe in more ways than one. Its over-crowded smoggy streets and oppressive heat lend it a feel of Marrakech.

But while first impressions may not be flattering, don’t be too quick to judge. If you take the time to see beyond the traffic chaos and the trash, you’ll find a city filled with beautiful Baroque churches, mammoth monuments and crumbling castles. Its narrow, cobbled pathways and the decaying grandeur of its imposing buildings deliver a raw, but rewarding, travel experience. The sordid suburbs have a shameful reputation but the inner city is by contrast quaint and, I am informed by the tour guide, essentially safe. The maze of ancient pathways is interspersed with what are known as i bassi, the compact homes of the less well-off. It’s a culture shock to see such poverty at the heart of a major city.

Yet there’s a seductive intimacy in the atmosphere of central Naples – the very antithesis of the gentile refinement of Florence or Rome. Once a staple of the grand tour, bad press tends to keep modern tourists away. In this respect Naples is much less touristy and more truly ‘Italian’ than its sister cities in the richer, industrial north.

The best way to see the ‘real’ Italy is to make your way on foot through the historic inner quarter where you’ll find a city that is truly lived in – it feels as comfortable and familiar as an old cardigan. Turn one way and you’ll be looking into someone’s living room, turn the other and you’ll be mesmerised by two young Italian women singing traditional folk song. You’ll be dodging the laundry that bridges the streets while making your way through makeshift markets and groups of elderly men playing cards and drinking beer in the stifling heat.

Queues form outside the pizzerias which seem to occupy every street corner. Beware the crowds of young girls speeding through on Vespas – pedestrians dodge the scooters in Naples, not the other way round. Lawlessness is the norm here. It’s not uncommon to see three or four (unhelmeted) passengers on one vehicle.

A stroll along Spaccanapoli – the longest and narrowest street in Naples – is a must. Stop in the Church of Sant’Angelo a Nilo to see the tomb of Cardinal Brancacci by Donatello and Michelozzo and paintings by Marco Pino.

Near the church in the small square, Piazzetta del Nilo, you’ll see a large marble roman statue dedicated to the river Nile.

The area is also filled with great music shops and bars. This is the perfect place to rest for a treat at one of the excellent pasticceria and indulge in a sfogliatelle – a kind of shell-shaped coissant filled with cream – or a slice of babba – sponge cake saturated with rum.

If you’re in Naples, chances are you’ll be staying in the historic centre in which case its worth getting a guide and spending a full day here. But if you want to venture further afield, Naples’ proximity to some of the best parts of Italy is also a definite plus of this city break. One side of the city is dominated by the ominous silhouette of Mount Vesusius, the only active volcano in Europe, while near to the bay are the pretty islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida, which all lend themselves to day trips. As do the ancient sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum which house some of the most interesting and revealing Roman ruins in Italy, after they were destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD. Arguments persist on which of these archaeological wonders takes the lead.

In Pompeii the mummified victims are emotive and memorable. During excavations in the 1800s occasional voids in the debris were found to contain human remains. These spaces were injected with plaster to recreate the forms of the living dead. These crouching figures have been replaced in situ in what is known as The Garden of the Fugitives. Many more casts can be seen at the archaeological museum of Naples.

Pompeii, being the better known of the two, tends to attract more tourists and is quite crowded. Herculaneum is smaller with fewer visitors. Its underground location is interesting as it is possible to see where the city and its history were literally dug from the ground. The fact that Herculaneum, unlike Pompeii, was covered in ash and not lava, means many of the wooden structures of the former were better preserved. It was also a wealthier town with more lavish use of marble cladding.

In my opinion Herculaneum takes the hotspot. The final leg of the trip takes us south of Pompeii, along the Amalfi coast – probably one of the most spectacular and beautiful parts of Europe. This is where Italy’s jet set come to play in the summer months.
Meandering along the iconic route there is a collective silence as we witness the stunning combination of great beauty and gripping drama. I hyperventilate as I pass a very high sheer drop to the Mediterranean. Picturesque towns, lemon groves and lush forests dot the landscape. I would recommend stopping off at some of these towns that inspired artists such as Wagner, DH Lawrence and Turner. Later the area became synonymous with stars such as Greta Garbo, Sophia Loren and Clark Gable – all seeking the perfect hideaway. Today it remains the ultimate romantic getaway.
But be warned, the Amalfi coastal towns may be pretty but they are also touristy and over-priced. The real Amalfi thrill is in the scenic drive. I am reminded of the old saying “See Naples and die”. I am only glad I lived to tell the tale.