NAPLES ITALY
by Juliana de Angelis
There is a saying in Italy that goes 'vedi Napoli e poi muori'.
Translated, this means 'see Naples and die'. The actual meaning
of this refers to being overwhelmed by what a beautiful and an
incredible city Naples is. (although some may argue that what it
really means that Naples is such a dangerous and chaotic city
that it will kill you!)
Love it or hate it, Naples really is a city and a half. It is
full of life and the life is full of passion. And yes, you may
have heard some negative things about Naples, but there are so
many more positive things about Naples, it would be a shame to
make a judgement without ever having visited the place yourself.
In my opinion, it is probably the most colourful, vibrant and
magical city in Europe, if not the World.
True, Naples could be considered as chaotic, with cars and
vespas racing around the city not paying attention to traffic
lights -and in some cases, especially around the historical
centre, there are no pavements, but long narrow roads in which
to accommodate both traffic and people. It could also be
considered as corrupt or dangerous by some, with gang warfare by
the Camorra (Neapolitan Mafia) still operating here, and teenage
street boys that mug people by snatching their bags while
scooting past on vespas (Not to mention stories circulating such
as a woman who went into a shop to buy some clothes, but never
came out....when the police were alerted by her husband she was
apparantly found in the old city ruins underneath the shop being
smuggled to god knows where......)
But one thing that Naples could NEVER be considered is....BORING!
Yes there are some bad points, but there are considerably many
more good points than bad. The whole point of Naples is that the
'good' and 'bad' contrast each other to such an extreme it is
breathtaking. The long, narrow, dusty, cobbled roads that can be
found, especially in the historical centre (centro storico) can
be found filled with washing hanging from balconies and washing
lines, vespas constantly beeping their horns and scooting
around, street urchins (or 'scugnizzi' as they are called)
playing football in the street, stray dogs or cats rooting
around the streets for food, and shady characters selling
contraband cigarettes by the side of the road-but turn the
corner or just happen to glance upwards from all the chaos and
confusion and you could suddenly find yourself looking at the
most beautiful church you have ever seen, or a view of the
amazing Amalfi Coast and Vesuvious overlooking the sea.
You just never know with Naples. That is the beauty and the
magic of it. Beautiful churches, museums and architecture are to
be found all around the city, many forgotten about, because
there are just simply so many. The city is full of history,
culture and art. I once brought a friend to Naples, and she said
she could 'feel' the history. This was such a great statement,
as you really can feel the history; there is just so much art
and culture around. Most of the buildings in the centro storico
are the original buildings and palazzi which date back to the
12th or 13th century, with very high ceilings and original
paintwork. Most original palazzi that used to belong to
Neapolitan Aristocracy or Royalty are now just family homes or
bed and breakfasts. There is also an underground city in Naples,
(you can go on an organised tour) and some Greek ruins to be
seen in Port'Alba (an area in Naples in centro storico that used
to be frequented by poets and students, and is still quite
bohemian), which there are still stories of people using this
network for smuggling.
As mentioned before, it is the contrast of things which can
sometimes be so amazing. For example shopping in the market in
Via dei Tribunali which is deep in the historical centre, you
notice the poverty, the chaos, the 'dustiness' of the city. Yet
five minutes walk down the road you find yourself in Piazza
Plebiscito; one of the most beautiful piazzas I have ever seen.
Absolutely huge, with beautiful architecture, from which you can
see the sea and 3 of the Italy's most visited tourist
destinations; Sorrento, Ischia and the beautiful island of
Capri... It is also next to the very grand Gran Caffe`Gambrinus,
a very famous bar and restaurant thats been open since the
1860's, and used to be frequented by Oscar Wilde when he spent
time in Naples in 1898 (he once had a vision of a ghost there ).
It also marks the beginning of the Chiaia district which is one
of the most desirable districts of central Naples, with designer
shops, bars and restaurants.
Another contrast that is very apparant is the people themselves.
Neapolitans are very passionate and expressive people, and can
talk like there's no tomorrow. They talk with their hands a lot
and quite often raise their voices, which can be mistaken for
arguing-but once you get to know the people, you will realise
that what seems like an argument, is usually just a
'discussion'! (about football, or how to cook a certain pasta
dish). As Naples (and indeed in the rest of Italy as many other
countries with warm weather) has an 'outdoor' culture, you will
often see many people, teenagers and children just 'hanging
around' or having a walk or passeggiata, talking about things.
You might see people arguing one minute, and then people singing
the next so don't be alarmed!
Vedi Napoli e poi muori....discover for yourself!
by Juliana de Angelis
There is a saying in Italy that goes 'vedi Napoli e poi muori'.
Translated, this means 'see Naples and die'. The actual meaning
of this refers to being overwhelmed by what a beautiful and an
incredible city Naples is. (although some may argue that what it
really means that Naples is such a dangerous and chaotic city
that it will kill you!)
Love it or hate it, Naples really is a city and a half. It is
full of life and the life is full of passion. And yes, you may
have heard some negative things about Naples, but there are so
many more positive things about Naples, it would be a shame to
make a judgement without ever having visited the place yourself.
In my opinion, it is probably the most colourful, vibrant and
magical city in Europe, if not the World.
True, Naples could be considered as chaotic, with cars and
vespas racing around the city not paying attention to traffic
lights -and in some cases, especially around the historical
centre, there are no pavements, but long narrow roads in which
to accommodate both traffic and people. It could also be
considered as corrupt or dangerous by some, with gang warfare by
the Camorra (Neapolitan Mafia) still operating here, and teenage
street boys that mug people by snatching their bags while
scooting past on vespas (Not to mention stories circulating such
as a woman who went into a shop to buy some clothes, but never
came out....when the police were alerted by her husband she was
apparantly found in the old city ruins underneath the shop being
smuggled to god knows where......)
But one thing that Naples could NEVER be considered is....BORING!
Yes there are some bad points, but there are considerably many
more good points than bad. The whole point of Naples is that the
'good' and 'bad' contrast each other to such an extreme it is
breathtaking. The long, narrow, dusty, cobbled roads that can be
found, especially in the historical centre (centro storico) can
be found filled with washing hanging from balconies and washing
lines, vespas constantly beeping their horns and scooting
around, street urchins (or 'scugnizzi' as they are called)
playing football in the street, stray dogs or cats rooting
around the streets for food, and shady characters selling
contraband cigarettes by the side of the road-but turn the
corner or just happen to glance upwards from all the chaos and
confusion and you could suddenly find yourself looking at the
most beautiful church you have ever seen, or a view of the
amazing Amalfi Coast and Vesuvious overlooking the sea.
You just never know with Naples. That is the beauty and the
magic of it. Beautiful churches, museums and architecture are to
be found all around the city, many forgotten about, because
there are just simply so many. The city is full of history,
culture and art. I once brought a friend to Naples, and she said
she could 'feel' the history. This was such a great statement,
as you really can feel the history; there is just so much art
and culture around. Most of the buildings in the centro storico
are the original buildings and palazzi which date back to the
12th or 13th century, with very high ceilings and original
paintwork. Most original palazzi that used to belong to
Neapolitan Aristocracy or Royalty are now just family homes or
bed and breakfasts. There is also an underground city in Naples,
(you can go on an organised tour) and some Greek ruins to be
seen in Port'Alba (an area in Naples in centro storico that used
to be frequented by poets and students, and is still quite
bohemian), which there are still stories of people using this
network for smuggling.
As mentioned before, it is the contrast of things which can
sometimes be so amazing. For example shopping in the market in
Via dei Tribunali which is deep in the historical centre, you
notice the poverty, the chaos, the 'dustiness' of the city. Yet
five minutes walk down the road you find yourself in Piazza
Plebiscito; one of the most beautiful piazzas I have ever seen.
Absolutely huge, with beautiful architecture, from which you can
see the sea and 3 of the Italy's most visited tourist
destinations; Sorrento, Ischia and the beautiful island of
Capri... It is also next to the very grand Gran Caffe`Gambrinus,
a very famous bar and restaurant thats been open since the
1860's, and used to be frequented by Oscar Wilde when he spent
time in Naples in 1898 (he once had a vision of a ghost there ).
It also marks the beginning of the Chiaia district which is one
of the most desirable districts of central Naples, with designer
shops, bars and restaurants.
Another contrast that is very apparant is the people themselves.
Neapolitans are very passionate and expressive people, and can
talk like there's no tomorrow. They talk with their hands a lot
and quite often raise their voices, which can be mistaken for
arguing-but once you get to know the people, you will realise
that what seems like an argument, is usually just a
'discussion'! (about football, or how to cook a certain pasta
dish). As Naples (and indeed in the rest of Italy as many other
countries with warm weather) has an 'outdoor' culture, you will
often see many people, teenagers and children just 'hanging
around' or having a walk or passeggiata, talking about things.
You might see people arguing one minute, and then people singing
the next so don't be alarmed!
Vedi Napoli e poi muori....discover for yourself!
 | |  | |  | |  |
FAMILY TRAVEL FUN.COM
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |