VEDI NAPOLI E POI MUORI

After a year of behaving like a nerdy tourist and trying to adapt to the city's rhythm (which I still think is impossible), I can state that Naples is one of THE most underestimated cities of Europe. The phrase of writer Goethe in the 18th century: "See Naples, then die", couldn't be more appropriate (Latin: "vedi Napoli e poi muori"). As you will further notice on my future blog posts, the beauty of the city is beyond words. However, Naples doesn't have a good reputation when it comes to tourism. Traveling here isn't comparable to your average city trip. It's a difficult city, full of contradictions and struggles. But just like people, you have to know its history to understand.

Let me walk you through a quick version of the historical facts. Until 1860, when Italy wasn't a united country yet, Naples was the capital of several consecutive southern kingdoms. Imagine a proud, rich and glorious city. Alas, all good things come to an end. When the Italian unification came through, many influential people fled to the north, together with their money. As a result, a big part of the city impoverished. This is where the notorious mafia organization 'Camorra' came in, who profited from the degraded situation. Since then, the Camorra has played a big part in the city's state of affairs.

I know what you're thinking now. Before I came here, I also imagined Godfather situations, with shootings in the streets and offers I couldn't refuse. But in fact, this is not happening at all. If you are into the whole drugs thing yes, you'll have to watch your steps. But hey, this applies to every city. On a more serious note, there are some other stories too. If Napolitans want to change the infrastructure, they most likely have to hire a contractor from the Camorra. And in the most parts of Naples, restaurants and bars still need to pay off the mafia. This is a sad situation, and an incomprehensible one for an outsider. But for the Napolitans, it has become a way of living. And frankly, as a tourist you will never notice any of this.

The only thing you will notice and have to endure is the wonderful aroma of the garbage on the streets. The last decade, the Camorra has found a new way of profiting from misery: Eco Mafia. Despite the fancy name, it's a very dirty business. They dump industrial trash illegally, consisting of many toxic substances. To keep this big business going, they sabotage the construction of new dumping sites. Of course you begin to wonder, where should the household waste go then? I'm sure this will ring a bell, as Naples only seems to be famous abroad for it's big waste strike in 2007. The dumping sites were full and no one seemed to bother to collect the trash anymore. Luckily the strike is over, but the waste disposal still has flaws. In fact, it seems like I am the only person in Naples who sorts the trash.

Juliet enjoys smelling the trash during our walks

The city clearly has its issues but then again, this also makes it interesting. I can tell you that in the year we have been living here, we have never encountered the Camorra (that we know). Although I should note that when we first came here, our paranoia outsider's mentality had taken over a little bit. Every Italian wanted to mean something for Dries, so we got a lot of restaurant owners and hotel workers going: "if you need anything, day or night, call me". After which Dries and I exchanged anxious looks, thinking that the mafia was trying to hook us up. Now we learned that this is the proud Napolitan mentality. Even as a tourist you will notice they take much pride in helping you.

To conclude, I will give you a few tips so you can safely explore the city:

• Don't mention the NORTH: I mentioned the proud mentality already, so you can imagine it still stings a little bit to have lost their importance to the north of Italy. Especially Milan is the enemy, and this manifests itself very clearly in football.
• Don't wear watches: Italy and fashion goes hand in hand, so an expensive watch is THE way of showing off. I am more used to fancy cars for this purpose, but here you will often see a rich man in a small car with dents, wearing a big watch and fancy clothes to add some 'swagger'. Robberies happen for this reason. So be safe, leave your watches home.
• Avoid Quartieri Spagnoli at night: Don't misunderstand me, as you will read later on Quartieri Spagnoli is a wonderful local neighborhood that is definitely worth a visit. The street that splits the historical center, SpaccaNapoli, is very interesting. But don't get lost too deep into the narrow streets after dark. Every city has its neighborhoods to avoid at night.

If you can put the chaos and garbage smell behind you, you will have a wonderful time in Naples!