Napoli – Wonderful Chaos!
Italy (Puglia) Sightseeing in Naples (Sun 20 May 2018)
Weather: 18⁰C min – 28⁰C max, clear and sunny
“You can’t be sad while riding a bicycle” ~ Unknown
Nobody does chaos better than Naples, a full on assault on the senses … a riot of noise, colour and movement, with traffic snarls, horns honking, motor scooters screaming through crowded pedestrian malls, oncoming cyclists riding in the wrong lane, street vendors noisily spruiking their wares, fishermen proudly displaying their catch, tuneless buskers. Marvellous!
Arriving on the train from Foggia yesterday at Napoli Centrale station, my first impression was an uneasy feeling when I emerged into the neighbourhood around the station. It would be unwise to book a hotel in this area and locals warn against going anywhere near here after dark.
Fortunately I am staying in the centro antico (the “ancient centre”) which is a great base to explore the city and feels reasonably safe. You still need to take sensible precautions though, like leaving your passport, credit cards and valuables locked in your room, keeping a secure hold on your bicycle, and not flashing your smartphone around. My practice when touring is to dress like a tramp, looking as little like a tourist as possible.
Naples has a reputation of being a dirty city, but this is no reason not to visit it or fall in love with the city (as I did). It is understandable that a city that dates back so many centuries must have accumulated its share of grime over the years. Overflowing garbage bins, walls daubed in artistic (almost) street art, and plastered with posters layered over posters, peeling at the corners, add to the character of the grimy streets and alleyways.
Flint-grey, steel-like, pitted stones may well look attractive, but are not much fun for cycling. GPS navigation through narrow streets with tall buildings on either side is also a nightmare, constantly losing satellite signal and receiving the message “Off Course” on the screen of my Garmin Edge 1000. Half-riding, half-walking, through the busy streets and footpaths, I found my way to the cycle way along the lungomare (seaside promenade). It was nerve-wracking fun, swerving to avoid oncoming cyclists riding in my lane and evading pedestrians crossing the path as if right of way was exclusively theirs.
Naples is the city where pizzas originated, so guess what I had for dinner last night! That’s right Pizza Napoli. I must say I have had better but, undeterred, I am going to try again tonight, this time a little further away from the tourist strip.
It’s not hard to warm to Napoli, warts and all.
G’day BB,
Reminds me of India a bit……nice photo of the old and new on the waterfront.
Cheers,
Chilli
Yes, an interesting juxtaposition. LOL.
Napoli must be an assault to the senses, after the peace of the road and the quieter locales. There’s certainly plenty of graffiti, but your photos do make it look like a charming enough city. I hope your second pizza was extra-delicious, to make up for the disappointing first one.
I ended up asking my hostess Claudia for a restaurant recommendation and she recommended Gerolomini which was superb. I had a proper meal instead of pizza.
You poor thing you must be sick of pizza. You have taken a lot of photo in Napoli.
In spite of the choas the photos are brilliant.