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For the Love of Napoli

by Caroline Franklin
(USA)

Naples

I can not tell you how much I loved Napoli. My sister and I stayed there for a week, we stayed right in a apartment on Via Del Tribunalli in the middle of everything in the historical center.

To us Napoli was beautiful so full of history, and yet so misunderstood. There is so so much to see there besides her poverty and the poverty is not her choice but her government has abandoned her and her people. They cant help themselves because they are so poor and don't have the tourism that the North, Rome, and the Amalfi coast gets, thanks to so much bad press.

Santa di Chira and the Museo Cappeella are unreal, San Gennaro (which we got to see the feast of),The Duomo, San Gennaro Catacombs, Capododimonte Museum, Cimitero delle Fontanelle, so beautiful,

The waterfront Castel Nuovo, Galleria Umberto, which is being fixed but it had to take a child to die for them to do it - so sad, the Palace which is starting to be fixed too. Pizza del Plebiscito under a little construction as well. The shopping everywhere: Via Pignasessa the real Napoli shopping, and the fancy places too. The fountain of the Giants, the walk along the waterfront. I can go on and on we saw it all and filmed and took pictures of everything.

I being a American Italian and raised in an Italian neighborhood of Brooklyn back in the sixties this to me was a flash back.

We loved it our families are from Napoli, Palma Campania, and Sorrento. We went there too and to Positano the second week. I drive so we had a car for everything and we could explore.

We always take apartments so we can cook a little, being we eat only Italian and can't pass up the fresh veggies and fish.

I am not afraid to drive the mountains or the tiny streets or in the city. lol.

I love all of Italy we will be going to your Venice next year, our first week to the North but we will return to the SOUTH the second week we just love it and the people. And I pray that in two years when My sister retires to come and spend two months a year in the country.

Napoli is real it's Italy too, she is a part of this country and to Italian Americans she is our heritage because so many of our families came from the south. So the connection is there for me - very much so.

I hope your country gives this city some help and I hope you do go to see her again and close your eyes to her poverty and open it to her history because she is not going away, she is part of your country, and so are her people who are warm happy and of course loud.

GOD BLESS YOU and yours, I will return to Italy she is in my blood forever, and friendly just like me I AM NEAPOLITANO forever. CAROLINE

Maria's reply: I loved reading your passionate and fiery defense of Naples. It's easy to tell that you have Neapolitan blood flowing through your veins :-)

Although I have never liked Naples very much you have inspired me to give the city another chance and I hope to visit again next summer.

I must admit that in many ways Naples is the city that is the most "Italian" of all. It is the Italy that most foreigners think of as being "typically" Italian and as you say it is loud, brash and passionate. It is hard to ignore and perhaps I've been wrong to try.

To rekindle a few memories or to get an idea of what the city is like if you've never visited have a look at this beautiful gallery.