| Page Views: 874 Last Visit to Naples: February, 2006 I Used To Live Here | Napoli: the Bay, Vesuvius, and Maradona! by xxgirasolexx - last update: Feb 10, 2006 |
| On the road less travelled |
|  | One day in the life of Napoli... I was one of the lucky few to find myself in Napoli without any preconceived ideas about the place. The first time I visited this city was in 2000 and have continued to visit it at least one time per year. Last year I had the opportunity to live in Napoli for 3 months. Originally, the plan was to move there and work... You know, stay awhile... Anyway, to make a long story short, it didn't work out. The best thing that happened while I was there was that I had the opportunity to spend time getting to know the city. Napoli became like a second home to me. Sometimes I think that I know Napoli better than my own city. For one month I studied at Centro Italiano and learned basic Italian. My teachers were very kind, encouraging, and supportive. If it wasn't for my classmates and my teachers, I don't think I would have stayed quite as long as I did. |
Napoli - Earth and Fire Napoli is a city of constant motion, chaos, and amalgamation…it has a strange pull on the stranieri’s heart and one cannot resist its force for too long. Because I lived outside Napoli, I had the opportunity to ride the train to Montesanto every morning and walk down the street Pignasecca, or something like that. I would arrive early in the morning when the vendors were just starting to unload all their produce. I can remember seeing the vendors arranging fruit, fish, vegetables, and so on. Other shopkeepers would open up their shops by sliding up the metal grating that seemed like a garage door. On and on I would walk, past the man handing out the free city newspaper, past the old men selling books and vintage postcards and antiques, all the way down past the post office, across the busy street and up to the gate of my school. Once I rang the buzzer, the heavy wooden door would be unlocked and I would be allowed inside the courtyard where the aroma from the bakery would tempt my stomach. Up the three flights of stairs until I entered my school.... Napoli is hard to describe because there are so many cultures and traditions that come together here. I have found Neapolitans to be very friendly, outgoing, energetic, and dramatic. However, my friends in Napoli have told me to be careful because they say that like every place, Napoli can also be dangerous. I will never forget the day I went to the market close to the train station with my "tourist friend" from the USA. Upon returning from the market, another friend's mother, born and raised in Napoli, yelled at me so much and told me I had no business going there alone. I remember her saying, "You can't go there ever again without one of the guys. People there will steal from you... Pickpockets... Gypsies... If they see you wearing your diamond ring, they would even cut your finger off for that and I'm NOT joking!" The last time I was in Napoli, I took a taxi from the harbor to my hotel. On the way, the taxi driver told me that he had only been working as a taxi driver for 2 months. He was unsure of all the streets in Napoli, but he wanted me to know that some of them are scary places to be at night or when you are alone. He continually warned me to be careful because he didn't want to find out that anything bad had happened to me. See! Not everyone in Napoli has evil motives! So...people in Napoli know about their reputation and they don't try to hide it... Just they ask that you come with an open mind and an open heart and accept their city for what it is. Not everyone will love it, but they don't ask that... Just they ask that you try it, kind of like that slice of pizza with the eggplant.... | | |
| | Did I learn anything? If I knew then what I know now, I have to be honest and say that I don't think I would change anything. The three months were some of the best and worst times of my entire life and I learned lessons that will stay with me forever.
Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted, one moment, would you capture it or just let it slip? -Eminem |
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| Pros: | "Pizza EVERY day!" | | Cons: | "Pizza EVERY day!" | | In A Nutshell: | "Napoli's reputation is a result of fear, but the food, friendships, sea, and sunshine make it all worthwhile." |
xxgirasolexx's Naples Travel Tips
 Comments for xxgirasolexx about Naples | | | | |
Maurizioago Thu Jan 8, 2009 09:31 UTC
I have to re visit Napoli soon. Ciao! | cachaseiro Mon Mar 5, 2007 10:21 UTC
nice tips and photos from the town in italy i want to visit the most. | arasnosliw Thu Oct 20, 2005 04:23 UTC
allora....sigh, dreaming, memories....Will write you back soon!! Been so busy that I can't breathe. How are you?! | vincenzo_gaziano Sun Jul 17, 2005 09:19 UTC
yeah !! great site and great song from the lunapop ciao ciao |
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