Naples was sure living up to its reputation - what I had seen so far was dirty, chaotic and intimidating, particularly leaving the central train station. It has been a while since I have experienced such hustle and bustle - perhaps not since I was in Iran - and it was all a little unsettling. Momentarily, I put a guard up that I hadnt used since I was in Latin America. Wow.
Admittedly, my mind was in bit of a muddle at the time, having just put Britta on the airport bus - she wasnt to join me for the in Naples, as she readily admits that sightseeing in a busy city is not really for her. Amid the unrest around me and after the wonderful time we had just had, it was a little to see her go.
So I then did what I had to and went into Bond/Bourne mode in order to navigate myself to my B&B, which was thankfully just a short walk away. I ended up arriving about half an hour before I had agreed to meaning that I had a slightly annoying and nervous wait on the narrow streets of Naples, but once I settled into my room,
This might all sound a little melodramatic - I put it down to not experiencing such for so long, having hardly left the house for two years - but I felt much like I did when I first arrived in New Delhi, afraid to go back outside.
A night and a good nights sleep helped to sort me out though and the next morning, I was ready and excited to embrace the chaos - starting with opening the balcony doors to let in the sights, sounds and smells of Naples, while I enjoyed my breakfast.
I then went into it - and on first impression, it felt like Naples was the densest and most chaotic city in Europe. However, having lived in Germany for the last four years, I felt a little liberated by the Neapolitan approach to following rules and was soon jaywalking without feeling any guilt.
Suddenly, I was really enjoying the realness and grittiness of Naples; every city has its own character and part of Naples is its infectious energy and liveliness. Scooters were buzzing through the alleys, inordinate amounts of
washing were hanging from apartment balconies and buckets were being lowered by strings from the upper levles of buildings to collect deliveries. Walking through a dodgy alley that I am sure had call girls on it however, reminded me that I still needed to have my wits about me to a certain degree.
The aforementioned infectious energy and liveliness was reflected in the first area I explored, the Centro Storico, also known as Spaccanapoli. All manner of shops selling anything and everything reside here, as well as restaurants, gelaterias and places selling tourist tat. Important churches also live here including the massive Basilica di Santa Chiara and the apparently atmospheric Cappella Sansavero; I wasnt keen enough to pay the 8€ entrance fees to enter either though. I did go inside the ethereal Chiesa dei Santi Severini e Sossio though, which was free and had paintings and a ceiling fresco about as fine as I have seen in any church.
Also of interest in the Centro Storico is Via San Gregorio Armeno, a cobblestoned alleyway flanked by shops selling nativity crafts and items. It was tourist central though and for some reason, there seemed to be hundreds of local school
groups being led around at the time. Some of the artwork was impressive and there was many a Maradona statue on display - more about him later...
I then went to the lively food market of Via Pignasecca. Here is where you can perhaps find Neapolitan life at its most authentic, with punters leaning on bars sipping a quick espresso in a caffeteria, fresh fish and seafood on display in all its glory and nonnas perusing the fresh fruit and vegetable stalls for the best tomatoes. It is also where I sampled a cone of fried seafood from Pescheria Azzurra, the most famous fish shop on the street.
Naples is a historic city however and was part of the ancient Greek and Roman Empires.
