Napoli

June 10, 2009

When I told my coworker Jake we were stopping in Naples, he had one word of advice: “Don’t.” I gently explained to him that I didn’t think I’d be able to convince an entire cruise ship to skip a port destination, to which he said, “Try.”

Then yesterday one of the cruise activities was a lecture about “10 Tips Pickpockets Use.”

And THEN I settled down last night to read the section about Naples in the Lonely Planet book Lisa gave me. It talked about the organized crime in Naples as well as the petty theft problems. So I was really looking forward to today!

I won’t make you wait until the end. We did not get pick-pocketed, purse-snatched, or brutally murdered today. But I will say it was probably better I went into Naples with those expectations.

We stepped off the boat and were immediately swarmed with Italian taxi drivers who walked along with you instead of letting you walk by. Fighting them off with polite smiles and, “No, grazi”s, we got to our first intersection. We quickly learned that every intersection in Naples is an adventure. There are rarely those helpful things known as traffic lights, and, much like SoCal, drivers seem completely unaware their vehicles come equipped with indicators. Fortunately, I have been jaywalking the majority of my adult life. We bobbed, we weaved, we made clever use of the shield-yourself-with-other-pedestrians technique.

The main thing I had wanted to see was the Duomo Cathedralle di San Gennaro, so we set off in that direction. The city was crowded, noisy, dirty. Most surfaces were covered in posters or graffiti, and the air was thick with exhaust. We watched a fire truck sit in the traffic, lights on and sirens blaring. There was just no place for the other cars to move out of its way. So, a travel tip--do not get caught in a fire in Naples.

As we walked down the streets, I queued into the local style. For girls, tight designer jeans and a tight shirt. For guys, tight designer jeans and a tight shirt. Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, or Armani belts and sunglasses with the logo prominently displayed. The more rhinestones and studs on the outfit, the better. I know what you’re thinking, oh, just like Jersey. To that I would say, yes, you are correct.

We reached the Duomo, and this time my shoulders were appropriately swathed. We walked in through huge, ornate doors and I threw some holy water on each of us, because you never know, it couldn’t hurt. Though St. John’s Cathedral spoiled us, this place was beautiful in its own right. The busts of past popes lined the main aisle and the frescos were lovely. It also had something St. John’s Cathedral didn’t: the head and two congealed vials of blood of a saint. Sure, everyone thought it was weird when Angelina did it, but here the faithful gather three times a year to pray that the blood will liquefy and the city will be saved by their patron saint, St. Januarius. Now I don’t know that the city needs to be saved per se, but it could use a good scrubbing and, as Dean pointed out, maybe a couple of building codes.

From there, we headed over toward the Museo Acheologico Nazionale, a very large and very pink building where Naples houses some impressive Greco-Roman artifacts and art that was found in Pompeii. We attached ourselves to a tour guide giving a talk for a little bit, then went on our own way.

I enjoyed our walk to Piazza Dante even more so than Piazza Dante, I think. We saw some fantastic antique shops on the way, and in Europe, you can really get an antique. Not like in America where we consider Cabbage Patch dolls from the 90’s antiques. Dean had to convince me there was no way we’d be able to fit a little marble-topped end table into our luggage and I wistfully allowed myself to be pulled away. The most interesting thing to me about Piazza Dante was the mass of graffiti on the base of the statue and the lack of graffiti on the statue. This was a trend we’d seen other places as well. Dean and I shared a long discussion as to why. I thought the graffiti-ists must respect the statues if not the pedestals to be art, and would not want to deface the art. Dean thought the city probably just cleaned off the statue and said “eff it” to the pedestal. We’re still not sure who is right. Votes are welcome, provided they agree with my theory.

We continued to walk down Via Toledo with my purse cleverly wedged between us until we reached Castel Nuovo. Originally built in 1280, and then of course re-decorated several time since then, it sits right on the port and used to be the fortress of Alfonso I, King of Sicily and Naples. The triumphal entrance arch is carved white stone, a Renaissance Better Homes and Gardens winner for sure.

From there, we headed back onto the ship. Later in the evening we were soundly trounced in Solar System trivia by a couple of seventh graders. Not gonna lie, it hurt. At one point, the answer was the Seven Sisters constellation. I leaned over to Dean and said, “Hmm, I count eight stars.” The little nerd behind me heard me and said loudly, “That’s because there is a double star!” I really wanted to stick my tongue out at him.

We realized too late that we did not get a piece of pizza in Naples, but Rome is on the itinerary for tomorrow, so I will make sure to get one there.