Naples or Napoli is one of Italy’s southern cities and well known for its pizza. My experience in Naples proved to be an experience that was “more than meets the eyes”. When I first saw Naples, skyscrapers lined the city skyline. Coming from Rome, where skyscrapers don’t exist, seeing them surprised me. My image of Europe has been mainly been shaped by time in Rome. What I see there is what I expect to see in other Italian cities. But in Naples, I was stunned to find both the new and modern city with skyscrapers and tall, glassy buildings, while still walking past ancient castles on cobblestone streets.
Before coming to Naples, I was lucky enough to hear from Alex Valentino, a resident of Naples. He came and discussed with our class on the rich history and his experiences there. One issue that he made sure to mention was the problem with trash that Naples has been dealing with. Since it is one of the most densely populated cities in Italy with 4 million people and with little wasteland, there is nowhere to dispose of the garbage that the residents produce. Alex made sure to let us know that seeing trash on the streets wasn’t just a common occurrence; it was a permanent resident of Naples’ streets. As soon as we arrived, I started to notice the garbage everywhere! Streets were littered with cigarette butts and scraps of paper, dumpsters overflowed with bags of trash, and cardboard boxes were piled high. Trash was everywhere! Even walking by street merchants I noticed a sense of “trash” with their merchandise. It was like walking through a yard sale. Old toys and books covered the blankets used to display their goods. There were countless knickknacks and trinkets for sale there. It literally looked like the stuff that collects in a junk drawer; the stuff no one really wants or needs. Between the trash lining the streets and the collection of street merchandise it is apparent that there is no solution to this current problem in Naples.
One of the things we’ve studied in class was the divide between north and south Italy. Naples is considered to be part of the south. In some of the readings we’ve had, people describe Naples as not even being apart of Italy. Many from the north view people from the south as outsiders. There were also a lot more immigrants it seemed like in Naples that in other places. This might another reason why northern Italians view the south as “other”. In Clash of Civilizations in an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio, we heard the perspective of one of the residents who shared their opinions about people from Naples. They looked down on people who came from the south and didn’t consider them Italian at all. Getting to go to Naples, I was able to see the difference between North and South Italy.
Another aspect of Naples that I noticed were the two faces of the city. After exiting the train station, the main road was lined with beautiful buildings. Tall buildings with rows of matching, shuttered windows bordered the streets. The beauty of it was breathtaking. But behind the splendor of the main street was the dirty, darker side of Naples. As soon as we took a turn off the main road, the buildings got dimmer and clotheslines hung over our heads. No longer were the streets wide and sunny, but narrow and smelly, due to all the dog droppings everywhere. Also, graffiti covered almost every open inch of wall or door space. But the graffiti here was different that the ones I’m used to seeing at home in Seattle. In Naples it was a mix of powerful messages and beautiful artwork blended in with the usual sayings I’ve seen before. Even the graffiti was two sided; works of beauty and vandalism. How could a city so beautiful be so dirty and ugly at the same time? Even now I wonder what the people of Naples think of their double-sided city. Many times graffiti is associated with youth, I wonder if the youth in Naples are creating the graffiti there too? Do people support what the youth have done (if they are the ones creating graffiti)? It seemed to me that at first glance, Naples was a beautiful city, but as we traveled farther, I saw a different side and started to question the place of youth in Naples society.
My experience in Naples was one I’ll never forget. I never would have traveled down there if not for the class trip. I’m glad I had the opportunity to go. Although the city may not been exactly as I imagined, the beauty of it shone through the dirt and garbage. Naples opened my eyes to a different part of Italy. It showed me how you can have harmony between an old and new city.
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