Bella Napoli

Naples is one the most beautiful cities in the world but not exactly laid out for tourism. Still - if you come here to relax, you should take day trips to the islands in the gulf of Naples - Capri, Ischia, and Procida. The water is crystal clear, the restaurants are excellent and the islands themselves are just beautiful.

Quick Tips:

You should learn some Italian before you come here because most people won't understand any other language. Plus: The better your Italian is the better you will be treated and the less people will try to make you pay double when you buy things, take cabs etc.

Best Way To Get Around:

Public transportation is OK in the inner city but not recommended for long distances. There are buses and subways, but you will wait a very long time for them and they will be very crowded. If you come to Naples in your own car, make sure that you still have it when you leave - if you know what I mean... Besides: People in Naples drive very fast and don't respect red lights. If you take a cab, make sure that you have an idea about how much you will be charged for the trip - just to avoid surprises.

Some of you will know that Pizza was actually invented in Naples. Well, even if you're bored by Pizza by now: Trust me - you never had one before you eat one at the Trianon. Napolitans know that it's the best one there is. You should have the simple Margherita (tastes nothing like the many others you might have eaten anywhere else in the world) or Pizza with Frigiarille and Italian sausage. The atmosphere in the place is very Napolitan. It's a Pizza experience you will never forget.

Beware of that word! The Spanish Quarter is one of the cores of the old Naples and it's a dangerous place for tourists. Beautiful as it is and harmless as it might seem to you, walking around there could cost you more than just your watch. Even Neapolitans avoid it and get mugged there on a regular basis - imagine a tourist who doesn't speak the language! Many people who live here are rather poor and they won't like it very much if people drop by to check out their standard of living.

Don't carry watches, gold chains etc. openly, even if you're in a place where you feel relatively save. Young Neapolitan gangsters have perfected a style of mugging they call 'chippo:' They'll drive by on a motorbike at high speed. Two people will be sitting on the motorbike: One to drive it and the other one to snatch your handbag or any other item they might feel like owning themselves. If you see two people on a motorbike with walkie-talkies they're either chippos or anti-chippos: Plain-clothes policemen that will ram the chippos if they see them or give you lots of trouble if you cross a red light right in front of them. Don't let it discourage you. If you're reasonable and don't show off all your diamonds, you'll be OK.

Going out in Naples is a genuinely southern Italian experience. People go out in their 'commitivas' - large groups of friends. And they usually go out to eat. You won't find a real nightclub scene in Naples. The food is usually excellent wherever you go. People sit together and drink a glass of wine. But there are no pubs where you can get loaded and almost no dancing places. If and when Neapolitans go dancing they drive for an hour until they get to a mutation of a danceclub that is four floors high and far outside the city. In spite of all this - Neapolitans are so busy at night looking for good places to eat that the city can be completely gridlocked at 11 pm!