I spent lunch time with a Professor at the school in Naples, along with two students from Germany who have been studying here for a long time. I learned some interesting things about Naples.

She mentioned that Naples is the second most visited city in Italy, after Rome. I said there is no way that is possible. It's Rome, Venice, Florence, and according to some surveys, Venice sometimes even beats out Rome for first place. The three of them looked at me as if I am completely out of touch. They said, "That's not what the mayor says, that's not what the newspaper says, that's not what the statistics show." They went on to explain why Naples has become so popular with tourists, and why the number of visitors has skyrocketed. It went up 16% just last year.

We had a vigorous discussion, using our laptops to do internet searches to make our respective cases. It is true. A graph of the number of visitors to Naples basically is an arrow shooting straight upward. This is hidden to most readers of english media.

First, the Professor discounted the 42 million people who visit Venice each year. She said, "You can't count them as visitors to Venice. The average length of stay of someone visiting Venice is something like 12 hours. Half of them are people who get off of a cruise ship, cram themselves into Piazza San Marco, do the walk along the narrow streets to the Rialto Bridge, then head back to the cruise ship. They didn't visit Venice." With that, I had to agree.

Then, she told me to stop doing google searches in english, to do it in italian, because who and what constitutes a tourist is different, according to your point of view. For example, after Rome, the most visited city is Milan. I said, "That cannot be, nobody goes to Milan. It's an industrial, traffic burdened, urban disaster zone. Outside of the opera, the Duomo, and one famous painting, there's not very much."

Then I learned that the number of tourists is counted not only by how long you stay, as in Venice, where most people say they "did Venice," but don't stay in Venice, the number of tourists is also counted as in Italian tourists, and foreign tourists. 56% of the people counted as tourists visiting Milan are Italians on a business trip. The other 44% are foreigners, almost all of whom are on a business trip. Nevertheless, by the numbers, Milan is #2 in tourism because of business travel, although few people go there for purposes of actual tourism.

It gets really complicated when you exclude, for example, day trippers to Venice from a cruise ship. It gets complicated when you have to decide if a Roman visiting Venice is a tourist.

Going by what is the Italian view, at least as held by my Professor friend, she considers herself a tourist when she visits other cities, and hopes to some day visit Venice. It's not any different from somebody living in Austin who visits Boston. When in Boston, they count as a tourist. If you just pass through for less than a day, it doesn't count, as in people who see (but don't visit) Venice from a cruise line.

These are the official numbers of the cities most visited by tourists, as counted by Italian sources, governmental, media, etc.

Number one is Rome, and that will not ever change.

Number two is a toss up between Milan and Venice, with the numbers of Milan being somewhat inflated by the World's Fair they had last year.

In fourth place, of all places, is Pisa, for the leaning tower, and its Piazza dei Miracoli.

In fifth place is Naples, sixth is Palermo, seventh is Catania in Sicily.

Eight is Florence. Tenth is Alghero. Eleventh is Verona. Twelfth is Bari and Cagliari. Fourteenth is Torino. Fifteenth is Genoa, sixteenth is Trapani in Sicily.

Then comes Brindisi, Olbia, Lamezia Terme, and in 20th place, Trieste. The problem is, we only think of tourists from the USA, not from other countries.

Quite a different viewpoint than what one gets from the USA, where the only places that seem to exist are Rome, Venice, and Florence! The professor told me that the launch of Naples pretty much started 5-6 years ago, and showed me some impressive graphs.

I was very surprised by what I learned, so I did some, "field research." I went for a very long walk in very diverse neighborhoods, and would ask the bartenders and patrons, "Has this city changed in the last five years or so?" They'd practically choke on their coffee, saying the changes have been unbelievable.

Knowing that there could be some local pride coloring their responses, I asked if it is a popular destination for tourists. The responses I'll generally summarize as, "Of course, in the last five years we've become number one, because people don't just come here for a day. We are one of the oldest cities in the world, and our historic center is intact. In Rome, Venice, Florence, the locals don't go to the historic center to eat, because the food is tourist junk. Don't think you are going to see a Florentine eating in the historic center of Florence. In other cities, you have to leave the historic center to eat. In Naples, when we want to eat, we go to the historic center. There is no touristic food in the historic center. On the Lungomare (waterfront), that is where the tourists eat their overpriced, junk food. Unlike any other major city, when we want to eat, we go to the historic center because it remains authentic. Five to ten years ago, we had problems with garbage and crime. Now, that is all controlled (I asked if really, you can walk from the downtown historic center to Via Toledo at midnight by yourself, something most people wouldn't be comfortable with, and they looked at me askance, even young woman behind a bar, told me they don't have any problem with that, because people and police are everywhere, it's no longer deserted.). Why would anyone want to visit another city? We have the most beautiful view of Vesuvius, we have the best museum after Uffizi and the Vatican, except ours you can walk into and see the same quality of work and be by yourself, not in a crowd of 1000 trying to take a photo over someone's shoulder. In a short ride you can visit any number of cities with ancient Greek ruins, we have more ancient Greek ruins than Greece has. We have Pompeii and Ercolano. We have the Sorrentine Coast. We have the indescribably Amalfi Coast, heaven on earth. We have three islands to visit, Capri, Procida, Ischia. And of course, nobody doubts our food."

That is what I was bombarded with. They went on to explain the this is why Naples doesn't have day trippers, or even two day trippers. There is so much to do in this part of Italy, that you need a week.

After a while, they started to sound like Venetians, complaining about how many tourists. They said that over Christmas season, there wasn't even one available hotel room in the city. The streets were so crowded, you couldn't even walk.

Finally, I asked during my, "field research," where are all of these tourists coming from? The response was mostly France, because here there is no worry of going to a tourist destination that would be targeted for terrorism, which the French consider very strongly in their plans, and also English, but a lot from Asia, especially Chinese and Japanese. I asked about Americans. A few said, "Yes, we are starting to see people from the USA too." Except when I asked people on the touristy Lungomare, where they said yes, the prevailing opinion was "No, the explosion of tourists has not included Americans. They are laboring under fear and false impressions."

In my opinion, I've been coming here every year for a while here. I've never lived here for longer than one summer. I think the changes that I see are amazing. It is a different city. I'll add that a visit to Naples and visiting Pompeii is now the second most popular tourist thing to do in Italy from a world perspective, second only to going to Rome and visiting the Colosseo.

A lot of good stuff in that post, Perche. Here's my two cents on a couple of the points:

Italians seem to have a smaller "range" than Americans. There are plenty of Romans that have never seen Venice. Probably, percentage-wise, more than New Yorkers that have never been to DC, to compare trips of similar distance. As they say, to us, 400 years is a long time. To them, 400 miles is a long distance.

This surprises me a little. Business and leisure travelers are very different market segments. I'd count 'em separately, but I'm not running things!

I'm a little less surprised on this one. I grew up in/around Philadelphia and the Italian community there has a large portion from Naples. Recent immigrants and 1st generation. Based on the people I grew up with, I'd say Rome and Naples were the top two most visited, and many of them really never went north of Rome. But again, there's a little bias in there built into the makeup of that community. It probably shifts a bit when you get into more distant or non-Italian lineage in the US.

It really is amazing, because the changes in Naples crept up on me little by little by little, so I didn't notice them. Six year ago, staying in the historic center, I was traveling with someone who wouldn't even go out at night. It was dark and spooky looking. It still is that way, but is thriving with people.

Via Toledo is the main street, a little outside the historic center. It was decent then. I wouldn't say it is like Union Square in SF, or Fifth Avenue in NYC, but it's pretty darn nice, full of very smartly dressed people wearing stunning, fashionable eyeglasses, walking down the street.

I didn't mention in my previous post that the woman I had lunch with yesterday, along with her students, mentioned that among other things I should notice, was the Via Toledo train station. They said it is the prettiest train station in all of Europe, by most accounts. They weren't referring to Garibaldi, the equivalent of Roma Termini, just the local Metro stop in downtown Naples.

I blew that one off. How can that be? Naples having the most beautiful train stop in all of Europe? I didn't believe it.

Last night I noticed next door to my hotel, the Marriot Mediterraneo, a small store that said, "Vino Sfuso." Vino Sfuso is an interesting thing. You see it a lot in Venice. A way to describe it would be a store for home made wine. Somebody makes it and brings it to their small shop, in jugs. You go there with an empty plastic one liter coca cola or pellegrini water bottle, or similar container, and they pull it out of the jug, fill your container, and you go home. It's how locals economically buy their wine.

Places of Vino Sfuso are not a bar, and they don't sell by the glass, but they will give you some in a paper cup if you ask. The main thing about them is that these are frequented by locals, who know the ins and outs of the city.

So I stopped in and had a glass, and started chatting with my question, "Has Naples changed much in the last 5-6 years?" I got an earful, with them telling me to just go up the street to, "the train stop at Via Toledo." They kept saying it's been voted the most beautiful in all of Europe, and is like visiting a museum.

The one thing I forced myself to do today was to go there. I don't know if it is the most beautiful local train stop in Europe, but it has chandeliers, beautiful pictures, extravagant mosaics, gorgeous lighting. Comparing this local train stop to, for example, to the train stop at Times Square or the Embarcadero in San Francisco isn't even fair. I was saying to myself, "This is Naples?" Five years ago, I would never had considered taking the local train.

Finally, the south really is very different. It's hard to get to know northerners. It takes a while. At the vino sfuso place I entered with a small bag with a sweater I had just purchased. I told the lady at the Vino Sfuso that I wanted to take a liter back with me to the hotel (Vino Sfuso places sell empty one liter coca cola bottles for 5 cents.) I asked her if there was a way to hide it because the Marriott has an incredible roof top balcony with views to die for, but it does not have a bar service. I've been watching sunsets from there, and there are signs all over saying, "no outside food or beverage." You have to call room service and pay 10 euros for a glass to enjoy watching the sunset. I told her I'd have to sneak in the bottle of Vino Sfuso, and asked if she had a black, non-transparent bag for me to hide it in. I said that I was tired of paying 10 euros for a night cap glass of wine, because there is nowhere in Naples where you pay more than 2.5-3.5 euros for a glass of wine. A good bottle in a restaurant is less than 10 euros here.

Another lady in the store, who was there visiting her friend the owner overheard and said, "What, they won't let you walk in with wine you bought? That's ridiculous!" The lady behind the counter gave me the bottle of vino sfuso, and hid it under the sweater in my bag. The second lady, the one who said it's ridiculous asked, "They won't even let you bring in your own bottle of water? I said no, that's what the signs say. I am absolutely positive that this lady was not drinking any wine. She was just visiting her friend, the owner.

She said, "Let's go," and grabbed a bottle of sparkling water out of the cooler, and walked with me next door into the lobby of the Marriott, twisted off the cap, and started chugging down the water right in front of the check-in desk. Then, she went and ostentatiously chugged the outside water in front of security, the bellman, and even at the lobby bar. Then told me, "Don't let anybody tell you what you can and cannot do with your own money," and then she left. This lady I know, did not have one drop of liquor in her. She was just there visiting her friend. Naples is kind of crazy still.

So I guess I haven't asked before, but being from the San Francisco area, what's the makeup of your Italian community there? I know there are plenty, but do they tend to be from certain parts of Italy and are they recent or more distant generations?

Vino sfuso is great. A taxi driver in Florence turned me on to that whole concept. He was telling me about his upcoming weekend plans, that they were going to get wine, and that I probably had no idea what he was talking about. So he started to explain vino sfuso (I think he had a local term for it as well, can't remember). Something tells me the State of Maine would not like me filling people's jugs with my homemade wine, but man that'd be awesome to get going here.

If this came from anyone else, they'd have to convince me those pictures were from Naples. I haven't visited there in way too long, it seems. Maybe next year, as we're planning to stay in the south.

Fully agree.

From all cities I've visited in 62 countries (and there must be a few hundreds) or lived in for periods longer than one month (12) Napule is my 2nd favourite one (Rome is #1). Unfortunately my last time was 4 years ago. This thread tells me it's about time I go visit my good friends over there.

Just registered so I can chime in and enthusiastically say that Naples is back! I have been twice in the past year (my sister lives in Posillipo), and have already scheduled two more trips.

My wife is from Cassino (midway between Naples and Rome), and she has relatives who have never been to Naples because they grew up hearing the stories. They are shocked that (1) my sister lives there and hasn't been murdered yet, and (2) that my wife and I almost prefer it to Cassino. I can relate to their sentiments, because I grew up near Detroit, and have friends that still won't go "downtown," despite the incredible turnaround that city has undergone.

Also, just a note about Italian-Americans - 80% of them are from the Sud, which is a pretty incredible statistic. That's why, when you talk about Italian-American foods, they are mostly southern Italian dishes, (then watered down for American pallettes.) That's also why, as PWMTrav noted, when Italians go back to visit family, they go back to the South. I know a couple Italians from Philly, and they are from Naples too! In Detroit, we have a lot of Laziale, Abbruzzese, and Siciliani. And, it's why, when we think of Italians, we think big warm families that are loud and talk to anyone. Those are Southern traits.

We spent winter vacation 2015 traveling from Naples to L'Aquila to see family, then to Florence for Christmas, then back South to Cassino to see family, and then spent New Year's in Naples (an absolute Bucket List item, btw), and relatives were shocked, SHOCKED I tell you, that we drove that entire distance in a 15 day period.

So, in sum, Naples is a great city.

Welcome to FlyerTalk, RobrBaron. Isn't it strange that most Italian Americans have roots in the south, but won't venture anywhere below Rome?

What an amazing thread.

I consider Naples one of the most underrated cities not only in Italy, but in the world.
It is nowhere close the level of tourism (quantity and quality) it deserves, and I kept thinking this from a double vantage point: not living in Naples itself but close enough, and having 95 countries visited behing me and counting.

The city is overwelming, slowly captivating, definitely flavourful. I'd say charismatic.

It's Italy and its stereotypes on steroids, love it or hate it.

My idea is the pedestrianization of Lungomare di via Partenope and via Caracciolo was a game changer: visitors were given a safe, livable and panoramic part of the city to hang and leisurely stroll. And this is what a tourist want.
The airport is growing at a steady pace, destinations increase and the incoming Ryanair operations from March will likely perform another shift forward.

The direct connection with the metro from airport to city center, railway stations (Centrale and Garibaldi) and port on the same line will be another kick, once ready.

Additionally Naples is incredibly inexpensive, even for extra Europe standards.
Basic salaries are so low that the official and unofficial economy had to cope with it.

I'm not sure the average tourist stays in Naples more than Venice or Milan. The city has tons of cruise ships and most of them anchor in the harbor not even a full day, and mostly in summer.

Recently the popular RAI science and history TV program "Ulisse: il piacere della scoperta", aired an episode dedicated to Naples.
It's worth watching, though is only in Italian. A vpn is necessary from abroad:

http://www.raiplay.it/video/2016/11/...a8ba57c46.html

I've always wanted to check out Napoli, but I have never managed to do so. This thread has only intensified my interest!

I, too, have heard the stories about Napoli. I couldn't ever decide if those stories were true, it's just what "they" say about Napoli or something in between. Why, it was only in the last year that I read headlines about bus service being curtailed earlier in the evening for fear of the drivers' safety! Among my Roman colleagues, there is one from Napoli, and they constantly make fun of her for it! (You see, the reason you don't understand her, iapetus, is that she speaks napolitano, not italiano.) But, knowing her, I am only more encouraged to visit.

Now to find the time to actually do it ...

San Francisco is a little different. Many people think that Italian immigration was mainly to east coast cities, establishing "Little Italies" in NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Providence, etc.

Originally, Italian immigration to CA exceeded that to all east coast cities, combined. It's hard to pinpoint why mass immigration occurs, but it's usually due to some local upheaval.

What seems most likely is that the massive immigration of the 1850's was stimulated by the Revolutionary War (Il Risorgimento) that founded the country of Italy in 1861. The struggle to establish the country began around 1814, so it was a long struggle. During that 1850's a lot of people emigrated to the USA from Liguria and Lombardy, although it It couldn't be said that they emigrated from Italy, because Italy didn't exist yet.

They didn't come from Venice, because even after Italy became a country in 1861, Venice was a part of Austria at that time. Venice didn't become a part of Italy until Italy agreed to support Austria during the Austro-Prussian War, and Austria gave Venice to Italy as part of the deal. Even when Italy was established by the victory of General Garibaldi, and they chose a King (Vittorio Emmanuele), they still hadn't conquered Rome yet, and and had to make Torino the Capital.

After a couple of months they decided Rome should be the Capital, and Garibaldi went ahead and conquered it and made it so.

Those early 1850's era immigrants to California had a huge effect on the USA of today. For example, one of them started the Bank of America, still one of the largest banks today. Someone named Gallo wrote back to his hometown in Italy that the rolling hills, the sunlight, the moisture, the soil, the mild climate was just like home, perfect for making wine. As a result, a massive emigration of Italians from that region occurred, and they established wine making in the Napa Valley.

The same happened with olive oil. People wrote back home that northern CA is perfect for olive oil production. To this day, California olive oil is usually better than olive oil made in Italy. The number of contributions to American culture in all spheres of life from the original Italian emigration to California cannot be overstated.

After the founding of Italy, for some reason, the government became very vindictive against the South, Naples in particular. They levied usurious taxes that drove the South including Sicily, into extreme poverty to the point of starvation. That started the second wave of emigration.

By 1890 the number of Italians living in east coast Little Italies equaled the number of Italians in California. The southern immigration ended with World War 1, when transatlantic passenger travel pretty much stopped.

Italian, emigrated afterward, but not to the USA in large numbers, due to quotas. That is why most Italian-Americans are 4-6 generations removed from Italy.

Italians still continue to emigrate. The city with the most Italian citizens is Rome. Within the last decade 600,000 young Italians have moved to England, which people joke about by saying that London is one of Italy's largest cities.

In San Francisco many Italians in the tech industry started arriving in the last 10 years from everywhere in Italy, not from any particular region. There is a very robust community of native Italians, not just a historic, "Little Italy."

An interesting side effect is what has happened to spouses. Almost all who've come are men, bringing with them wives with incredible education and experience. Many have a PhD in architecture, engineering, history, whatever. I know of one who was a Professor at the Sorbonne in Paris, a PhD in linguistics, and on the side she modeled for Vogue, and other top magazines. I know a few PhD wives who were engineers who helped design major buildings, who are now just giving Italian lessons, while their husbands work in Silicon Valley. Most of are working at routine jobs in SF that they are way over-qualified for.

So, the answer to your question is, when you meet an Italian in SF, you can't expect a tendency for them to come from a specific region. There are the ones of long ago Italian descent, but also a continuing new wave of native Italians.

Forrest Bump, I learned a lot from your comment! Naples is not for everybody; you will either love it or hate it. Most people looking for a very authentic Italian experience are going to love it. Even now, bringing up Naples in casual conversation with people in Rome, they remark about how much things have changed there.

With all change, there is the good, and the bad. I posted the pictures of the Metro Station that they consider to be the most beautiful in all of Europe. The downside? When you take the elevator up from that train station at Via Toledo there is a Disneyland Store! It's like when you cross the Rialto Bridge in Venice and walk around the first corner to the right, there is a Disneyland Store.

Still, Naples remains very authentic. The historic center has really changed in safety and popularity. Walking there after midnight a few years ago you'd have to walk along dark, narrow streets, with buildings covered by graffiti (they still are), by a few groups of rowdy teenagers hanging out. Walking around the historic center would only be for the intrepid traveler. Finding a cab was impossible.

Last Friday I went to a concert at the Teatro San Carlo that ended at 10:30 PM. I took a cab to the historic center to get pizza at Sorbillo, figuring that the usual immense crowd waiting to get in might not be too bad at that time. The street was packed. Getting in was like trying to get into a fancy club in NYC or Los Angeles reserved for only A-list celebrities. You had to get through a, “door guy.” The door guy would not say how long the wait was, because it was entirely capricious. I asked him if it would be 15 minutes, two hours, or impossible. He said he didn’t know.

I had to wait until after midnight, and even then, only with polite persistence with the door guy, was I able to get in. As he was letting me in he said, “See, I called you, didn’t I?”

KLouis once commented that the only thing you need to know about Naples and pizza is Sorbillo, and I agreed. That has been the place to go, in my opinion. Not too long ago there was a suspicious fire there, and it was closed, and then remodeled, so inside it’s completely different. Unfortunately, the menu has also changed.

I read in a NYC paper that a hotel had a $1,000 martini that comes with a pearl in it. I also read about a NYC pizza that costs $1,500, made with gold. Apparently, there is a type of gold that is edible and not harmful, and they sprinkle it on the pizza.

Sorbillo used to be a very popular neighborhood pizzeria, but has turned into a bit of a spectacle. It actually has a pizza that costs 8,500,000 euros! The proof is pictured below. They also have lots of themed pizzas, like the “Amnesty International Pizza,” etc.

Gone are some of the simpler pizzas shown on a paper menu. Now there is a laminated menu with dozens of pizzas, but they no longer have the simple Sicilian one with anchovies. They have a few tables, but it’s pretty much all shared, benched seating. I guess you can get a table if you order the $8.5 million euro pizza (Pizza piu' costosa...). Most of the pizze, however, are 6-7 euros. There is even one with three question marks for a price, asking you to leave what you think is right. BTW, the pizza was fantastic, and worth the wait.

When I left it was nearly 1 AM. The streets were packed with people out having a good time. No drunken rowdiness, just a polite, sharply dressed crowd enjoying what to them was still early evening. After wandering around and enjoying it I wanted to take a taxi to my hotel, and asked where I could find one. They directed me to Piazza Dante, a few blocks away, where there were dozens of waiting taxis. The pictures below were all taken after 1 AM. This was so different from the lonely place it was just a few years ago.

There have been so many positive changes. Certainly around the Lungomare, at any hour of the day or night, you are safer there than almost any place else on the planet. You mentioned low-cost air carriers. While in Naples several people mentioned that to me as well. One mentioned that she had recently flown to Paris for a weekend for 28 euros. Another told me that she was going to Prague for the weekend for 60 euros. I mentioned that I’m loyal to a particular airline and she laughed and told me that it’s crazy to pay 260 euros for a two-hour flight when you can pay 60 euros, even if the plane is not so nice. While I’ve not traveled on a low cost carrier, it seemed as if they have been a great benefit to the people of Naples.

One thing hasn’t changed, unfortunately. I find the taxi drivers in Italy, particularly in Rome, to be very honest. In Naples, perhaps not. I took three of them from the street and didn’t have a problem. On my last day, leaving the Marriott hotel, the lady at the front desk asked where I was going. I told her to Napoli Centrale, the main train station. She told me that the taxi to there is a fixed rate of 11 euros, then called the bellman over. She told the bellman to tell the taxi driver to give me the fixed 11 euro rate.

Before I let the cab driver put my bag in the trunk I said to him in Italian, “11 euros, right?” He said, “No, 13.” I said the front desk just told me it’s 11. The bellman also chimed in and said the front desk said it’s 11. The bellman was an older gentleman, who didn’t seem to want to confront a young, fairly aggressive cab driver. The cab driver said, “It’s 13 because today is a holiday,” while continuing to tell me not to worry, to get into the cab. I said OK, but I’m only paying 11.

I can see how this could be annoying. Two euros isn’t going to break the bank, but once in the cab I told the driver that I’m only paying 11, because that’s what the front desk said it would cost. He said she was wrong because it’s a higher price on Sunday. Then I noticed a laminated card hanging from the seat that listed the prices, and it said that the fare was 11 euros, even on Sunday. I told him his own taxi had a sign that said the price is 11 euros, and that’s all I’m paying.

He started sort of pleading poverty, and telling me how hard his life is as a taxi driver, and said, “Don’t worry about the price, when we get there, just buy me a coffee.”

Then he got on the cell phone and was complaining about me to somebody, in Napolitano. Napolitano and Italian are two different languages. If a Napolitano doesn’t want you to understand what they are saying, you will not understand. It’s even hard to understand a Napolitano when they speak to you in Italian. All I could get the sense of was that he was complaining to someone about the suffering I was causing him by insisting on only paying 11 euros.

Then he asked me where I’m from. No English had been spoken, between bellman, taxi driver, and me. When I told him I’m from California he looked stunned, and started telling me how much he pities me!

When we got to the train station, after my bags were out, I gave him 11.7 euros, with the 70 cents being the price of a cup of coffee, thus breaking the rule that you don’t tip taxi drivers in Italy.

The blurry part of the last picture is two people weaving through the crowd on a Vespa.

Nothing to do with Naples but, rather, with Napolitan pizza outside of Naples. I was in Perugia a week ago. This is Roman pizza territory, the kind with the thin dough. Since most of my friends were busy, I decided to have a pizza at the only pizzeria I personally know in town that makes the real Napolitan pizza, sort of like the one shown in Perche's picture. I went at 7:30 pm (was bored alone in my hotel), and I found myself being the only one there. I enjoyed both my food and my wine and when I went to the front to pay, I all of a sudden realized that half of the city was sitting there while the other half was standing and waiting to take home pizza(s).

Well, I find it amazing how many supporters Napolitan pizza has outside the mezzogiorno, while you'd never get a Napolitan agree to eat the Roman variety. Of course, given my own taste, I find this... normal.

i belong to the crowd of French people loving Italy, having been in Napoli and trying to see all the wonders this country has to offer. Been in Napoli 3 years ago and can only approve that Napoli is very much underrated, and has actually a lot to offer. Ok , it is not Rome but very much worth crossing the atlantic or eurasia.
I will always remember Napoli (beyond all what said before) for one reason. This is here where i have seen the most impressive sculpture of my life (with the Michelangelo s David in Firenze) : the veiled christ in the Cappella Sansevero
http://www.madeinsouthitalytoday.com...-sansevero.php
The magnificence is unique ,the level of maestria it required to sculpt it was so impressive
Do not miss it!

i have to agree with that. The Veiled Christ is one of the artistic wonders of the world. The only work of art that moves me as much is the Piet� in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. If the Veiled Christ was in Rome or Florence, it would be known around the world, and there would be long lines. You can't take your eyes off of it because you can't believe it could be possible to make something so beautiful and obviously full of love.

+1000 ^^^

The most stunning sculpture I have ever seen. How on earth did he make it?

PS For medics, biologists and people liking weird stuff, after seeing the Christo velato, go to the next room and look at the dream of a surgeon. Now, again, how did he make it?