Naples - The Art of Getting By
Naples, Italy is not a common stop on a tour of Italy unless you’re passing through on your way to the Amalfi Coast. Most opinions of Naples are negative. You will be warned of pick pockets. You will be advised not to take local transportation. You will be told to watch out for out of control drivers. The city is over run with trash and graffiti. The descriptions won’t necessarily be untrue.
For the negative first impressions, you will also find just as many positive. One thing the Italians can agree on is, you won’t eat as good anywhere else as in Naples. Naturally, the home of the creation of pizza, you can even say it’s a culinary heaven on earth. The home of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples, world class seafood and San Marzano tomatoes are abundant.
What is that j’e ne sais quoi that gives Naples character? Certainly it’s the people but we wonder how this chaotic city can produce such beauty, such cuisine, and such history? That’s because the natives know that in order to be a true Neopolitan it is to live in the moment and they certainly know how to live. Southern Italy is notoriously bureaucratic and Southern Italians always had to be creative in getting ahead. As a matter of fact, they even have a name. Arrangiarsi. The meaning is definitively Italian. The literal definition is “to arrange oneself” however it is applied to the art of getting by. The Neopolitans probably invented it but surely perfected it.
Have you ever traveled on a bus or cab in Naples? Watching a driver squeeze through an extremely narrow road or a handsome waiter compliment you and insist trying their home made sfogliatella only to convince to purchase a dozen is all part of the art of getting by. Of course there other sinister means but you can say where there is a ying there is a yang. Were you late for a train which you had reserved seats? No worries, talk to a nice concierge professional and chances are, they have a cousin or close friend that will make sure you are on the next one. Of course a tip is welcome.
Anyone who is not from the area will be frustrated by the slowness of service, being charged double for merely being an out of towner, or ambulance sirens at all hours of the day. While these can be challenges to tourists or business travelers, you will find open windows with all sorts smells and sounds. You may take a stroll and hear dogs barking, the opera of Caruso playing, live music by the Bay of Naples and home made lasagna al forno drifting through the air. All of these elements combined is what makes Naples distinct and unequivocally Naples.