Assignment #5

"The most loathsome nest of human caterpillars I was ever forced to stay in--a hell with all the devils imbecile in it." 
-John Ruskin

"...it reveals itself only to the simpatici." -Peter Gunn

"Like the twin masks of tragedy and comedy, Naples constantly shifts between splendour and misery, beauty and squalor" (2) In the Shadow of Vesuvi

What about fear? What is it that you feared about your visit to Naples and entering into the unknown. Has the fear melted away now that you've seen so many aspects of the city, now that you have met the people of Naples? 

Every single person on the earth fears something. That fear can be many different things.  Fear can keep someone safe by being aware but it can also consume his or her everyday life. One could use the word fear to describe what feeds the city of Naples. There is the known fear of being mugged, the fear of suffering from poverty, and the lingering danger of an active volcano, Mt. Vesuvius. Travelling to Naples was one of the most impacting and possibly restricting experiences I have had. “In Italy, the discourse on drugs and prostitution… seen as Southern Italian problems,” begin with the gateway city of the south, Naples.   Unfortunately the South has many negative stereotypes that hinder any positive opinions Northern Italians may have of the South. 

The following quote describes accurately the picture that my peers and I saw when entering the city of Naples; “The Neapolitans endure a type of depressing poverty quite different from that in Calabria.  You notice as you arrive at the railway station: the outstretched hands of the beggars in the former capital of the southern kingdom” (Naples Reading).  Prior to Naples, I read the required articles that described the city realistically.  However by only reading the prompt, one could imagine how Naples might be from the quote, “Like the twin masks of tragedy and comedy, Naples constantly shifts between splendor and misery, beauty and squalor” (The Shadow of Vesuvius).  From Alex’s descriptions in lecture, I thought we would be picking trash from our shoes and pants as we were forced to wade through the trash infested streets of Naples.  However, from Alex’s class and many of the readings, I was left with the idea that Naples was not as bad as they say it is. 

The day spent with Alex, our Neapolitan tour guide, was filled with historical and modern art, discouraged feelings leaving the Roma camp, delirious dancing on subways, and ended with the most breath-taking view of the city as the sun set on Naples.  I felt as if were able to see the city as it wanted us to, or how Alex wanted us to. 

In one of the readings of Naples, the author states, “Naples is an enigma”.  In more ways than one, Naples is still a mystery to me.  Although Alex was able to show us the things to be proud of if you are a Neapolitan, I am still left with some lingering fears of Naples and the Southern area of Italy.  From our time with Alex, I learned many things about the people of Naples, they do not stop thieves from pick-pocketing tourists, they love pizza, their weddings are the biggest and the best, and they believe in savoring life.   After learning all of this, we went to Capri and Pompeii, which were beautiful and fascinating places to see that only reassured our positive impressions of the South.  Once we were back in Naples, we rushed to the hostel in order to reach the train on time. However in our haste we forgot that “a Naples pavement proves that Italians can ride a bucking bronco and stay in the saddle” (Naples reading). Unfortunately, this is something we were not prepared for and the result was one of us going home empty handed. 

            For me, Naples will always be a mystery.  The city is full of professionals, like Alex, the architect, the baker of best pizza in Naples, or the man on the motorcycle that stole Jenny’s bag.  The city can never be black or white, because although one can see the beauty behind its historical and modern artwork and its impressive active volcano, “a stroll (through Naples) is a mental rodeo that requires bold professionals.”