Naples. Home of Pizza, maybe gelato, and some good old boys known as the Camorra, or as you may know them, the mafia. Naples often features fairly highly on visitors lists of places they ‘need to see’ in Italy. I’m here to tell you, it simply ain’t true. read on to find out why.

I had high hopes for Naples. I really did. I didn’t even approach with any of my usual chagrin about tourist hot-spots, or a concern in the world for entering a city that is still pretty well under mafia influence. I had high-hopes. I was keen to be amidst a city known for its grit, rather than glamour. I was fatigued of the perfectly curated Tuscan villages, sick of well-manicured streets of South Tyrol. I swore that if I saw another unforgettable mountain village in Umbria, I was going to scream. I needed something different. Something genuine. So, when we arrived in Naples, I had high hopes.

We’d been staying in nearby Ercolano, our campervan safely parked up at a caravan site. Catching the train in, I felt my expectations rise. There was graffiti everywhere. Stucco clad buildings leaning at odd angles, peeling paint, street food vendors - rusty old cars careening alongside the train at speeds unthinkable, given the vessel. We arrived at Garibaldi station, and I was rearing to go. Where’s the pizza? Where’s the trattoria? Give me something!

Minutes after making our down the main street, Corso Umberto, I realised something was wrong. There was garbage everywhere. Refuse lined the streets, clogged up alleyways, and filled up any unused piece of street space. Vendors screamed at me as I walked. Every building was in disrepair, crumbling facades nearly toppling onto the streets below. As we wandered further down the street, the path became clogged with pedestrians, all trying to walk on pavement that hadn’t seen repairs since Mussolini held sway down here. The city, in short, was falling apart. Markets cropped up without rhyme or reason, and pickpockets could be spied lancing through crowds, trailing behind beggars, tourists and locals alike. The vibe was, off, somehow.

Why wasn’t I enjoying this? I liked rough. Adore rough, even. I’ve seen worse in Myanmar, Bolivia, or even Australia, for pity’s sake. Yet, something about this was not enjoyable. Perhaps it was the huge increase to the number of beggars and homeless that lined the streets. Perhaps it was the way people drove - madly darting past pedestrians, ignoring both good sense and road rules alike. Perhaps it was in the way the city smelled - like rotting garbage and diesel; A combination more malodorous than a campervan dumpsite. The city had charm, sure. I was into the Cappella Sansevero, and enjoyed looking at several of the major plazas in town; Piazza del Plebiscito and the Fountain of Neptune being noteworthy. Yet, compared to the places that I hd been, the people I had met, and the things that I’d seen up to now in Italy, I was left pretty cold at this point.

Naples; tough, rough and very, very gritty.

Yet, I wanted to like this place. I wanted to enjoy a place that may be more definitive a tourist experience than any other in Italy. What could be more important than seeing Italy - a real slice of Italy, far away from the glitz and glamour of the north, where real people live. Where people, some of them in abject poverty, high unemployment, and under considerable social pressure all live. I needed to see this. This was important. Yet, I wasn’t enjoying it. Maybe I’ve softened?

However, Naples is known for food. This I could be sure of. Pizza, more Michelin stars than any other city in Italy, more Gelato than could be safely consumed. Surely I could find a decent spot for a feed here, right? I selected a trattoria, Trattoria a Pignatta, in the Spagnoli Quarter. The vibe, at first, seemed awesome. Down home cooking, highly popular with locals, and with a thoroughly unpretentious air about it. After watching every other person around us get served, fed, and even spoke to by the wait staff, however, the place quickly lost its charm. I’m not sure whether it was pure ignorance on their part, or genuine rudeness, but the experience was shocking, and one that I wasn’t expecting, given how popular the place was. After being largely ignored by every member of staff in the joint for half an hour, we were finally fed. The food was great - no complaints there. However, after the initial experience, it all tasted wrong somehow. I’m not one to be petulant about bad dining experiences, but after a day that had started to feel off, this really got to me, much to my shame.

After finishing up with lunch, we wound our way through the Spagnoli Quarter. Countless reams of tourists marched through, led by the ever officious guides toting umbrellas. The streets were crowded, very dirty, and the perennial trash heaps lined every unused surface. While there were attractions around us, like the Naples underground, and several palaces to visit, none felt essential. None felt important. We walked past countless beggars next to cafes, and watched several tourists get pickpocketed. The vibe was off, and things felt a bit dicey. This was getting tiring. I’m not sure whether it was the grit of the place, or the overall atmosphere, but it wasn’t enjoyable. I couldn’t force it to be fun, as much as I wished it was. We finished our day with an aperol spritz at a local bar. Snatching this bit of respite, we spoke about what felt wrong about the city. We both agreed that it wasn’t the people, it wasn’t the grit, or the constant feeling that we were going to be pickpocketed. It was the fact that this city had been left behind by the Italian Government. Naples has suffered whilst the north of Italy has prospered, and it simply wasn’t enjoyable to bear witness to that. Important to see, yes. But not enjoyable.

Spagnoli Quarter. Crowded would be a kind descriptor.

If you’re heading to the south of Italy with limited time, take my advice. Stay in Ercolano. It’s small, approachable, and actually quite pretty. It’s close to Naples, but located right on top of the Herculaneum archaeological site, and is just up the road from Pompeii and Vesuvius too. Naples, I’m going to suggest that you skip. While my experience there can be chalked up to having a few bad experiences, or me being in a bad mood, I don’t think so. The city, to me, felt utterly unremarkable, in disrepair, and probably best avoided, particularly if you’re short on time. The Italian government seems to have largely abandoned the place, and there just isn’t enough there to keep you properly occupied. There are better, more inspiring places to see in Italy’s south, such as Sicily, or parts of Puglia, both of which you should totally go to. Naples, I’m sorry, but it’s a no from me.

Been to Naples and have a different opinion? Convince me otherwise in the comments below! Any questions, you know what to do!

You Don't Need to go to Naples