NAPLES is so dangerous! Don’t go there!
“NAPLES IS SO DANGEROUS, DON’T GO THERE!”
“ This is what everyone told us when they found out we were going to Naples… ”
When we mapped out our Italy trip for our last summer (if you want our itinerary, get in contact with me and I’ll give it to you) I had a few places I really wanted to go and I had to see for myself.
I heard so many great things about the Amalfi Coast, I knew we had to go visit it to start off our European summer. So we definitely HAD to include it in our itinerary. For my senior year in Highschool, in Ancient History classes, we learned about the famous Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii and Naples. Having to learn about this society got me so intrigued I knew I also had to go visit it while I was there. So there it was, another thing we had to put on our itinerary (pretty much a non- negotiable for me)
As we briefly planned our journey through Italy, Naples and the Amalfi coast were not too far away from each other and there were direct flights from London to Naples. We decided to start our Italy in Naples.
When I started researching places to stay and I love watching youtube Vlogs I started to realise that Naples had such a bad reputation. All I saw were things related to the mafia, how dirty it was and there was rubbish everywhere. I spoke to my hubby at the time as I was getting quite concerned.
After watching more and reading more, Matt and I decided that we would stay in Naples anyway and just to be extremely careful (like you would any way while traveling to a new and unfamiliar country) despite some of the negative reviews we read. Matt and I have learned from the past, that you can’t make your decision based on anyone else’s experiences as we all experience and value different things, especially when we travel. SO WE BOOKED it anyway!
I remember when we told a few of our friends that we were not only ‘passing’ by naples, and that we were actually staying a couple of nights, they too freaked out for us and told us their friends (and friend’s of friends) stories. But too late, we already booked our flights and accommodation.
WHEN WE ARRIVED IN NAPLES
I must admit, I was feeling very scared the moment I landed in Naples. I had my guard up even more and would not try and talk to anyone. I remember catching a bus and we had to stop at one of the main ports as our accommodation was near there. As soon as I got off the bus, we were walking and soOoo many people came up to us to try and sell their products. Anything from hats, sunglasses to daily tours.
By the time we got away from the port and onto our main street, there was no one else around. Just a normal road and no one hassling us. I was quite surprised as I thought there would be more people trying to hassle us.
When we got to accommodation, everyone was sooooo friendly! Our receptionist took us to our room, gave us a little tour of where to have breakfast, how to work the safe (you know, the usual things). She also gave us her favourite local restaurants (which was amazing by the way! I’ll talk about it a bit later) and other local attractions.
The day we arrived, Matt and I only had one thing on our mind and that was NAPOLEON pizza and beer! I already knew where I wanted to eat as it was made famous by Julia Roberts in Eat Pray Love- L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele . Lucky it was only 20 minutes away from our hotel but it meant we had to go into town. (maybe this is where everyone was saying it was dirty and dangerous?)
When walking to L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele we honestly did not see what everyone else was saying. There wasn’t any ‘piles’ of rubbish anywhere, the locals were so friendly and amazing! By that night, we were quite comfortable walking around and didn’t feel threatened at all!
I remember saying to Matt, thank Goodness we didn’t listen to anyone and we stayed in Naples or else we would’ve missed out on such a beautiful city. I have to admit, Naples is one of my favourite Italian cities and I would love to go back there! Not only was the food absolutely delicious, the culture and people were amazing too!
