Chasing Glamour and Grit in Unforgettable Naples
Glamorous and gritty, beautiful and brash, there is nothing shy about Naples. Often maligned and misunderstood, this is a city of faded splendor and unbridled enthusiasm that gets in your face with its vivacious, and often audacious, culture. In short, there is no half-way with Naples: You either love or hate it.
Neapolitans are flamboyant with colorful clothes and loud, animated conversations, along with an unabashed street culture, over-the-top hospitality, and a “love it or leave it” attitude. You’ll get the idea with about 10 minutes of people-watching at any corner in the tight web of streets in the city’s old town. An open-air theater plays out in daily life: a signora lowers a basket from a fourth-floor balcony on a rope for her groceries. Strings of laundry flap between the buildings like flags, a man and woman yell out a conversation between windows, and the scent of basil-tinged tomato sauce bubbles out an open doorway. The action and sounds are non-stop, and everything is done full-on.