The Neapolitan Quintet: We Check out Five Big Stereotypes About the City

Stereotype 1: expect to be conned

Planning my trip, I had been warned many times even by North Italians: “Are you really intent on visiting Naples? Well, once you arrive be sure not to go out anywhere, sit in your room all the time and be as quiet as a mouse!”

As soon as you come out the airport hold your handbag tightly and don’t open your mouth — some petty criminal might ride up to you on a scooter any second and snatch your phone out of your hand. If you find yourself in a shop, a cafe or, heaven forbid, at the market, be extra vigilant: be wary of everybody, otherwise, they will be sure to con you, and you may even get your purse stolen. Make sure to look at everybody aggressively, so they don’t get the impression that you’re an easy target.

Naples is under the eternal watch of Mount Vesuvius.

Obviously, while exiting the bus station (by the way, this is a great and economical way to get from and to the airport — it costs just €5 and takes only 30 minutes), I looked all around in panic: this is just the ideal place to find yourself in trouble on the very first day!

I didn’t have any Internet on my phone, and I didn’t know where my apartment was located. So I had to overcome my terror and speak with two guys there (oh, and one had a black eye – you couldn’t have made it up!) to ask them the way to the center (I already had thoughts that they would drag me away to some dark forest). Well, Tommaso and Giovanni needed just five minutes not only to dispel the stereotype but to take me right to the central square and even give me a mini-tour, followed by a good-bye kiss!

I had an immediate desire to drink a strong coffee (I hadn’t slept all night and how else should one begin a tour of Naples?). Still feeling worried, I decided to ask a local policeman for advice. Well, he not only stopped to chat for a full thirty minutes (“Naples is an unusual city! It’s not like in the North! Everywhere has problems, but you won’t find cuisine like ours anywhere else!”), he even invited me for an espresso in a beautiful bar called Gambrinus in liberty style (modern Italian). The coffee cost him €1. It seems that the Italians believe it to be in poor taste to charge a lot for espresso — how else to explain that it costs next to nothing in a historic cafe open since 1860 and located on one of the central squares?

• Gambrinus

Returning that evening from another bar, Perditempo, my friend and I checked out our favorite pizzeria. It was just closing, yet they treated us not only to free pizza but also to fried mozzarella! Was that generosity due to our feminine charms?

• Perditempo

At the MADRE contemporary art museum, which recently hosted an exhibition by photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, I was asked at the entrance whether I was younger than 24. Even though I answered in the negative, they nevertheless sold me a ticket for €4 instead of €8.

• MADRE contemporary art museum

Photo: Bernard Blanc/Flickr

As for Pompey, we just got lucky. It turned out that entry is free on the first Sunday of every month. Any other day will cost you €15.

As you can see, the stereotype was smashed to smithereens. Neapolitans actually turned out to be the friendliest of all people I had ever met in Italy. You can get conned in any city in the world, and you should always be on the lookout, but I can say that in this respect Naples is neither better nor worse than other cities.

Stereotype 2: you cannot understand the Neapolitan dialect

Classical Italian only began to spread across the country after World War Two. Now, it’s the language of the media and books, and it’s the language used to communicate with tourists. However, in reality, each Italian region mostly speaks its own dialect. Even if you spent long years carefully studying Italian, let alone flicked through a phrasebook, you won’t understand a thing said between two locals from, for example, Bergamo.

Photo: Eric Parker/Flickr

In Naples, the locals converse in the Neapolitan dialect: to understand what’s going on you really have to listen very carefully. That kind policeman who bought me a coffee also spoke in the local dialect — so sometimes I didn’t understand a word and simply nodded my head and smiled. At the Museo di Capodimonte, they even suggested I buy an Italian-Neapolitan dictionary as a souvenir — I didn’t, but I came to regret that decision!

Naturally, the museum and restaurant staff will talk in classical Italian with you (forget about English, very few Italians speak it), but if you meet Neapolitans in a bar, you may not find a common language.

The Neapolitans don’t even call their home city Napoli, but Napule.

Stereotype 3: the city is quite dirty

Well, unfortunately, this one is true. And although the tourist center is diligently cleaned, the local residential districts surrounding the center are filthy. The wearisome road from the central train station to our apartment drove my friend mad — our suitcase wheels got stuck with cigarette butts, plastic bottles, and adhesive packaging. Oh, and they keep digging the city up so as to “improve” the roads. Waste collection in the non-touristy districts seems to function quite poorly — you can often find an entire collection of plastic sacks alongside the local houses. So when you are told that Milan is a dirty city you really want to laugh back in the face of your conversation partner.

That said, if you have no plans to wander beyond the realms of the tourist zone (the districts of the historical center, Chiaia, the seafront and the districts of Vomero), you won’t encounter a ridiculous amount of garbage. And anyway, in Naples and Italy, as a whole, you need to admire the palazzo facades rather than look at what’s under your feet.

Stereotype 4: the food is great

Well, this is the only positive and probably 100% true Naples stereotype, which is confirmed both by foreign tourists and Italians from other regions of the country. The family of my Italian boyfriend, for example, put together a list of dishes that I had to try, and I’ve noted about ten times “a Napoli si mangia” — you will eat well in Naples. And this is despite the endless enmity between the regions for the title of the best Italian food region. Whenever I came back, they would ask me what I ate. And I would confirm the stereotype about great food.

The most popular Neapolitan dishes are pizza and ragout. You can find pizza here everywhere, however, the tastiest pizza is not that served in restaurants for €13, but that found in little kiosks for just €1.50. It’s not very big but tastes so wonderful that you’ll want to eat if for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. I especially recommend the pizzeria Di Matteo — here the recipe for Margherita has been passed on through the generations.

• Pizzeria Di Matteo

Photo: misc9 /Flickr (left) и Mauricio Frias /Flickr (right)

Ragout is another highlight of Naples cuisine. It’s made from tomato sauce, two types of meat (pork and beef), onion and basil. And they even write poetry about it (yes, that’s how much they love food here). The Italian writer, scenarist, and director Eduardo De Filippo wrote poems that you can read on the walls, on the menu and even in the Wi-Fi passwords of many local restaurants that serve the dish. I recommend going to Tandem Ragu — it offers many versions of the dish, including vegetarian options (from €11).

• Tandem Ragu

Despite the popular view, coperto in the bill from an Italian bar or restaurant does not mean tips included, but a table charge. You are basically paying for the fact that they set the table. You are welcome to leave tips separately.

Don’t forget the wonderful Italian tradition to have breakfast outside the home (take a coffee at the bar to avoid paying coperto). Coffee is another pride and joy of Naples. Strong, black and always with a free glass of sparkling or ordinary water. What to eat with it? Try sfogliatella — a light shell-shaped pastry. It can have different fillings, from ricotta to nut paste. You can taste it at a cafe called Pintauro — here both locals and tourists have been treated to wonderful dolci since the beginning of the 19th century. A coffee and dessert will cost no more than €3.

• Pintauro

Photo: asha/Flickr

Oh, and here’s separate advice for wine lovers: if you see a bottle of wine in a shop without a label don’t be scared of buying it. The price will be especially pleasing (around €3), and it will taste great. If you have doubts, just ask to taste it, and they will definitely pour you some into a plastic cup. My friend looked on in disgust, really not wanting to buy wine for such a low price, all the more so without a label. However, since we tried it we have bought only that wine.

Stereotype 5: it’s dangerous here, and the mafia is in control

Let’s start with some basic facts: the mafia is essentially a way of defining all of Italian organized crime. However, more often than not the term refers to the Sicilian Cosa Nostra. Actually, there are several crime syndicates in Italy. In Naples and in the Campania region as a whole, the Camorra is the boss. A particular feature of the Camorra is that it’s not a single entity, but several clans who also fight each other for territory.

You might think that this is just a bunch of tales for tourists: “Oh, it’s awful in the Spanish quarters and Forcella (districts of Naples)!… Oh, the Camorra runs everything!”

Well, here’s a story for you. Returning once from Perditempo we noticed that our usually lively street was completely empty and that our favorite wine shops and even Di Matteo were closed. “Probably because it’s Monday,” we decided, whereupon somebody sped past us on a scooter. Having traveled a hundred meters, he took out a pistol from his jacket and, without reducing his speed, fired a shot into one of the alleys before riding off. We sensibly turned into the next street. I couldn’t believe my eyes, but I spent the evening thinking that it must be some show specially for dumb tourists.

The next morning, I googled events in Naples, and my doubts were dispelled. It turned out that one gang had been threatening another. Nobody was killed, but the bullet was fired and the pistol thrown to the ground as a warning.

Of course, nobody will specially shoot at tourists, or kidnap them for a ransom. However, when in Naples remember: here it really can get dangerous if you’re in the wrong district at the wrong time.

To emerge unscathed: if it’s not spotless building facades and well-trodden tourist paths that you like, but lively, contrasting, vivid cities, then don’t harbor any doubts and buy a ticket to Naples. A huge tourist center, sights everywhere, a rich culture and great food combine here with a dramatic history and unique way of life. Naples will definitely give you what you are seeking — just smile and don’t be afraid.