Visiting Napoli

[Yuri]

Originally Posted by montréaliste

The thing about Naples is it has such a bad rap for being controlled by the Camorra. It seriously repels tourists who would rather pick and choose safer Italian cities. Naples was once one of the two or thre richest cities in Europe in the baroque era, so it has attractions in spades.

I don't think this should affect tourism though. Napoli Province murder rate is at 1/100,000; São Paulo and New York are at 5/100,000; Chicago at 17/100,000; Rio de Janeiro 22/100,000. It's one of the safest places out there.

Regarding petty crime, I'd guess it's way safer than those touristic hotspots in London, Paris or Rome.

[muppet]

I also think it's the 'feels' of a place that may give it an impression worse than it is.

When I was in Genoa certain areas of the labyrinthine, medieval Old City was warned to me as dangerous, including my airbnb host:






At ground level, interspersed with the gorgeous streets and piazzas, palaces and churches, some alleys looked naturally eerie if devoid of streetlife,
as the buildings were so close and the sun blocked. At night even worse:




However, there was one area of absolutely dodge that I exited quickly every time I came across it -prostitutes, open drug taking, a cloud of weed and music blaring. Only the poorest, lounging around.

Later on -introduced by a friend -I realised it also held the best bars in town, and ended up there almost every night. Never had an issue or saw any transgressions through every night, for hours.

It was of course a big hangout for the 'creative class' and students, and I'd drink on the steps of the nearby church and watch the street theatre.

In reality the crime rate was likely much lower than the grand streets of Westminster or The City, just the optics didn't look good.

[Yuri]

Originally Posted by muppet

I also think it's the 'feels' of a place that may give it an impression worse than it is.

When I was in Genoa certain areas of the labyrinthine, medieval Old City was warned to me as dangerous, including my airbnb host:

I'm curious: where is this area located?

Regarding the "feeling" of not being safe or being chaotic, in Naples I thought that could be an issue psychologically speaking. You can solve this easily though: stay in an upmarket district. You can explore all gritty/rough areas you want but you'll have this decompression when back to the hotel.

Not that I was expecting to feel uneasy anywhere in Naples but I chose Chiaia just in case. It looks even more classy than the area near Via Condotti in Rome and way more pleasant as most people are locals.

I know virtually nothing about it, but by GSV, it seems Genoa has a similar neighbourhood just east of Centro Storico.

[muppet]

OMG it would be impossible to find again. It was in the heart of the medieval city, and round the corner from a church piazza -I'd repeatedly end up there as it was so central.

Where I stayed -cheapest room in the Centro Storico -was meant to be sketchy, though at least for me it wasn't at all. The piazza had families hanging out day and night.

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.4126271,..._ep=EgoyMDI2MDUxMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D


Edit: I think the bars somewhere leading from these alleys. At first worrying, but once you're there among the crowd it was a real vibe, buzzing and very friendly:


https://www.google.com/maps/place/Vico+d..._ep=EgoyMDI2MDUxMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by montréaliste

The thing about Naples is it has such a bad rap for being controlled by the Camorra. It seriously repels tourists who would rather pick and choose safer Italian cities. Naples was once one of the two or thre richest cities in Europe in the baroque era, so it has attractions in spades.

That's not what I hear in France. Insecurity is not what people have in mind when they think of Naples.

The reason why it's not a priority when visiting Campania is because Campania has so much more to offer. Europeans go to Campania for Pompei, the bay of Naples, the Vesuvius, Capri island, the Amalfi coast.

Naples only comes after, if you have time left. It's not the prettiest city in Italy, it's rather dirty and derelict in many parts. Pompei, Herculanum, are world wonders. Naples isn't. It's an interesting city, but it's not THE city one would love to visit (for most people at least).

It's a bit the same as Santa Cruz de Tenerife. You go to Tenerife (Canary Islands) for Tenerife, for the volcano, the beaches. The capital city, Santa Cruz de Tenerife is not top of the list for most people. It's an interesting city, but it's not extraordinary.

Naples is more interesting than Santa Cruz de Tenerife, but there's so much more to do in Campania. For a 3-day trip it's not worth it.

As Southern Italian cities go, Palermo has more to offer than Naples. It's even more derelict than Naples, but it has stunning ancient architecture and mosaics which are really unique in Europe (from around the year 1000, when the Normands wrested the island away from the Arabs). Naples is more Baroque, more recent. It's more common, you can find Baroque everywhere in Europe, whereas the sorts of things from around 1000 that you can see in Palermo is much more unique.

Like that for example, Arab ceiling and Byzantine mosaics:

[Yuri]

One thing that also caught me on Napoli is how crowded streets are till late into the night, with people from all ages, mostly locals. I took this pic somewhere on Via Chiaia, 22:45 on Saturday and it was completely packed, making difficult to walk.

And it's not only in one spot. More than 3km straight all the way from Centro Storico's decumani, Via Toledo, Via Chiaia, full of people, and not only along the axis, but everywhere.

People really enjoy their city.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

As Southern Italian cities go, Palermo has more to offer than Naples. It's even more derelict than Naples, but it has stunning ancient architecture and mosaics which are really unique in Europe (from around the year 1000, when the Normands wrested the island away from the Arabs). Naples is more Baroque, more recent. It's more common, you can find Baroque everywhere in Europe, whereas the sorts of things from around 1000 that you can see in Palermo is much more unique.

Like that for example, Arab ceiling and Byzantine mosaics:

This is common in Andalusia too.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

This is common in Andalusia too.

No. There are no Byzantine mosaics in Andalusia. And the Arabic ceilings they have are more recent (14th-15th centuries). In Palermo it's 300 years earlier.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

No. There are no Byzantine mosaics in Andalusia. And the Arabic ceilings they have are more recent (14th-15th centuries). In Palermo it's 300 years earlier.

I have literally been to one and seen it with my own eyes lol.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosque%E2%80%93Cathedral_of_C%C3%B3rdoba

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I have literally been to one and seen it with my own eyes lol.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosque%E2%80%93Cathedral_of_C%C3%B3rdoba

Arches, yes. But not ceiling. It has long lost its original Arabic ceiling (which was made of wood and not stucco like in Palermo). The oldest Arabic ceilings in Andalusia are from no earlier than the 14th century.

And there are no Byzantine mosaics in the cathedral of Cordoba.

[montréaliste]

Originally Posted by Yuri

I don't think this should affect tourism though. Napoli Province murder rate is at 1/100,000; São Paulo and New York are at 5/100,000; Chicago at 17/100,000; Rio de Janeiro 22/100,000. It's one of the safest places out there.

Regarding petty crime, I'd guess it's way safer than those touristic hotspots in London, Paris or Rome.

Sure, I’m sure you are right about that. Whatever murder rate there is is probably concentrated on settlements of accounts between clans. The same is true for Montreal. Most of the intended homicides are committed in view of coercion and retaliation in organized crime circles. Outside of mob and gang enforcement, other murders are not as prevalent; i.e; crimes of passion, etc…

[streetscaper]

Originally Posted by Yuri

I don't think this should affect tourism though. Napoli Province murder rate is at 1/100,000; São Paulo and New York are at 5/100,000; Chicago at 17/100,000; Rio de Janeiro 22/100,000. It's one of the safest places out there.

Regarding petty crime, I'd guess it's way safer than those touristic hotspots in London, Paris or Rome.

NYC was around 4.4 in 2024 and then 3.7 in 2025

[Yuri]

Originally Posted by streetscaper

NYC was around 4.4 in 2024 and then 3.7 in 2025

Yeah, São Paulo also fell to 4.5, but in any case they're both way above Naples. Crime definitely not be an issue there regarding tourism. It's all about perceptions.

[New Brisavoine]

The inhabitants of Naples are the most unhappy in the whole of Italy.

[Yuri]

Well, I was happy in Napoli. Here, my stories with the pics: https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0...84945849370434&igsh=MWM3d3ZjandiaW81Ng==

There’s a second one as well.

[MayDay]

Not sure what you're going on about - I've been celebrating May Day for 54 years now.