For Naples, there are many myths. One of that is the one about pickpockets, which turned out to be true. My mom’s phone was stolen during the trip.
There’s also a myth about Virgil. Legend has it that Virgil’s tomb is situated on a hill of this city. That is why many poets journeyed here, just to pay respect to this famous poet at least for once in a lifetime. Many said this myth remains a myth.
And there is a myth about pizza. Dubbed the capital of pizza, Naples sports the world’s best pizza shops. I didn’t have a chance to try the most famous one because the queue is way too long (I called it the pizza mob).
Like Benjamin Taylor puts it in Naples Declared, Naples is like an amphitheatre open to the sea. This ‘big bowl’ was the first Greek settlement in the mediterranean called Parthenope before renamed as ‘Neapolis’ or ‘New City’. Thanks to this Grecian heritage, the vibes are different from other Italian cities. Of course, Christianity dominates, but paganism is still there.
But what I like the most are the clash of the old and the new, beauty and decay. It is where ancient frescoes and Caravaggio meet graffiti art. Just like Taylor says again in his book, whether it’s the beautiful Naples or the gloomy, scary and dirty Naples, it is still the very same city. You cannot seperate light from shadow. That’s the truth, and I enjoyed every bit of it.
One bad thing about this city, is that it is still underrated by global travellers. People see it just as the gateway to the islands and the Amalfi coast, which is too bad. This city really deserves more.
