Napoli's Hype

Herculaneum

Napoli (Naples in English) is a major city south of Rome. For many tourists, it is the furthest south they will consider traveling in Italy - Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius are here. Napoli has a bad rep for tourists - we hear about muggings, camera snatchings, the mafia, etc. Our guidebook advised us to be careful.

Even the northern Italians believe the hype. Three separate people, all living in Italy, told us to be very vigilant when visiting Napoli. They said: don't stand out, hide the valuables (don't even wear earrings), and watch out for tall people standing behind you (they might try to grab something). I had already read all of this, but when three people repeat it to you, almost verbatim, it starts to get spooky.
Needless to say, we arrived in Naples ready to do battle with the hordes of muggers. We latched our bags down tight, hid the electronics deep inside, and wiped any trace of friendliness (hard for us west coasters) off of our faces. Scowls in place (or semi-grimaces) we quick-marched to get from Napoli's central train station to our Couchsurfer's place.

Napoli on a busy Sunday

The local train getting there was jam-packed; we literally had to take off our bags to fit in the doorway (or we would have smashed the people around us, as our backpacks are large). But, we had no issues. And, we have had no issues since.
Granted, Napli is a grungier, dirtier city than many in northern Italy. And the people are more enthusiastic and louder - but I have not experienced any "in your face" Italian-ness which we heard so much about. And no real danger. Sure, tourists are always faced with the normal big-city stuff - guys trying to sell you umbrellas, taxi rides, tours, iphones, etc... but it's not that hard to wave them away. If an expensive camera is around your neck, and you are not protecting it, then that is a risk you are responsible for. No exception, whether it's Paris, Napoli, New York, etc.

The pizza!

My message - don't believe the hype on Napoli. We've been here 5 nights now, and it's a good place to visit. It is dirty, but Pompeii and Herculaneum were amazing. And the pizza, the pizza... you can find decent (and when I say decent, it beats 98% of everything in the States) pizza at least twice on every block. Even the delivery pizza is awesome. Huuuuge carb overloads. So, to those wondering if Napoli will be "too intense" to go visit - don't believe it. :)