In Old Napoli Where Love Is King

The streets of Naples

Naples is never quiet. The streets are booming with commotion every day and night. The energy is contagious!

Napolitains are the loudest Italians I´ve met. And even thier voices aren´t enough because for every word there is a hand gesture that goes along with it.

During one of the nights of my stay, I thought the world was ending! People were screaming out thier windows, all the cars were honking furiously, air horns torturing your eardrums, and fireworks shooting in every direction. I found out that Napoli's soccer team had a match that evening, the reason why whole city was going crazy. Mamma mia!

Near the city of Naples is the only active volcano in Europe's mainland. Eruptions in the past have wiped out thousands in the area, yet perfectly preserving the civilizations beneath with ash. Now a popular tourist attraction, people come to see the everyday life of people in 79 A.D. in the cities of Herculaneum and Pompei..

Bay of Naples

However, the volcano is still active. And scientist know that another eruption is inevitable, they just don't know when (yep, I watched the whole Nova documentary on it). Wondering if the volcano might erupt during my stay, I asked my friendly boat captain whether they're scared of the possibility of a catastrophic eruption. And he turned to me and in a low deep voice said, "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Don´t wake it up." Mamma mia!!!

Strolling through the grafittied streets, scooters jet past you in every which way, while the clothes lines hang above you of every color of t-shirts, pantaloni, and skimpy undergarments. I saw a remarkable talent today: a man driving on a scooter with 2 kids in one hand and texting in the other the other, on the steep rocky street speeding weaving among other driver and pedestrians. I don't know how he managed to steer with both his hands occupied, but, boy, was it was impressive!

As I walk through the streets, in my head there is a constant soundtrack on repeat playing Dean Martin as he sings of Napoli:

In Napoli where love is king
When boy meets girl here's what they say

When the moon hits you eye like a big pizza pie
That's amoreee
When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine
That's amore
Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling
And you'll sing "Vita bella"
Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay
Like a gay tarantella

When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool
That's amore
When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet
You're in love
When you walk down in a dream but you know you're not
Dreaming signore
Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli
That's amore!