Bella Napoli

I have somewhat mixed feelings about relaying this next piece of news (to those of you who do not already know), but seeing as how it would be impossible to describe my time here without mentioning a major reason why I am here to begin with, I will: the reason I decided on Naples is because my boyfriend lives here. I met him while I was traveling in the fall and we stayed in touch when I went back to the States. Now, we are enjoying this time to get to know each other! I won’t say much more now than he is a student at the university here in Naples and works at the hostel where I stayed in the fall.

Please don’t be alarmed, my friends! I did not decide to quit my job and move halfway across the world for a guy I knew for a few months! No, I assure you, most of you know that I have been wanting to move back to Europe ever since my study abroad year in Germany years ago. I just wasn’t sure where I wanted to go next. When I met my boyfriend, I decided Italy wouldn’t be a bad place to try!
Naples, in particular, is an interesting city. Hoards of tourists do not flock here like they do Venice or Florence. I believe it is a beautiful city in its own right if you can look past some dilapidated buildings and trash piling up on the streets. Southern Italy is considerably poorer than the northern part. Few people speak English here, which has made it even more of a challenge for a person who started with zero Italian, and unemployment is extremely high (around 20%). Although considerable renovations were made to the city in the 1990s, it is basically a big, crowded, dirty city!

But if you can look past some of those less-aesthetically pleasing aspects, you see a city rich in culture and a beaming example of the non-glitsy, non-tourist-riden Italy. One of my favorite pastimes here is to simply take walks around town – browsing the storefronts of the bustling vias Toledo and Chiaia, ducking into the narrow, alley-like streets of old Spaccanapoli, strolling along the seaside with a gorgeous view of Mt. Vesuvius across the bay, or roaming the residential areas of Vomero or Materdei, where fresh laundry is hung outside to dry and venders set up fruit stands along the sidewalks.

Naples is a lively bustling city, where you can experience a number of interesting and distinct neighborhoods if you are willing to brave the moped-filled streets, where following traffic signs is more of a recommendation than a rule! It is also home to a large port, where ferries and boats head off to a number of appealing southern destinations, such as the islands of Capri, Ischia or Sicily. In short, I don’t believe I will be at a loss for things to do and see while I am here – in between teaching English lessons and taking an Italian class, that is!