Napoli

I insert this post on Naples at this point because I believe there is a program on National Geographic that airs today in the States that perhaps you may find interesting. More on that at the end.

Frankly, I can't say enough about Naples. Despite us spending only a few hours there, I saw enough to last a lifetime.

As you can see, it is right on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Like the Ligurian Sea, this sea is also part of the larger Mediterranean Sea.

Naples is the most densely populated city in Italy: 1 million residents = 8,000 people per sq km. According to their census information, 98.5% of their residents are not immigrants, but native Italians.

It was our intention to spend a day seeing Pompei (just outside of Naples), then return to Naples to see the coastline and maybe have dinner at sunset. Naples is synonymous with pizza and I really love pizza.

We arrived in Naples and immediately bought a ticket to Pompei . . .

and boarded this train.

Perhaps this should have been some sort of warning, but unfortunately, graffiti is fairly common in most cities.

We took pictures as the train sped by these little villages. The countryside was really beautiful.

Perhaps you can see the Gulf of Naples in the distance.

When we saw these vineyards with the Gulf in the distance, we really wanted to stop and check out one of these little towns, but there just weren't enough hours in the day :(

This is one of my pictures from Pompei. You can see the mountains and ocean in the distance. No wonder they lived there. It is really beautiful. It was bigger than I expected, strange, and interesting. Much more on that another day.

After Pompei, we boarded another train very similar to the one noted above and returned to the Naples station.

The station is really modern and clean. We went to the tourist information center where a really nice lady told us which bus to get on for the tourist attractions. In other words, if it wasn't already obvious, we let every local criminal know we were tourists.

Within minutes, the bus filled up with locals. As noted in my first "Italy" blog post, two of these locals tried unsuccessfully to lift Jim's wallet the entire time we were on the bus.

I really wanted to take photos of the narrow streets along this major road, but Jim suggested it was best to put my camera away.

Naples is one of the favorite ports for cruise ships. When you google it, you will get images like the one below . . .

Gorgeous, huh?

We never got to see anything like this because all we did was take the bus route from the station and back to the station - never getting off.

We were happy to be on our way back to Rome. Despite my wallet being stolen in Rome, we never felt as uneasy in Rome as we did that short time in Naples.

After our return to Belgium, I began to research Naples as I should have done before we left. Here's what wikitravel has to say about Naples . . .

Whoever comes to Naples historical city centre has to take some general precautions:

• Do not leave valuables laying out in the open (such as bar tables) where they can be snatched by thieves.
• Do not flash around money or other valuables.
• It is advised not to carry a purse as it can be snatched or "picked" by thieves.
• Do not wear too expensive watch (Rolex especially).
• Do not wear expensive or flashy jewelery.
• Do not use a costly camera or video camera.
• Do not wander down small dark alleys/streets, especially in the Spanish Quarter.
• Pay attention to fake public service vehicles.
• Be careful around the main train station as there are many thieves in the area. The Piazza Garibaldi, the large square in front of the station, is no place to spend more time than necessary, especially at night.
• In Naples, you can buy over-the-shoulder packs that are excellent, as they allow you to keep an eye and firm grip on your valuables.
• Some persons pretend to offer images of old Naples or others things, as gifts but, then, expect payment.
• Pay attention to people who want to involve you in fake road accidents.
• It is advisable not to wear football shirts of any club especially Juventus FC, AC Milan, Internazionale Milano, AS Roma, SS Lazio or Fiorentina. Neopolitans support SSC Napoli with big rivalries with those clubs.

Good heavens. Basically, don't take any money, or a purse, or a camera, or wear jewelry. Definitely don't walk slowly around the train station and know a fake taxi when you see one. And don't even think about wearing your AC Milan soccer jersey. Translation: don't be a tourist.

Ciro Fusco/European Pressphoto Agency

Sadly, much of Naples looks like this. On our short bus trip, we didn't see anything this drastic, but every street we passed had its share of trash. It's such a shame.

Ironically, the day after we returned from our trip, National Geographic aired a show called Inside: Pickpocket King. It was filmed in the "Capital of Pickpockets".

That's right - Naples, Italy.

I think this program airs in the States today, Oct 29. If you get a chance to watch it, it will give you an idea why we will not be visiting Naples again.

In all fairness, so to speak, the thieves and scammers don't seem to want to hurt you. They just want your money and other valuables. But there are so many amazing places to see, why go there?