21
May
What does a 1st year inhabitant of Italy do come Easter (aka Pasqua)? Rage. I had no expectations of what Pasqua would bring as I left Rome for a long weekend and headed to Napoli with my two dear Napolitan amici. CIAO Rome I thought, as we zipped out in Simo’s new whip and sifted through traffic heading south.
As we got into Napoli I felt some kind of surge like I could finally breathe again. The vibe this city has is such a refreshing change from Rome. As a New Yorker, I expect dirty haphazard stuff to occur every so often, more then less. You get scrappers in Rome of course, but its overall a pretty pleasant city. In Napoli, you have some of the (more disorderly) mafia roots of Italy, The Gomorra.
The Gomorra has had a serious grip on city operations for years. Until recently (within the past 5-10 years) things were 100% mayhem. For example, the 2008 garbage strike when heaps of trash pilled the streets for months due to badly managed funding (which was esentially capital stolen from the people) or the sketchy ways particular mozzerella di bufala is manufactured, to the lack of safety enforced with 0 regulations for wearing helmets or the threat of being robbed 24/7. These are just some examples of some serious issues that have had a major impact on the ways the inhabitants of Napoli think, act, and live.
Aside from the mafia stuff…Pasqua here is a whole week of delicious treats and lots of vino. Everybody parties. Church is not a big deal, at least not in Napoli. Everyone has a nice big lunch on Pasqua, and the next day you are free to party with your homies. My crew and I ended up driving down to Sorrento where we slept in a friends epic treehouse looking over the sea for a couple nights. We went to a house party the day after Pasqua where there was copious amounts of locally brewed wine, delicious Napolitan cakes, and other dishes. The land on the Amalfi coast is also rich in lemons, rosemary, sage and other fine herbs. You can basically walk around and grab stuff off the land for your next meal. We did, its great.
So, Naploi rules, but living in Rome is no doubt an unparalleled opportunity. However, thou I hate to sound blunt and dry, I refuse to romantise the notions one may conclude to in their mind that living in the Eternal City is one grand dream. Rome is a beautiful b*tch. Public transport is horrendous, a car / moto is neccessary and if you are without such means ripping around town is hardly an option, unless you dont mind getting jipped by a taxi (if u can find one). On the other hand, more time then not you find yourself - ahem - I find myself - parlaying down the cobblestone streets through wonderful ivy covered pastel and rust tone buildings, always catching a whif of a delicious lunch or dinner brewing in a cucina in near distance with the sounds of foreign discussions in ears distance. Rome has a scene, but its kinda hard to crack. However if you get to it, you dig it for sure.
