Reading such an intense and interesting article about Naples, my home town, on the New York Magazine has been a moving experience. A real declaration of love and warmth for a city that is told in all its aspects: an amazing report without any clichés about a true and charming Naples, where so many incredible things happen.
All this by an American but of Italian origin journalist, Amanda Ruggeri. What has impressed me is how Amanda is able to understand and love the many faces and thousands of potentialities of Naples that maybe not even us living here can fully appreciate. Because maybe Naples is an explosion overwhelming you, is a city where it seems that what happens can happen only here, giving off an energy that you can hardly find in other places. And as she writes, Naples is not a city that reveals its charms all at once: it’s a place where you never get bored, always exciting and keeping you alive.
Amanda’s article is full of love, passion and truths, pointing out positive and negative aspects. It tells of how the journalist has come into confidence with my city not from the start. When she came back for the third time, the charm of the place was fully revealed and she began to love this city and recommend it to anyone who would listen … It tells the magical atmosphere that reigns in Piazza Bellini, the beauty of the museums, the millenary ruins, the architecture and the artistic treasures around the corner. But also the liveliness of the markets, the custom of lowering a basket from the window to get things put therein in the historical center, the excellent food, the beautiful seafront and all that lives in this city and seems soaked in a unique energy. But the emphasis falls especially on the real people, the warm greetings, the typical friendliness of the Neapolitans and how we can make foreign people feel welcome and at home.
The journalist tells how a stylish woman of a cultural association she had interviewed, proposed to her to become friends, and how a taxi driver after her double-checking the price said, “We are honest in Naples.” And this is what Naples is: honest, honest in highlighting the great and beautiful things but also not hiding the problems. Naples, as the Ruggeri says “can be an extraordinarily challenging city.” It ‘s an exacting city, but never bores you…because anything can happen in Naples!
And now…what will you think about it when you come here? Will you agree with Amanda?
If you want, you can read Amanda Ruggeri’s article!