Naples Travel Forum

So, why is Naples for the "faint-hearted"? If I did go to see the sights in Naples, what is worth seeing? Someone mentioned a few churches and the museum, but is there any kind of street or plaza that is worth seeing?

naples isn't for the faint of heart i am sure

i dear friend took her nephew there and just taking a taxi was a total stand off

the nephew suggested she should have stood up to the taxi driver

me - being faint of heart - said - OH NO HE HAS BROTHERS

and uncles and cousins - don't want to get in a naples stand off - oh no - don't want to do see naples and die

you do know naples was pretty well smashed to the ground in a major earthquake back in .... 1979?

i was in sydney australia listening to the list of beautiful names of those lost (australia has a large italian population)and husband wandered in and asked what i was listening to

the see naples and die list - i said

it went on for a very long time

I didn't 'do' Naples, but Hawkhead did.

There are sights to see, and churches and museums of course (not least the National Archaeological Museum, which houses many of the finds from Pompeii etc).

It is a whole different (and wonderful) experience being in Italy, and being in Naples even more so. It's a huge, vibrant, noisy and in some ways chaotic city. Just being there for an hour or so will be an experience in itself.

I would imagine what you heard/read is that Naples is NOT for the faint-hearted. While I am fairly faint-hearted myself, i.e. not very brave, I still enjoy cities where you have to be a bit streetwise - of which Naples is certainly one - and I love the place.
Apart from "a few churches" (well, one is a cathedral, and the Capella Sansevero a chapel), the Archaeological Museum, which includes stunning finds from Pompeii, and the Capodimonte Museum (well worth visiting if you like Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio) there is indeed a street worth seeing, or better yet, walking down, called Spaccanapoli: many of the said churches are off this street, in particular Santa Chiara with its wonderful cloister decorated with painted ceramic tiles. As for a "plaza", there is the Piazza Plebiscito, and nearby (actually in Piazza Trieste e Trento), the famous Café Gambrinus (try the "sfogliatelle"). Piazza del Municipio, which is the terminus for the airport bus, is not up to much but it is dominated by the Castel Nuovo/Maschio Angevino, so I would still say well worth seeing. And this is without mentioning the beautiful setting of the bay of Naples, which you can see especially well from the Monastery of San Lorenzo, or the food (the home of true pizza...).
If you were truly interested you could look up people's travel pages (by putting Naples in the destinations search box at the top of this page) or just google Naples sights.

In WWII, as the Germans evacuated the city in 1944 (and savagely mined and booby-trapped it--notably, blowing up the Central Post Office), they re-posted old signs saying "See Naples and Die," supposedly based on old Italian proverbs.

Naples is close to volcanic activity, still has vestiges of organized crime, and also is plagued by other assorted bad-boy gang goings-on.

Napoli has tons of stuff well worth seeing. The "faint-hearted" may have been spooked by its past history. Not to worry; just organize yourself through reputable channels and you'll be fine.

There are those of us who love Naples and those of us who don't. I confess to being one of those who don't as I'm a peaceful sort of person who doesn't really like being jostled and having to watch out for speeding motor scooters on the footpath. I won't get into yet another discussion of the garbage strike, which was in full swing when I was there, as I believe that the problem in the tourist areas at least, has now been addressed.
To each his own, if we all liked every place it would be a dull old world, I think. In any event, the Naples question of "should I or shouldn't I go there?" is not about to go away anytime soon. I respect the feelings of those who like it, but I must confess I get rather peeved at those who like to verbally bash those of us who don't. I really feel that the best advice anyone can give to someone wanting to know whether or not they should go there is to tell them to go and see for themselves and make up their own minds. I'm not sorry I went to Naples but I must admit that I won't be going back unless it's just to pass through en route to the Amalfi Coast. Go and see for yourself, maybe you'll love it or maybe you won't. One thing is for sure only you can decide.