The average American doesn’t get the chance to spend 5 months in Europe that often. I was not about to spend all my time in class so I took two weeks for spring break. Rob, his two friends Mike and Rob, and Laura and I rented a car and headed into the Mezzogiorno as Southern Italy is called. It was a little cramped having five people in a Nissan Micra but we managed. We sped down the Autostrada and before we knew it were exiting into Naples.

Naples is Italy’s gritty southern metropolis. Neapolitans are famous for both their backwardness and hospitality. We got to experience both. If driving in Rome is simply an adventure, driving in Naples is for real thrill seekers. The streets need to be repaved, everyone double parks, some lanes lead to nowhere, one-way streets are not marked, and the streets are so crowded you would think every citizen of the city has a car and a moped. To makes matters worse our map was not that great. We took a risk and turned onto a side street, which quickly narrowed to an impassable alley. In attempting to turn a corner we scraped a parked car whose driver promptly stepped out and began shaking his head and mumbling in Italian. Luckily his car was not damaged and he pulled up. We got around the corner and parked in the first spot we found. As we walked away from the car Rob was immediately approached by an old man who demanded 2 Euro to watch the car for us. We paid. Naples was not looking good so far.

We walked down the major street Corso Umberto I but unfortunately could not find anywhere to eat. Everywhere seemed to be closed until later in the evening. We couldn’t leave without getting some real Neapolitan pizza. Naples is Italy’s pizza capital. The city even has special regulations that pizzerias must comply with to get the stamp of approval as “real pizza”. We were beginning to give up hope and contemplating going to McDonalds when we saw a sign pointing us to Ristorante Re Ferdinando. We walked in and were met with a hostess who told us they too were closed. We walked out dejected only to be caught from behind by the same hostess who apparently had second thoughts. Naples is strange.

The food was great. We all had antipasta from the buffet and then I had a Pizza al Diavolo all to myself. The Devil pizza, as it translates, is topped with ham and pepperoncino. Beyond the great food, the staff was extremely friendly. The restaurant was obviously a family affair. The wife was the hostess and the husband the cook. Their daughter just hung out, a future waitress I am sure. An older lady probably the grandmother also wandered in at one point. The “famiglia ristoranta” asked us about where we were from and what we were doing in Naples.

After eating we got cappuccino and found our way back to the car. Luckily it was still there. I guess the old man had done his job. Naples is a great city despite its problems but Italian politicians and law enforcement really need to find a better way to improve the status quo. Chaos and corruption shouldn’t keep people away from the good things that Naples has just beneath the surface.