"It’s Italy in the extreme. She’s rough and ready and in your face. Gritty, gripping, daunting and intimidating to the uninitiated, mighty Naples is a southern Italian classic beyond comparison. It can strike newcomers as a hot mess. I have to confess that on several prior occasions, I haven’t ventured beyond the central train station in Naples, surrounded by Piazza Garibaldi. The ensuing piles of rubbish, swarms of beggars and general bad vibes on the streets outside the station proved to be potent turn-off – and I high-tailed it out of town bound for the Amalfi Coast. By train, it is the critical stepping-stone to reach Pompeii, Sorrento and beyond.  

"But last month, I was determined to give Naples a fair shake, eager to get a proper flavour of what this heaving, high-density city had to offer. Overcoming my fear of being ripped off, mugged, gunned down by the Camorra, or run down in a city where red lights are merely decorations, my urban safari in Naples was certainly eye-opening but undeniably rewarding. I was in town as a port call aboard Princess Cruises’ spectacular new flagship Sun Princess, so disembarking at the port terminal, Stazione Marittima, affords an effortless entrance into downtown Naples, on foot."

Read Mike's full article here.

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