The premise of travel guru Peter Greenberg's new book got me thinking...where NOT to go in Italy. Greenberg's book Don't Go There!: The Travel Detective's Essential Guide to the Must-Miss Places of the World
details "must-miss" destinations around the world. I must say I was curious about what he might have included about Italy that I just stopped by the bookstore to check. Our favorite country gets off relatively unscathed. At the time he was writing the book Naples was in the midst of that gigantic garbage crisis and thus Greenberg advises travelers to skip the city. Though I'm sure he would agree that sans garbage, though a little wild Naples is well-worth visiting for the archaeological museum to the pizza to everything in between. I like how Greenberg focuses on pollution and places that we may not know are polluted. Apparently the Sarno River, which empties into the Bay of Naples which encompasses the Amalfi Coast, Ischia, etc. is horribly polluted. So especially if you're trying to avoid toxins you might want to avoid swimming there. Though the water looks enticing...I'm going to think about my "must-miss list" for Italy. I don't think there will be many places on it. But please contribute - what towns, sites, hotels, restaurants in Italy would you tell fellow travelers to avoid? Post a comment!
10 comments:
You know, I agree that Napoli has a lot to offer the visitor; but - and this is coming from a travel-savvy ex-New Yorker - I really wouldn't advise seeing it without being accompanied by someone who knows what's going on there. I've never felt so unsafe in my life, and I've worked in the South Bronx.
As many readers may know, Rome is one of my favorite places in Italy but there are a few places I have written about there that I classify as must-miss. I think the Porta Portese Flea Market is nothing to write home about. I wasn't very impressed with the Pasta Museum. I had a horrible stay at the Bernini Bristol a few years ago - hoping they have improved since then.
Anywhere on the periferia of Rome is a must-miss! Concrete block buildings crammed together that are so ugly they are bordering on offensive are so opposite of historic Roma. Foggia, a Dickenseque industrial town in Puglia is also definitely a must-miss. Having spent only one day in Naples, I'd like to see it more indepth, but as Miss Expatria says, with a native Napolitano.
Naples has a nasty reputation, but I've heard nothing to suggest it's more dangerous than many American cities. I suppose it's not for everyone, but where else can you go in Italy and experience amazing art, culture, and history without being surrounded by other tourists? For a certain type of traveler it's a "must see" for that reason alone. And I must disagree that one needs to be accompanied by a local to be safe there. I haven't yet been anywhere I'd consider a "must miss," but Positano comes closest. It may be visually spectacular (definitely worth seeing from the coastal road or a ferry), but it's easily the most touristy place I've experienced in Italy.
We haven't been to Naples in several years but went back three times because we liked it so much. We went to opera, walked in the old town during the day, bought figures from small shops specializing in the creche scenes. The archeology museum was one of the more interesting stops ever..and no crowds! We haven't been since the garbage problems, but with appropriate cautions, would probably still give visit, if only for the pizza margarita.
I want to address the statement you have in your email newsletter regarding the Sarno River pollution and its effect on the area. You correctly mention that the Sarno empties into the Bay of Naples. But saying it "encompasses the Amalfi Coast", is not quite correct and gives an erroneous impression. The Amalfi Coast is not in the Bay of Naples. It is in the Bay of Salerno, around the Sorrentine Peninsula and over an hour's drive from the point where the Sarno meets the Bay of Naples. I go frequently to the Amalfi Coast both for business and leisure and always have my eyes and ears open for any news (or gossip) related to the ecological health of the area. My business partners, who live on the Amalfi Coast, are very sensitive to environmental issues not only because it is their home, but because the health of the local environment impacts the perception of their region and, therefore, the local economy. From our extensive experience we know that there are certainly some localized issues but travelers can feel free to enjoy the beautiful Amalfi Coast beaches and swim in the sea and have nothing to be concerned about. Certainly nothing that would put it in the same sentence as the Sarno River and the area around Castellamare di Stabia! Just for my curiosity, I spent some time on the internet today looking for any articles that might link the Sarno specifically with the Amalfi Coast, and found nothing. I'll check further with my sources and let you know.
My husband and I have been visiting Napoli for many years and I would encourage anyone to go.
How could one miss one of the most important Italian cities, This is the city that was the center of art, culture and intellectuals....The most famous archelogical museum anywhere,,,the best food,the most beautiful vistas,,,Opera ,,,I could go on,
Use your common sense as you would in any major city,,
See Napoli and learn about one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
I NEVER felt threatened or in fear on all the years I have been there.
Jacqueline Sammarco Scerbinski
BrooklynGirl22-
I've received an e-mail from a colleague with points similar to your comment. I believe that when I read the passage in Peter's book it made the link between the Sarno and the bay and the Amalfi Coast. In fact I'm quite sure of it but don't have the book right in front of me. I will get his exact wording and do some of my own research as well. I certainlydon't want to pass along information that might not be true!
Here is the text of the e-mail sent by a colleague (not sure if he wants to be identified) who lives on the Amalfi Coast:
Firstly, your readers should have been told that the garbage problem
in Naples has been solved back in July, and that now the city is clean and enjoyable. The book is simply out-of-date, and it breaks my heart to see that you are promoting incomplete information that might lead some of your
readers to skip a true must-see of Italy.
Secondly, pardon my being pedant, the Bay of Naples does not encompass the Amalfi Coast, which is part of the Bay of Salerno. River Sarno has its mouth in an industrial area between Torre Annunziata and Castellammare di
Stabia, where swimming is prohibited and where no one would swim anyway.
Italian authorities do regular checks of the quality of the waters
before allowing people to swim.
Independent non-governative agencies also rate the quality of the water all along the Italian coastline, and please
read the results for Campania here:
http://www.denaro.it/VisArticolo.aspx?IdArt=534710
Saying "So especially if you're trying to avoid toxins you might want to avoid swimming there" is pure nonsense, forgive me for being frank.
Don't forget the Bandiera Blu, which grades beach and water quality. Positano, maybe the most famous town on the Amalfi Coast, has the Bandiera Blu distinction.
link to the map and listing:
http://download.repubblica.it/pdf/2008/bandiera_blu_spiagge.pdf
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