Naples
Miscellany 7 (late November,
2007) Links
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all Naples Miscellany pages:
 Tourism
is down in Naples this year by about 10%. That is across the board: the
numbers of tourists arriving, staying in hotels, eating in restaurants,
visiting museums, etc. In a chicken-or-egg situation, the Campania
region of Italy (of which Naples is the capital) is also spending less
money per visitor than in past years.The Science City fair grounds
in Bagnoli, in collaboration with the Mt. Vesuvius observatory, is
holding an
exhibition called "Land of Ice and Fire." It will run through
mid-December
and feature displays and discussions on climate change, sustainable
development, local and global seismic risks, and characteristics of the
planet's polar regions. The exhibition is part of the Futuro Remoto
program, an annual science fair in Naples. I understand that they are
even setting up an ice-skating rink! I might give that a try. A recent poll conducted by the Neapolitan Association of Students Against the Camorra (organized crime, the Neapolitan version of the Mafia) produced some startling results. 6,227 students in 29 high schools in the province of Naples responded to questions; 70% signed the questionnaire with name and surname. More than one-third said that there were at least some positive elements in organized crime, and a small number (249 students) regarded some members of the camorra as "heroic". 871 respondents recognized the "merit" of organized crime in providing jobs for those who need them, and more than 1,000 claimed to be satisfied with the level of power that the camorra enjoys. Questions about confidence in the police had some ambiguities: 37% claimed not to have any such confidence, yet the percentage of persons who report crimes to the police (a display of confidence) continues to rise over previous years. The "glass is two-thirds full" school points out that 61% of respondents said there was "nothing positive at all" about organized crime. The city is determined to curb smoking even in outdoor public places. "No smoking" signs are already in place in the Villa Comunale, the sea-side park in the Chiaia section of town. Now, a restriction on smoking in the San Paolo football stadium is set to go into effect. There is to be a smoking section, presumably in the upper echelons of the stadium, closer to heaven or to the fresh air (depending on whether you are a smoker or not). The regulation is to be enforced by roving "no smoking" wardens. (In lieu of loading an MP3 laugh-track onto that last sentence, I encourage readers to guffaw and chuckle as they see fit. In any event, it is not a job that you really want in Naples.) Weirdly, the issue has split along political party lines. The right is against it; the left is for it, with a couple of splinter parties unable to make up their mind. But that is normal. Links
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