Naples City

Introduction
A vigorous city that delights in flouting order. Naples (Napoli if you live there) is raucous, polluted, anarchic, deafening, crumbling and aristocratic. It's also a lot of fun. Superbly positioned on a bay, Naples screams with energy, pulsating with noisy street markets and colourful characters.

'Naples is an ill-built, ill-paved, ill-lighted, ill-drained, ill-watched, ill-governed and ill-ventilated city', whinged Cook's Tourist's Handbook in 1884. Italy's third-largest city has made big strides forward since then but Cook's observations retain more than a grain of truth.

Naples stretches along the waterfront and is divided into quartieri (districts). Stazione Centrale and the bus station are off Piazza Garibaldi, east of Spaccanapoli, the ancient heart of Naples. Piazza Garibaldi and its side streets form an enormous, unwelcoming transport terminus and street market. The area is distinctly seedy. Quite a few of the cheaper hotels, some of which double as brothels, are here. A wide shopping street, Corso Umberto I, skirts the southern edge of Spaccanapoli, aligned southwest from Piazza Garibaldi to Piazza Bovio. From here Via A Depretis runs to the huge Piazza Municipio, dominated by the unmistakable Castel Nuovo. From the waterfront behind the castle, ferries sail to the bay islands, Palermo and other long-distance destinations. Palazzo Reale, next to the castle, flanks Piazza del Plebiscito, Naples' biggest and most impressive square. From the adjacent Piazza Trieste e Trento, Naples' main street, Via Toledo, leads north. To get your head round the city's geography, head up on foot or by funicular railway to Largo San Martino and absorb the panoramic view.

Destination Facts
Time zone: GMT +1
Area: 117
Coordinates: 40.833366394 latitude and 14.2500247955 longitude
Population: 1000470
Languages: A Latin language related to French, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian. Standard Italian and numerous dialects are spoken.
Currency: Euro (€)
Daylight Saving: From last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October
Area codes: 081

Weather
Situated on the shin of Italy, Naples has a fair expanse of Mediterranean in front of it, bringing those hot dry summers and cool sea breezes straight to Naples' door. It's much wetter than Italy's east coast; most rain occurs around autumn and winter months. Unlike Mediterranean islands where the sea keeps winter temperatures warm, Naples has inland winds that make for quite chilly winters.

Warning
An ongoing dispute about waste disposal has taken its toll on Naples, where some 3,500 tons of uncollected trash are piled up around city streets. Angry residents have taken to burning the rubbish, magnifying the potential health and environmental hazards of the situation. Italy's president, Silvio Berlusconi, has vowed to address the crisis, but in the meantime, Naples may not be the most relaxing place for a holiday.