Mountains of garbage. This is what can be seen more and more often on the streets, on the sidewalks, behind recycling bins in the city of Naples. The problem is caused by incivility or the lack of control of the situation. Surprisingly, the problem did not prevent the current tourism boom.
The situation does not change in the historic center. The heart of Neapolitan tourism is dirty. There are too many roads passing through the rubbish and even on a Sunday morning in Piazza Dante, next to the recycling bins, one can see all sorts of waste.
Locals are very dissatisfied with the current situation. “It is an unsustainable situation. I do not know how many times I have contacted the police to come and collect fines,” a resident of Naples on Via Cisterna dell'Olio said. But the complaints did not have the hoped-for effect of the increasingly exasperated residents. According to them, the bad smell has become a regular part of these streets.
However, despite the difficult situation in the city, it seems it has little effect on the tourism boom. Latest reports suggest that as of June 2, Naples overcame Rome for the first time in terms of demand. The historic city in the south of Italy has 88% of rooms booked, while the capital has stopped at 86%.
Only few cities are better than Naples in this regard. Venice and Matera have reached a booking rate of 94%, followed by Florence (92%), Trieste (90%), Bologna (90%), Turin and Siena (89%). Even in terms of regions Campania (Naples) is doing very well. It is third (84%) after Veneto and Tuscany, with Capri, Sorrento and Ischia having a rate from 86 to 90%.
Another interesting statistic is that, according to data collected, more than 95% of the “alternative” accommodation facilities are booked on the islands of the Gulf of Naples, Sorrento coast and Naples itself.