Can anyone tell me what's the scoop with garbage strike. We didn't see much in Naples, but in Herculaneum, Torre Del Greco, and most of the way up Vesuvius there were heaps! Around the excavation site in Herculaneum was probably the worst.
They've started shipping some of it to Germany for incineration but that's only a band-aid. I have no idea how long it will take them to come up with a permanent solution. That's a shame about Herculaneum - it was one of the highlights of our trip in 2003.
I am very disappointed to hear it is around Herculaneum. We are going in September/October so I hope it will be cleaned up by then. I thought it was just in Naples so we decided to avoid Naples all together and just go straight to Sorrento. I didn't realize it had spread out so far. Do you know if there are any garbage problems in Sorrento?
Margaret, my experience in that area was much the same. I didn't notice any trash piles in Napoli (other than the daily accumulation outside restaurants), but especially in Torre del Greco and outlying areas, it was very noticeable.
Barb, I didn't notice any garbage problems at all in Sorrento. It was beautiful, and one of the highlights of my trip in the Amalfi coast.
From what I've seen on the Italian news, Silvio Berlusconi is trying to deal with the problem, and I believe the E.U. is "exerting some pressure" on the Italian government as well. Hopefully this situation will be resolved soon!
Cheers!
We avoided Naples but did drive quite a bit around the area. In some places we could see the occasional garbage pile but it wasn't overwhelming and felt more like a special "cultural experience".
BTW Germany retuned the garbage that was shipped from Naples to there. It was radio-active in parts - little greeting from the mob ...