Reason to stay out of Naples?

Oh, how terrible!! Naples is one place in Italy I really do hate! I wont go back if I don't have too.
Rick's son, Andy Steves said he really hates Naples.
My Mom told me about a time when she was in Naples, she was drinking a cup of tea, and when she was finished with it, there was a big fat fly in the bottom of the cup! So gross!

I'm not dying to go there either, but isn't there a good museum that has a lot of artifacts from Pompeii, and is it the case that you have to go there first in order to get out to Pompeii?

You're right, that museum is worth going too. I guess it's alright to go to Naples long enough to go there, but then get the heck out! I never want to return to Naples!

Naples was the one place in Italy that I thought wasn't touristy and for that reason I loved it. It was authentic, yes gritty and rough, but still a nice place to visit.

I guess it all comes down to what each of us wants to get out of travel.

Very true. I'm sure Milan wont be an easy place to get around in either. Very crowded!

I have been to Naples a few times and have never had a problem. The people are warm and friendly. Yes it is a big city but so is Rome and to be honest the people in Naples are nicer than the people in Rome. I have also been to Rome several times and find the people rude.

Naples is a wonderful place to soak in the culture.

The perception of Naples being crime ridden and crazy are to some degree - exaggerated. yes, naples can be sketchy but so can parts of most large American metro cities. Naples breaths with "live". the people are friendly and the food (pizza-especially) god given.
With that said, you do need to be vigilent. petty crime is a mainstay against tourist. Beware of kids on scooters as some like to snatch purses and bags as they ride by. We never had problems in naples. in fact, some of our most vivd memories of italy are in naples and one of the reasons we appreciate seeing it.

Wonderful and authentic though Naples may be, my original question was how to deal with the fact that the Mafia is apparently selling oven baked bread out of car trunks, that was baked with varnished, and other unhealthy type of wood, and was even getting into producing other types of unhealthy food that is being sold all over town (as is described in the article from the Guardian UK. So it's one more issue that people may want to be aware of if going there -- and it seems pretty unpleasant -- especially if they get to the pizza!

The Camorra (the local mafia) is slowly killing Naples. It's tragic.

I always find the Guardian so reactionary, I tend to take their articles with a grain of salt. If it really concerns you, avoid eating the bread, but Naples is beautiful, there is nothing quite like it anywhere. Yes, it is chaotic, and yes, you do have to be alert about where you are going, but sit in a cafe by the bay with Mt. Vesuvius in the background and a glass of limoncello in our hand and you will realize why it was worth the trip.

I have always found Naples to be a great experience. It is like New York city or any large US city. It has its good areas and its bad. Don't buy your bread from someone selling it out of his car trunk - go to a bakery.

I'm in Naples for 3 months and I absolutely love this town. There's so much to see and the people are wonderfully nice. Sure it's crowded, noisy, and sometimes dirty but that just means it's well lived in. In all honesty I could spend the rest of my life in this city and be very happy. Don't let the alarmist get to you Naples isn't really that bad.

BG,

It is wrong what they are doing, but I don't see how Camorra will affect you personally, unless you are part of the clan.

Here's a solution--Don't buy bread out of someone's car trunk. Personally, I don't buy anything out of someone's car trunk here in America.

The article states they're not just selling this toxic bread out of car trunks but also through legitimate bakeries and restaurants.