Saturday, August 21, 2010

The Spanish Quarter

Hanging out the daily laundry.

Piles of garbage are everywhere.

Banners and colourful flags proudly hang over the streets of the quarter.

A map of the 'hood.

The Quartieri Spagnoli is one of the most crowded, filthiest, and noisiest places I've ever been. But there is nowhere else I would have stayed this week. As you can see on the lower part of the map, it is an extremely dense grid of streets and alleyways compared to the rest of Naples.

The buildings are so tall and close together that sunlight rarely makes it down onto the road. I marked off each building at 30 steps. And my legs aren't long.

Honestly, if I leaned over our balcony railing with a broom I would be able to touch the neighbour's apartment with its handle.

It is a very mixed population living here. Many born and bred Neopolitans. Lots of immigrants from India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cameroon and Nigeria.

Garbage is everywhere! And I mean everywhere. On street corners, in doorways, under cars, on the grass in parks. It is EVERYWHERE!

Like I said, there is nowhere else I would have wanted to be this week.

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