Home deliveries in Naples can get very creative. People living in old buildings without elevators often use buckets tied to ropes to lift up groceries and other merchandise to their places. It’s quite an efficient system that is fun to watch in action.
I’ve got a good bargain on a Valentino’s purse
Naples is a city like no other in Italy. I’d define it as the capital of the ‘art of survival’. Nothing there comes even close to the normal rules of order. Historical inefficiencies in public services and a local culture that favors workarounds rather than fixing things, has nurtured an unsually creative spirit in Naples citizens. Within certain limits, even some not so legal activities are widely accepted. This man was selling his counterfeited bags right in front of a police station. I guess also some policeman’s wife would prefer to save some bucks on a pretty purse…
Architectural barriers
It’s pretty evident that in the past centuries Italian cities were not built with much thought about architectural barriers. And things haven’t improved in recent years. In picking your final destinations, you should be prepared to deal with steep stairways, bridges without ramps and sidewalks occupied by cars. If you are traveling with infants (or people with disabilities), you should keep that in mind if your goal is to fully experience all the hidden vicoli in Venice or explore Amalfi’s viuzze up in that rocky coastline…