The Mafia heard me talking shit!

And I mean that literally, figuratively and all other forms of iterally. Ladies and gentleman, the garbage has cleared here in Napoli, Italy.  If you recall from my last post, the streets were in utter filth and it turns out it was because of a power struggle between the Mafia and the government. 2 days after, all the trash bins were emptied and have been every day since. There are people sweeping dog shit in the streets and men with hoses spraying down the sidewalks! Incredible. 

Lines at the first pizzeria EVER.

I went to lunch at the first Pizza place in Napoli. The very same one that Julia Roberts dinned at for the filming of Eat, Pray,Love, L’Antica De Michele.  It was phenomenal! Charred just right, cheesy with a delicate not too bitter sauce, just the right amount of sweet and fresh tomato tasting  and the place smelled like heaven.  When you arrive as a party of one, they just add you to any table that is not full. I was lucky enough to join some Neapolitan's. Josepi, Vincente and Anne...A medical student, Lawyer Uncle and his teenage daughter. It was fantastic to hear about all the musts straight from the source. And it's been confirmed, dangerous. Both men had been robbed in dark allies at least once in their lives. 

Marriage

Vincente: Are you married?

Me: Nope

Anne: But then you must be in love? 

Me: Not today. Maybe tomorrow.

Vincente: That's wonderful! I envy you. It's good to be married it's better not to be. 25 years and 4 children. I know.

Josepi: I'll never marry! 

Followed by a high five's all around!

 

 I asked them about the trash and they informed me of another peculiar rule. There are driving zones in some of the major cities, Rome included, that make it so that non-resident cars are forbidden called ZTL’s.  And these rules are heavily policed. All day long you see cops in sets of two’s walking up to each and every car checking their decals.  And to top it off, some of the roads are closed entirely to auto traffic when the boats come in and out of port. The rule does not apply to motorcycles and mopeds, hence the motorini frenzy.

Before

It turns out there is just not enough landfills to meet the demand and the Mafia was burning it and causing toxic air and soil pollution. Turning a hefty profit doing so. No one ever said they were humanitarians! Then the government decided to build some incinerators but they abandoned that, probably too pricey. So now they ship the shit to the Netherlands at the rate of a shipload per week. Pollution and Politics. 

After

Here’s a Wikipedia link about the Mafia and government trash struggle in Napoli in case you are eager for more:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naples_waste_management_issue

Romance for one :) Not too shabby.