By Barbie Nadeau

I can only begin to tell you how much I love Napoli.  It is a city that entices you by defying you, and constantly surprising you. Naples is an acquired taste, to be sure. It is too loud, too fast, too chaotic –not to mention too dirty, especially recently--but at the same time its beauty, historical significance and unique energy make it well worth enduring all the negatives.

I always imagined the only thing that could really defeat this vibrant city would be Vesuvius erupting or some sort of freak tsunami-like wave from the sea. Sadly, this beautiful urban organism actually is dying a much worse death.  After months of negative publicity about the ever--and still--present garbage in the streets, the city seems to be giving up. Store window displays make apologies for the trash on the sidewalks.  Even the city's "what's on" monthly magazine Qui Napoli asks forgiveness and patience on it's cover: "Sorry, we'll come back prettier than before." Worse yet, major hotels like the Continental are closing.  And famous restaurants like the Caruso roof garden atop the Grande Albergo Vesuvio, where international A-listers used to have their own tables, are locking up simply because no one wants to come to Napoli anymore.

That's a justified reaction, perhaps. After all, who wants to walk through miasmic mounds of rodent-ridden garbage?  But it's an unfair response to the problems in Naples.  Many Mediterranean cities like Naples which are rich in culture rely heavily on tourism.  Once it's gone, they are left vulnerable and virtually ruined.

The garbage stinks, sure, but Naples' gems are still there: its archaeological museum continues to highlight world-renowned artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum that simply can't be seen anywhere but Naples. The San Carlo theater, as well, is booming after a 50 million euro shot in the arm. Famed Neapolitan director Riccardo Muti is even coming back to conduct a special concert later in the year. And there is still that unmistakable Neapolitan energy that writhes through the city.

Many Neapolitans blame the recent scrutiny in the press for what seems to be the final nail in the city's coffin. But it is actually the lack of focus by local and regional government  that is responsible. Even after the firestorm of attention over the last few months and years, garbage continues to line the streets.  Some 100,000 tons have been shipped to other parts of the country, including Sardinia and some northern provinces, but Neapolitans continue to produce refuse and it continues to rot in many public spaces.

The historical center, it should be said, appears much cleaner. Where dumpsters overflowed just a month ago, in some cases there simply are no dumpsters at all now.  But where they are present, their contents are still spilling out. Giving in to random fits of rage, frustrated locals spontaneously dump garbage on busy streets. In the suburbs the situation is still worse. The piles are higher and much more spread out than at the height of the post-Christmas crisis. The environmental disaster that looms is hard to fathom.

As Italy prepares for elections in April, the garbage crisis has become a central issue in the campaign, with both sides promising to fix the problem for good "this time."  In fact, last weekend an Italian judge ordered 28 people to stand trial for their part in the garbage crisis, including the regional president Antonio Bassolino, who is charged with defrauding the state and abuse of office.  Also charged is the Impregilo construction company and its affiliates for mismanagement and defrauding the state. (All deny any wrongdoing.)

While accountability won't clean up the mess, it may at least curtail some of the corruption and misuse of resources that led to it.  A little late, perhaps, plans are also underway to teach Neapolitans the value of recycling and reusing.  All across the city the environmental groups Legambiente and Greenpeace are handing out recycling containers and giving mini-seminars to teach people in the local community what they should do at home.   Still, there is a long way to go before the city is clean again, even by Neapolitan standards.  

Maybe cities don't die. But loss of dignity is one of the curses of old age, and this venerable beauty deserves better care than she's been getting.

 (Photograph of garbage in Naples by Barbie Nadeau)