RESTLESS NATIVE:More and more like a local

The heat is on! Naples is back to its old sizzling self after a week of winter-like weather.

This means that I’ve been enjoying more than my usual amount of gelato and finding shelter in my favorite local parks as much as possible. Plus, I finally found the entrance to the library at the Royal Palace. I still have much to explore there, but at least I know how to get in now — and they have fans set up at every table. Very tempting!

I’m not the only one trying to beat the heat either. The city has become a bit of a ghost town. It’s that time of year when the locals head out for their own holidays and leave behind closed shops and quiet streets. The siesta hours seem to last for most of the day and there doesn’t seem to be anything deader than a Sunday in August in Naples.

Just the other day, I went out shopping and only found scatterings of tourists wandering the streets looking for signs of life. Surprisingly, Naples comes alive Sunday evenings, especially along the waterfront, where there are lots of nice restaurants and bars. This is also where young men and women cruise the night away, circling the area looking for, well, maybe occasionally love.

Renato informed me that the guys like to ride their mopeds up to the girls in their cars and flirt. It’s an adult version of red light, green light. If the guys don’t get the go ahead to keep flirting, they ride on to the next car.

Of course, there are locals who hang in there for the long haul in the summer, and thank goodness they do! I need my gelato after all!

On Sunday, Renato and I went to the beach, the same beach we always go to now. As usual, we didn’t head out until late in the afternoon when we were both able to meet up. Normally our beach is quiet with lots of space on the sand to choose from. However, on this day, we arrived and discovered exactly where the inhabitants of Naples had been hiding.

The beach was packed!

Toddlers ran around bare-bottomed, boys played soccer, women sunbathed and everyone swam.

Renato pointed out a “typical” Neapolitan family to me. They had their folding table with an umbrella and chairs and loads upon loads of food. This family had made a day out of going to the beach, and their shocking red sunburns confirmed every hour. Laughing, Renato said that if we dug in the sand, we could probably find old pasta left over from families like this one. Surf, sand and pasta — now that’s the Italian way!

Since our day at the beach, I’ve been prepping for my next big, and much dreamed of, adventure. Renato and I are going to the stadium to watch a soccer game! In the spirit of supporting the home team, I went out to shop for shirts and scarves displaying “Napoli” in the team colors of white and light blue.

I found a shop across the street from the hostel that sells all kinds of fan-gear for all kinds of teams. The shop owner, Bruno, gave me a mostly toothless grin as he pulled out a Napoli scarf. When I asked how much it was, he told me, to my surprise, 20 euro, and I began to wonder if I should have started my search by trolling the less expensive street stands and open markets. Seeing my surprise, he pointed out that the scarf was an official product of the team, as if this would take the sting off, but really I wanted to know where he was hiding the cheap version.

I told him that I just couldn’t spend 20 euros on this, and he dropped the price by 2 euros. I declined again, but thanked him with a smile.

As I turned to leave, he slammed his fist down on the counter and declared he would sell me the scarf for 16 euros. Maybe it was always 16 and I just proved to be a tougher sell than he had expected, but whatever the cost, I liked the scarf enough to shell out the dough, and Bruno wouldn’t say goodbye before shaking my hand, asking for my phone number, and attempting to obtain a promise from me that I would visit again soon.

He got the handshake. I have a feeling that if I return to that shop, Bruno will try to get more than just my money. Oh those old Italian men! They do love to try!

There was no way I was going through another negotiation with Bruno (who knows how much he would have taken me for), so I still need to get a T-shirt.

Thankfully I will have a few hours tomorrow to continue my search and, with any luck, I will be on par with the locals at tomorrow’s game. (When I told Renato about my “free” trip through the museum at the Royal Palace, he told me that I’m becoming a Napolitana, so perhaps I can pull off the local vibe even without the T-shirt.)

Renato and I will arrive at the stadium a few hours early and wait among the masses to buy our tickets. We’ll pack sandwiches and drinks, and, of course, I will be toting along my camera to catch the action.

Whether Naples wins or loses, I’m sure it will be a great night and it certainly will be an experience for the books.

Via Napoli!

So, until next week, ciao ragazzi!