March 28 – the narrow streets

Naples is famed for its narrow busy streets. Cars, scooters and bikes race up and down. There are usually no pavements, so it’s a bit of a free-for-all. Of course, there are main streets which look just like any other major city, but they are not as interesting.

In the part near where I stayed, with its narrow streets, and in the Spanish Quarter, the local mafia (Camorra) are more or less in charge. They are involved in a wide range of criminal activities, including drug trafficking, extortion, money laundering, illegal gambling, and arms trafficking. It is said that around 20% of the local economy is controlled by them.

Here are some video clips negotiating the narrow streets.