r/italy • u/[deleted] • Jul 26 '11
I'm going to Napoli this September as an Erasmus student... will I survive?
Hi, my name is Daniel and I'm from Spain. I'm going to Naples as an Erasmus next September and I don't know almost anything about the city yet. So I have too many a few questions:
I'm currently imparando l'italiano. Non so niente ancora ma Io devo giungere ad almeno un livello medio prima dell inizio del corso. But I've heard that in Naples there's a dialect or a language which is called "neapolitan" or "nnapulitano". I've also heard that south Italian is very difficult to understand. Ok, so I've been searching all around the Internet but I haven't found any free course or book to learn neapolitan. Is it necessary? Do all neapolitans speak "nnapulatino"? And is their Italian so difficult to understand?
My friends and, people in general, keep saying Naples is a wild city and that I have to be very careful. It seems there are specific streets where is better not to walk around, and some neighbourhoods in which lodging is dangerous and all that stuff. So is it true? Are there some parts in the city which are especially dangerous? Is it frequent to be robbed? Do I need to be extra careful for being a foreigner? Is the underground safe? Are there other important things to know on this issue?
Ok, that's all for now. I have some more questions about mafia, volcanoes, earthquakes, scrap heaps... XD but I'll leave it for the moment.
Thanks in advance. Ciao!
P.S. You can write me in Italian if you want. I need practice.
P.S. 2 : Thanks for all your replies. Very useful :)
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u/Sting1 Gamer Jul 27 '11 edited Jul 27 '11
Napoli here. Ok, everyone is mostly right. Dangerous city, garbage everywhere. However, if you're gonna hang out in the right places it's gonna be fun.
Neapolitan is a very strict dialect (well, it depends on who's speaking it) and it might seems a very different language from italian, but it borrows a lot of things from spanish, so you'll see that some words will be similar. You won't have problems communicating in Italian anyway.
One of the safest areas, even at night, in my opinion is "Vomero" so I suggest you to hang out there if you don't mind moving from where you are located (I doubt you will find affordable accomodation there, though).
The main train station (Napoli Centrale - Piazza Garibaldi) and the surroundings are quite a bit dangerous - but it's a very populated area. As long as you keep an eye out you're going to be safe. Be wary of strangers approaching you or offering you good deals on items if you are walking in the streets around there.
I don't have any specific tips but I know of many erasmus students that come here every year and - while I'm not really familiar with the project - I'm sure you will find good friends that will help you out!
PM me if you ever need anything.
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u/paisleyplaid Jul 26 '11
I didn't spend much time in Naples myself, but if it's anything like Sicily where I studied for a semester, then the locals will probably speak their local dialect as well as Italian. They'll just use the dialect when they're speaking with friends or they don't want you to know what they're saying.
I didn't spend much time in Naples as I was also told that it can be dangerous and I decided to focus on Capri/Amalfi Coast/Pompeii. I was there during a trash strike too so that didn't help.
From my knowledge, just outside the train station, Piazza Garibaldi is notorious for robbing.
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u/fanesto Jul 27 '11
Ciao, sono di Napoli. é divertente leggere tanti stereotipi ed anche insulti su una città ed un popolo che forse non si conosce nemmeno. Napoli di certo non è una città semplice ed ha i suoi problemi (sicurezza, spazzatura). Ma non preoccuparti hai fatto la scelta giusta. Conosco molti Erasmus e dopo un breve periodo di ambientamento ti divertirai e farai un'esperienza unica. Napoli è una grande città , molto bella e divertente, scoprirai una cultura molto vivace ed interessante. è vero che ci sono delle zone pericolose in periferia, ma al centro storico puoi stare sicuro (basta essere solo un poco più attento). è vero che c'è il delinquente che cerca di rubare, ma la grande maggioranza della gente è onesta e ti darà una mano da subito e ti sarà amica. Per la lingua non preoccuparti: tutti parlano l'italiano, solo qualcuno tra i più anziani e i meno colti tendono a parlare in napoletano, ma il napoletano è facilmente comprensibile. Don't care about people saying you made the wrong choice or change the city (the worst city in Europe?!!), they don't even know what they are speaking about. You will have the time to understand and love that city.
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Jul 26 '11
ciao i'm italian but never been to Napoli. btw, my ex-flatmate was from Napoli and while studying spanish he was always telling me about how close it was with the napolitan dialect. I can't tell how close and it was his impression, i honestly don't know. As I told i've never been there, but don't be afraid: what i know (i have many friends from there) is that it's like every big city, troubles won't come if you pay a little bit of attention. and i wish mafia business was only robbing spanish tourists (kiddng of course), unfortunately its activities will be so well hidden that you will barely notice
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Jul 26 '11
my ex-flatmate was from Napoli and while studying spanish he was always telling me about how close it was with the napolitan dialect
interesting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Sicily#The_insular_kingdom_of_Sicily_under_Aragon_and_Spain
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u/bookwolf Jul 26 '11
Ciao! Not a native or particularly knowledgeable, but I stayed for a week in Napoli at this hostel: Giovanni's House *The picture's a joke, it's not a castle.
If you stay a single night there (25-30 euro) Giovanni will give you a map, tell you where the dangerous spots are, where the fun is to be had, where the major attractions are and when to see them, the best pizzerie e ristoranti etc. etc. etc. He's extremely helpful, and would be a cool local friend to make if you're particularly friendly. He might even make you dinner and sing you Neapolitan songs. Worth a try, maybe.
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u/paolog Jul 26 '11 edited Jul 26 '11
Every region of Italy has its own dialect, but these tend to be spoken more by older people and are dying out. To someone who speaks only Italian, they are largely incomprehensible, although you may be able to understand the odd word here and there. They are typically passed on orally from parent to child, hence the lack of learning materials. In any case, as a general rule, all Italians speak Italian, so you won't need to learn Neapolitan.
I can't comment on the safety of Naples as I have never been there. Needless to say, the usual rules apply about going off the beaten track, walking around in unlit places alone, going off with strangers, etc.
As for earthquakes, volcanoes... I wouldn't worry about these. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are rare and you are unlikely to be caught up in one. Forget them and enjoy your time there.
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Jul 26 '11
Why the hell did you chose Naples? Easily one of the worst cities in Europe
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Jul 26 '11
In fact, my first city was Varese (I wanted to go to a place near Como) but, as I already know the north of Italy and also, Varese may be a bit boring, I decided to try with something different. I just didn't know Naples was that bad. I thought the city centre was safe, as almost any other city in west Europe, and that the problem with the mafia and all that stuff would be in the outskirts... but it seems I was wrong...
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u/Andaru 🚀 Stazione Spaziale Internazionale Jul 27 '11
It's not like you're going to be chased by hordes of crime lords the second you get there. It's just that the chance of getting pick-pocketed or bag-snatched is a bit higher, so just be a bit more careful with your stuff and don't make yourself a target. The center and many other places are safe.
Likely the only problem you're going to contend with is the garbage. Unfortunately the Naples garbage system suffers from years of mismanagement, so at times it just shuts down due to protests or capacity problems and the garbage piles on on the streets. If you're lucky it will be working when you'll be there...
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Jul 26 '11
Were you ever, man... Do yourself a favour and change your destination to ANY other city, you gonna git raped dere.
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u/MrMerda Jul 30 '11 edited Jul 30 '11
Dude, you'll love my city.
I don't know what you've been told about Naples but if you like to have fun you'll be amazed of the whole new level of fun you'll find here.
Don't get me wrong, Naples has some serious issues, but as an exchange student you'll only get the best out of this city: you'll probably stay in a good students area and hang out with genuinely nice people in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
To answer your questions:
- You don't need any book about Napoletano. Everybody here speak Italian (that is not any different from the Italian you'll hear in Milan) so you don't even need to learn it, but you eventually will. All foreign people I know who came here learned Napoletano just staying here, and most of them speak it even better than Italian. As a Spanish this will probably be your case too.
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My friends and, people in general, keep saying Naples is a wild city and that I have to be very careful.
Yes, Naples is a wild city. And yes, you better be careful, but you don't need to be paranoid.
I live in one of the worst neighborhood of the city and I shat my pants on some streets in Paris as well as in Dublin. Let alone Camorra (something you don't need to be worried about -- they won't mind you as long as you don't mind them and their business) crime rates are on the same level of other big cities.
Just don't go around showing everyone that you're a foreigner, keep your shit in your pocket where no one sees it when you're somewhere you don't trust, and you'll be fine.
It seems there are specific streets where is better not to walk around, and some neighbourhoods in which lodging is dangerous and all that stuff.
Yes, and I live in one of those. We have some pretty hardcore neighboroods, the good news is that you will probably never see them, unless you're doing it on purpose looking for some action (or maybe drugs -- we have a shitload of it if you're into that).
About the underground: it's very safe. The bad areas are all at the end of the line (I'm talking about Linea 1) so, then again, you won't end up there unless you fall asleep. :D
I'm a student and I lived almost all my life here. If you want some specific information, practice your italian or just hang around with a fellow redditor once you get here just ask, here or in PM!
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u/aMpeX Oct 30 '11
Hey there, I'm currently setting up a subreddit for all erasmus students. I'd be glad to see you there. My vision for this reddit is to provide a communications platform for all erasmus students, to exchange advice tips or meetings.
Cheers
aMpeX
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u/dotcoma Jul 27 '11 edited Jul 27 '11
Unless you're going there for very specific reasons, congrats for the worst possible choice you could make! Italy seems to be unable to take decent care of its large (>1 million) cities, Milan and Rome being much more of a mess than Barcelona and Madrid, for example. Napoli just takes this pattern a full 10 steps further. The city is notorious for not being able to collect its own rubbish, which is often just left in the streets and then burned by the population. In addition to this, Napoli is probably the only large city in Italy where the local dialect, more similar to a separate language, really, is used more than their more or less standard version of Italian. Crime-wise, expect most of the city to feel like El Raval in Barcelona - but like El Raval 10 or 20 years ago, not today; some areas are also definitely much worse, and you should take care. Anyway, don't get too scared, and I hope you can make the best of your stay!
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u/Andaru 🚀 Stazione Spaziale Internazionale Jul 26 '11
Napoli è in effetti una delle città più 'particolari' d'Italia. Al tempo stesso bellissima e bruttissima... Il dialetto può essere un problema, nel senso che è comunemente parlato da molti ed è molto difficile da capire, ma quasi tutti parlano italiano non appena capiscono di avere davanti un non napoletano. Ci sono comunque persone meno colte che potrebbero parlare solo napoletano, ma non sono comuni. Quasi tutti però tendono ad avere un forte accento che può essere problematico all'inizio, finché non ti abitui.
Non sono di Napoli, ma ci sono alcune zone che sono famigerate ed è meglio evitarle: i quartieri spagnoli e Scampia in testa alla classifica. In generale è sempre bene evitare di girare con oggetti costosi e portarsi pochi contanti addosso, poi se qualcuno ti ferma per venderti qualcosa diffida sempre...