ナポリを見てから死ね？ See Naples and die?

ヌウォーボ城　Castle Nuovo

「ナポリをみてから死ね」－この言いまわしを聞いて以来、ナポリに行くのはどうも気がひけていました。ナポリの美しさを見たらいつ死んでもよくなっちゃうかもしれないとか思って。なので実際行ってみて正直ほっとしました。ナポリは歴史的に重要ですばらしい建築物、芸術品にあふれていますが、同時にゴミと落書きにもまみれた町でした。

"Vedi Napoli puoi muori - See Naples and die." Since I heard of the saying, I hadn't felt like going there because Naples' beauty might make me feel I could die anytime. So I was sort of relieved when I actually went. It was filled with majestic historical structures and artifacts, but also riddled with rubbish and graffiti.

１３世紀からイタリア王国（現イタリア共和国の前身）に統合される1861年までナポリ王国の首都だったナポリ。現在は南イタリアの中心でマフィアがいまだに暗躍中（といううわさ）。工業が発展した北イタリアと比べ、農業中心の南イタリアでは失業、貧困、犯罪が大きな問題となっているそうです。

Naples was the capital of the Kingdom of the eponymous state which has existed since the 13th century before being annexed to the Kingdom of Italy, in 1861 which preceded the  current Republic of Italy. Now it is the main city in  southern Italy.　
Ｔhere is a rumor  that the mafia is still behind the scenes. Compared to the developed industrial north, the agricultural south seems to have more problems of unemployment, poverty and crime.  

それでもやはりナポリは活気と見所にあふれる町。歩き回れるくらいの規模の歴史地区には荘厳な大聖堂の他に教会が乱立しており、おしゃれなブティックなどが並ぶ通りからは暗く狭い路地がのび、アパートの窓やバルコニーに観葉植物や洗濯物が見えたりと、歩き回るだけで面白い。

Notwithstanding a bit of chaos, we enjoyed walking around Naples, a vibrant city, full of attractions. In the small walkable historical area, there were a lot of churches and the grand duomo. And in the streets, lined with stylish boutiques, there were narrow dim alleys where we could see apartment house windows and balconies with plants or the washing.

そして食べ物は間違いなく美味しい！９月半ばにして昼間の気温は２５度以上。毎日ジェラート食べちゃいました。イタリア料理といえばピザ、パスタの イメージが強いですが、肉、魚、野菜料理もちゃんとあります。お気に入りのデリカデッセンを見つけ、毎夜通って地元のワイン片手に楽しみました。

Galleria Umberto I

ナポリは見るより味わうものかも。

Furthermore, the food was superb. It was mid September and the daytime temperature was above 25 degrees. Inevitably we had gelati, delicious Italian ice cream, every day. Speaking of Italian food, we normally imagine pizza or pasta, but there are various meat, fish, and vegetable dishes as well. We became regular customers at a delicatessen and enjoyed their dishes with local wine every evening.

Naples is a place to dive into, rather than see and die.