If you’re planning a trip to Italy any time soon, one tourist who is currently in the country himself believes there’s one city you should avoid at all costs.
“I’m going to give you a travel tip – if you’re ever thinking about coming to Italy, do not come to Naples,” TikTok user, OnlyAgnew said in a video. “If you do come here, don’t be planning on staying long because it’s one of the dirtiest cities I have ever visited in Europe.”
Pointing to a section of the street to highlight the problem, the Irishman said there’s rubbish and clothes “everywhere”, which has proven the catalyst for an invasion of rats.
“Look at this,” he continued, showcasing a large pile of bin bags – the contents of which had spilled out onto the pavement.
“That’s only one street – there are skips and bins just filled with rubbish all around the streets,” OnlyAgnew slammed. “I don’t have any clue why it is like this, but they just overflow the bins here and throw more rubbish beside them.”
He then showed his followers examples of a number of skips on the same street, which were piled high and overflowing too with bags upon bags.
The tourist added: “They just fill them right to the top and don’t even close the lids.”
While many stop off in the city when visiting the picturesque Amalfi Coast – often due to the great food and how lovely Naples looks in pictures – the travel fan urges people not to bother.
Closing his clip with “one more bin”, he stressed: “This is the worst one yet. It’s just everywhere.”
Sharing their own experience, one TikTok user who agreed with OnlyAgnew stated: “100% agree. Naples is a s***hole. Pompeii and Herculaneum are astonishing though so I didn’t let it spoil my trip. I do agree it has a massive sanitation problem.”
A second added: “I’ve been and tell people exactly the same. Such a shame because it is a lovely place – apart from the rubbish everywhere?”
Whilst a third person concurred: “Totally agree, awful place. Passed through when on a cruise. Crossing the road like a bad game of chicken and seen several rats running through street. Awful.”
Defending the city, however, one TikTok user exclaimed: “I love Naples, it’s a city and has its problems but it’s a great place. People need to stop going to Italy thinking it’s all a picture postcard. It has its problems like any other country.”
Another urged: “Never ever ever skip Napoli. It’s the best city in Italy, so vibrant, so true, so raw, honest and the nicest food and people I’ve ever experienced in Italy.”
A third individual concurred: “Love Naples. It has real history, culture. There is poverty and parts are crowded and sometimes dirty. It’s for travellers not tourists.”
And a fourth gushed: “Naples is one of the best European cities. Sure it’s a bit gritty but amazing nightlife (go with a local), food (go with a local) and access to the islands (and if you want to annoy yourself access to the Amalfi Coast).”
The VisitNaples tourism website encourages visitors to look beyone the city’s problems, meanwhile. “If you are still hesitant about the choice of your trip to Visit Naples, we recommend you to drop out of your mind every prejudice and to keep the eyes wide open,” it sates.
“Naples is a beautiful Italian city which overlooks the sea, unique in its genre, non-conventional, alternative and artistic, able to amaze every tourist with its beauty and its unaltered identity through time.”