2008 is the Year of the Rat according to the Chinese Zodiac, and in Pianura, a city north of Naples, Italy, they are discovering this in a literal way. Sanitation workers quit picking up Pianura’s garbage shortly before Christmas in December 2007, claiming the landfills were full. As a result, trash is piled six feet high in places, a terrible stench lingers in the air, and people are worried about their health.

Does this mean travelers should abandon plans to visit the city of Naples? The answer is no. While reports you see on TV about the garbage crisis are accurate, they are also misleading, because Naples is the name of both a city and the province it inhabits. So when you hear a reporter say, “Naples, Italy” they are not necessarily referring to the city. In this case, those horrible images you see are of small towns in the province of Naples.

But don’t get me wrong, Read more »

The other day, it was cloudy and gray when we got up. “No need for the air conditioner!” I proclaimed. Being from the Pacific Northwest (or “North-wet” as some say) I am used to cloudy, gray days and, to me, they imply cool weather. So imagine my shock, when upon flinging the balcony doors open, I was accosted by air that was 40 degrees Celsius and 94% humidity! Read more »

I sometimes feel like I’m living an inverse “My Fair Lady,” with Angelo as Henry Higgins’ evil twin, because instead of making me more refined, Angelo delights in teaching me insulting phrases in the Neapolitan dialect.

He even has a reason for this. Read more »