Naples and Maradona, a dream that won’t end

NAPLES provokes great debate. At first glance, it is dirty, unruly, scary and ugly. It is a sprawl, Italy’s most densely populated urban area, overlooked by Vesuvius, Europe’s most dangerous mainland active volcano. A 30 minute walk around Naples may bring you to the conclusion that this city of 3.5 million people is dancing, both literally and metaphorically, on a volcano.

Poverty runs through Naples like a fast-flowing river, from the bongo-thumping begging-buskers to the litter-strewn side streets where washing hangs from rusting balconies and window boxes. It is hard to believe that a city such as Naples should be part of the same country as Milan and Rome. While Milan has its black-clad fashionistas that stalk the grand shopping arcades, Napoli is a city of the street, characterised by tight alley-like thoroughfares like the scooter run of Via Tribunale where all life can be found.

It’s a one-football club…