Italy PM Silvio Berlusconi sent army troops on a dirty, thankless mission this past week. The charge: clean up Naples.

Unfortunately, the executive order was a literal decree and not one that will strike at the heart of what ails the fine Campania capital. Street rubbish, piles upon piles of street rubbish, is as common in Napoli as pizza margherita. Even a man as all-powerful as bon vivant Berlusconi – who is to good governance what Caligula was to restraint – has been woefully impotent in the face of the city’s monumental waste management problem. Moreover, the order came a week before municipal elections. Shady at best.

Photo credit

The garbage crisis in Naples is a crisis of corruption and Mafia-led municipal control, of course. The Camorra crime cartel has held sway in Campania since the early 1700s, incredibly, and influences just about every facet of life in Naples, from liquor licences to, yes, heavy metal, industrial waste, chemical and household garbage disposal. That ordinary citizens have been relentlessly handcuffed by this entrenched system of sinister malfeasance is beyond tragic.

Not that any of this should divert you from Naples. If, after all, we were to adhere to a strict holier than thou travel policy, our holiday options would greatly diminish, if not vanish altogether. While heaps of rubbish are admittedly unpleasant, Naples has enough eye candy to deflect your gaze elsewhere. As for the smell, well, all the melted mozzarella di bufala won’t make a difference.

You can make a lot of headway in Naples in 24 hours. Here’s a must-see shortlist to mull over as you peruse hotels in Naples.

Archaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Torre Annunziata

Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius – Photo credit

A full two millennia after the apocalyptic eruption of Vesuvius, visitors congregate to the base of the volcano en masse, rapt as ever. A singular UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Santa Chiara

The Historic Centre of Naples, too, is a UNESCO treasure well worth a thorough probe. The area eclipses countless epochs and unfurls a wealth of vital architectural gems. Santa Chiara, a complex that includes the Church of Santa Chiara, a monastery, tombs and archeological museum, is one such landmark.

Castel Nuovo

Built in 1282, the Maschio Angioino, or Castel Nuovo, is the premier symbol of Naples.

Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli

The Naples National Archaeological Museum is easily the most important in Italy and one of Europe’s best.

Villa Comunale

For a respite from the urban blight, make a beeline for tranquil Villa Comunale. The beautiful, obtrusive park is full of inherent attractions.

Underground Naples

One of the most memorable tours of Naples takes place entirely below ground, where a powerful geothermal zone, the Campi Flegrei, proliferates. Amble through ancient aqueducts, sewers, cisterns, catacombs and quarry caverns.

Piazza Plebiscito

Naples from above, Piazza Plebiscito on the right – Photo credit

While not the most dominant square in Naples, Piazza Plebiscito is flanked by a hall of fame cast of tourist attractions; the Royal Palace, Church of San Francesco di Paola and Biblioteca nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III, chief among them.

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