Sunday, July 19, 2009

Campania Beaches


Looks like even Campania Beaches have their share of pollution.  

After my post "Lido Life," I've now read that the beaches in Campania are off-limits. The Agenzia Regionale per la Portezione Ambientale della Campania has done biweekly tests of the regional waters that have turned up higher-than-acceptable levels of total coliform, fecal coliform and fecal streptococci bacteria, the last of which can cause strep throat, flesh-eating disease and other infections. The pollution is caused by illegal dumping of sewage and inefficient water purification plants.  

You can read more about it here: Italy's beaches are mostly vacant. To read more about news releases by the Campania version of the EPA, go to the 'Agenzia' link above.  

My hometown is San Diego where these pollution problems have been chronic for many years, so my family and I have written off beaches there as well (along with in LA where you can actually smell the sewage coming off the Santa Monica pier as well as beaches near Pacific Palisades). I suggest that my 'Lido' post become our 'virtual tour' of the Campania beach -- and we head off to more ancient ruins or parks. My recommendation for a wonderful park located in the heart of the city is Parco Virgiliano. Click on the park for a virtual tour.

For today, I write my feelings in on-line parlance: :(


2 comments:

Janet said...

Hi! Love your blog. I sent you an email. But I wanted to let you know that your image of Naples is so different from mine. My grandfather immigrated from there in 1913. Recently read "Gommorah". Wow.
Have just finished a novel about Rome. Would love to have you respond to my blog. It can be accessed via my website:
www.janetsimcic.com
Is you book available on Kindle?
Ah - Napolitano espresso! Fantastico!

Barbara said...

Hi Janet,

Thanks for writing! In one of my future posts, I'll talk about Neapolitan chaos, explaining that the city is really a personality type to be embraced -- or not. The city 'fits' well with my personality.

Although I recommended "Gommorah" in a previous post, I read the book and didn't enjoy it. While Saviano details very general mafia shenanigans in the city (and it's true that so many Neapolitans talk about the Camorra as part of their table conversations), unless you go out seeking the mafia, you don't really see or experience them.

What's more, I wished that Saviano had placed himself in the book -- explaining what his specific role was within the mafia and what he specifically did. By taking himself out of the narrative, his book was less credible. Almost as though he exonerated himself of all wrong-doing and pointed lots of fingers. There's no growth or change in that kind of narrative.

Yes, the espresso is so grand, I'm currently creating a whole series on it. Ciao!