#Naples

Naples is a city built on layered stories—pizza, sea breeze, and centuries of street life. Today its busiest arteries carry a counter-story as well: a surge of visitors and short‑term renters that many residents say hollow out neighborhoods, push families to the margins, and turn once-vibrant streets into open-air shopping malls. The stark portrayal of Naples in recent reporting is not merely a travel feature; it’s a case study in the real costs of tourism that pours money in but drains homes, culture, and community. “The historic center of Naples is dead,” a sociologist and activist who lives in the Sanitā district recently told reporters. “Those streets aren’t neighborhoods anymore. There are no Neapolitans left, no real life left. They’ve become playgrounds, open-air shopping malls.” That sentiment captures a broader pattern: when tourism grows faster than a city’s ability to manage it, the city risks losing the very qualities that drew visitors in the first place.