We travelled to Naples for a scientific conference and found this very large, clean and wonderfully located flat in Quartieri Spagnoli, hosted by Chiara.
The host helped us arrange a transfer to the flat, which we would highly recommend as it is in a very residential area.
the flat is in Quartieri Spagnoli (Spanish Quarters), a part of the city of Naples, where the Neapolitan language is more present than anywhere else. The area, which covers about 800,000 square meters, consists of a network of about eighteen by twelve streets, with a population of about 14,000 inhabitants.
We stayed there quite by chance, because we found nice looking accommodation on AirBnB. However, after we started telling people where we were, especially Italians, they all spoke almost in fear about the insecurity and crime in this part of Naples (where you'll see the Argentine flag more often than the Italian flag and where Diego Armando Maradona is almost ubiquitous).
Our experience is completely different from this prejudice. This is a real, proper neighbourhood. Children play in the streets, relaxed, without parental supervision, and the neighbors watch them not to do something stupid, while they run around on vespas and quads, often younger than my 10 year old son... The only thing I saw on the faces of those children was a smile and the only thing I heard was a lovely buongiorno, or more precisely bonciorna in Neapolitan.
Every neighbor greeted us politely as if we had been there for a hundred years, they gave us a discount at the local store (I checked) every time, nobody even looked at us badly, on the contrary!
I'm sure there are moments that this neighborhood isn't proud of, but what neighborhood doesn't have those? The only thing I am sure of is that the children in this place grow up happy, no matter what their economic situation is.
But prejudice is omnipresent, unfortunately. What I can say with certainty is, however, Viva Pibe de Oro, Viva Napoli, Viva Quartieri Spagnoli!
Of course, hope to be back. we fully recommend this accomodation and the host.