Naples, October 11th, 2026 (The Berlin Spectator) – An excessive amount of rain is falling down from the sky on this day in October. Still, hundreds of tourists are boarding the train to one of the most important attractions down here: Pompeii, the former city that was buried under up to 20 feet of volcanic ash nearly 2,000 years ago. Today, no ash is in sight anywhere, but the rain is entering everyone’s shoes and camera bags.
Even though this sightseeing spot is almost drowning, some British tourists arrive in shorts and t-shirts. As long as the stratovolcano Mount Vesuvius next door does not erupt again, 82 years after the last time it shot ash and lava all over the place, nothing will stop them. We brought rain coats and an umbrella, but give up anyway. Without seeing Pompeii, we return to the small train station, located a few steps from the ticket office, and go back to Naples, where the Catacombs of San Gennaro are a far better sightseeing spot for a day like this one. This Christian burial and worship site might be dark, but it is as dry as a desert.
In Naples, the October rain can suddenly stop, at any moment, even when the rain radar says it is still going on. The weather defies science over here, probably because winds above the Tyrrhenian Sea can blow away those clouds rather quickly. Why didn’t it do so while we were en route to Pompeii?
Bath Tub
The Tyrrhenian Sea is part of the Mediterranean, which attracts tourists on cruise ships all the time. Where do you think most of them will be parked? At the Port of Naples. On Thursday evening, the “Silver Spirit” was here, a giant beauty that accommodates 636 guests in suites with private butlers. It’s the kind of ship on which you can just drop a Kleenex on the floor, and someone will run towards you to pick it up for you. This boat may be pretty big, but it looks ridiculous compared to the German cruise ship “Mein Schiff 1” with a maximum capacity of 2,894 passengers, which blocked the “Silver Spirit” in port that evening, meaning the Germans would have to leave first before those deep-pocket guests in their suites get to leave Naples too.
Next to the “Legend of the Seas”, which is at anchor at the Port of Naples too, both of these cruise liners look like toys you would use in the bath tub. The “Legend” provides room for up to 7,600 passengers and 2,300 crew members. Many of them are walking the streets and nice pedestrian zones in Naples right now. These tourists are on a clock, meaning they can enjoy themselves, have pizza at “Da Michele” and shop until they drop, but they need to be back onboard before their giant leaves again. These cruise ship passengers contribute to the tourist stampede down here, even outside the season.
At the part of the port designated for cruise ships, a guy with a sign around his neck has one task: He is supposed to tell people they can’t walk towards the ships on the street, but have to enter through the big terminal. That way, they will see all those shops that offer items nobody ever needs. Chances are, some tourists will make some purchases anyway. But the officer is talking to a colleague and misses dozens of tourists who walk towards those boats outside anyway.
Ugly Vehicle
A twenty-minute walk away, in one of several pedestrian zones, a million shops offer souvenirs, art and other items to countless wet tourists who walk up and down the street. In spite of the crowds, scooters race right through this mess. Everyone has to step aside to let those maniacs go through. The next moment, at a populated café, six tourists need to get up from their chairs because a lady in an old Lancia insists on backing up her ugly vehicle into a driveway on the other side of the pedestrian zone. For this endeavor, she needs room to maneuver.
The Port Alba gate, located a bit further down the street, where all those bookstores can be found, keeps the rain away, but that doesn’t mean it helps anyone. Everyone who gets here is already soaked. The torrential rain and those thunderstorms have been going on all through the night. Do they ever stop? Yes, they do, all of a sudden, again. As if my complaints were heard in heaven, the clouds open and the sun comes out.
This is the moment to board bus number 154 to the most beautiful place in Naples, namely the promenade. A bus ride that could have been uneventful turns into a drama, as a pickpocket steals a purse. The owner, a woman in her 40s, and a fellow passenger run after the thief. Everyone on the bus roots for the victim and her helper. They tell the impatient bus driver to wait for them. After two minutes, they are back, with big smiles and the purse.
More Reliable
A few miles west, the main public transport provider is fighting the rainwater that entered the staircase and escalators at “Salvator Rosa” metro station. Passengers now have only one way to get down to the platforms, namely by elevator. Another station is closed completely because all the water did a lot of damage.
Naples’ metro system is unique. Because all those hills in the city, it had to be built very deep. Depending on the station, passengers have to descend or get back up to the surface by using up to five long escalators in a row. How does Naples even pay its electricity bills? They could probably use a nuclear power plant just for the escalators and elevators at metro stations.
Still, this city’s public transport system seems to be more reliable than the one in Berlin. And using it is a lot cheaper. A weekly card is 12 Euro, the amount for a day ticket in the German capital, for a system that sucks big time.
Piers and Terraces
There is a lot of beauty in Naples. When you get to the port, walk by those cruise ships towards the west direction, and you will hit the traffic-free part of the promenade. Yes, the Italians finally banned their loud, stinking Vespas and cars from here, where countless elegant four-star hotels are lined up in front of a tiny island you can get to via a causeway. Keep on walking, and you will arrive on the promenade’s next part. This one consists of a main traffic artery, some benches, a sidewalk with a wall right next to the Tyrrhenian Sea and big white rocks.
The view here is stunning. Turn your head to the east and you will see Mount Vesuvius and all those villages right next to it, in spite of the danger the volcano poses. Towards the west, another beautiful part of the city is visible. Nice houses with cute gardens and big villas are lined up along the coastline. We take bus line 140 to get a better glimpse. An hour later, this side of the bay turns into our favorite part of Naples.
We walk down an endless series of stairs on a very narrow path between entrances to nice little houses. Because the salt water constantly attacks the concrete these houses are made of, many are decaying. Our dream home, a former villa with a giant terrace overlooking the bay, actually is a dangerous building underpinned with strong metal bars. Without them, it would collapse. At the end of the path, we see countless small piers and terraces. What a wonderful spot!
For one day, our second-to-last one in Naples, the rain is supposed to take a break, according to our weather app. We intend to use this opportunity to get out there. We will try to see Pompeii once again, and continue the exploration.
