Naples should not be overlooked
A middle-aged man in a tracksuit approaches the car, gestures for us to stop and then marshals us into a tight space between two black Fiat Pandas. He wipes a trail of sweat from his brow, knocks on the driver’s window and opens his bumbag full of loose change. He is part of the parcheggiatori abusivi: unofficial, unlicensed, self-appointed parking attendants operating across Naples. He asks for €5, a relatively steep price, even for central Naples. My girlfriend, who is Neapolitan, does the talking. We get him down to €3. We also pay at the official parking meter. “You have to do both,” says my girlfriend.
