Ian writes: Last weekend I was down in the Naples area. The main news in Campania is the rubbish collection crisis. On the outskirts of Naples there are mountains of rubbish piling up. The problem is that the government cannot decide where a new incinerator should be located. All three of the proposed sites are fighting to keep it away from their respective doorsteps. Another example of the Italian State’s inability to push through laws which are not popular – in fact the Naples crisis is one of the main reasons why Prodi fell from power.
On the day of arrival there were strong winds and the flying rubbish was like confetti in the air – quite romantic and spectacular until you realised it was plastic bottles and nappies flying past the car window!
Having said this there does seem to be some light at the end of the tunnel – even while we were there we saw signs of the mess being cleared up. Also the main tourist sites are spotless. Positano was cleaner than my living room and the centre of Naples was immaculate.