An Irish tourist who travelled to a popular Italian city on the Amalfi Coast has encouraged others not to make the same journey after he claimed there’s a problem plaguing its streets
A tourist holidaying in Italy has issued a strong word of caution for would-be travellers planning to explore one of the nation’s major cities. In a stern warning issued on TikTok, user OnlyAgnew boldly advised his followers to give Naples a miss. “I’m going to give you a travel tip – if you’re ever thinking about coming to Italy, do not come to Naples,” he stated firmly in a video.
“If you do come here, don’t be planning on staying long because it’s one of the dirtiest cities I have ever visited in Europe.” The Irish holidaymaker pinpointed a particular area awash with rubbish and discarded clothing, noting this has led to a significant rat problem too.
“Look at this,” he went on, displaying a mountain of trash bags that had erupted onto the street. “That’s only one street – there are skips and bins just filled with rubbish all around the streets.”
He continued: “I don’t have any clue why it is like this, but they just overflow the bins here and throw more rubbish beside them.”
He then broadcast images of several other skips brimming over with refuse, demonstrating the severity of the issue. The TikToker added: “They just fill them right to the top and don’t even close the lids.”
Despite Naples’ reputation for good food and its photogenic allure, which attracts many visitors en route to the stunning Amalfi Coast, the social media traveller insists it’s not worth the stopover.
Closing his clip, OnlyAgnew made a point with “one more bin”, emphasising: “This is the worst one yet. It’s just everywhere.”
One TikTok user shared their own views in agreement, commenting: “100% agree. Naples is a s***hole. Pompeii and Herculaneum are astonishing though so I didn’t let it spoil my trip. I do agree it has a massive sanitation problem.”
Another concurred: “I’ve been and tell people exactly the same. Such a shame because it is a lovely place – apart from the rubbish everywhere?”.
Whilst a third person spoke in agreement: “Totally agree, awful place. Passed through when on a cruise. Crossing the road like a bad game of chicken and seen several rats running through street. Awful.”
Yet, not everyone agreed with the criticisms levelled at the city, as one TikTok user passionately defended Naples: “I love Naples, it’s a city and has its problems but it’s a great place,” they wrote. “People need to stop going to Italy thinking it’s all a picture postcard. It has its problems like any other country.”
A second individual also urged: “Never ever ever skip Napoli. It’s the best city in Italy, so vibrant, so true, so raw, honest and the nicest food and people I’ve ever experienced in Italy.”
A third added: “Love Naples. It has real history, culture. There is poverty and parts are crowded and sometimes dirty. It’s for travellers not tourists.”
And a fourth enthused: “Naples is one of the best European cities. Sure it’s a bit gritty but amazing nightlife (go with a local), food (go with a local) and access to the islands (and if you want to annoy yourself access to the Amalfi Coast).”
The VisitNaples tourism website also has a message for potential visitors, urging them to see past any negative aspects. “If you are still hesitant about the choice of your trip to Visit Naples, we recommend you to drop out of your mind every prejudice and to keep the eyes wide open,” it states.
“Naples is a beautiful Italian city which overlooks the sea, unique in its genre, non-conventional, alternative and artistic, able to amaze every tourist with its beauty and its unaltered identity through time.”