Survive Naples

While driving to Ikea to furnish what I am fortunate to call a comfortable lifestyle, I was unexpectedly confronted face to face with the other side of humanity. As I pulled onto the expressway, I saw two people walking up the ramp onto the road. Given the often unpredictible and unsafe conditions on Neapolitan roads, I was initially concerned for their safety. What I saw next stunned me even more.

Looking to my left as I drove up the ramp, I was shocked to see small buildings constructed from the garbage that is common on the streets and highways surrounding Naples. Caught off guard and without my camera, I continued on my way.

Today, approximately one month after my first experience, I returned to the site with my video camera and shot this footage. As I pulled up, a woman, her husband, and teenage son were walking up the ramp. I pulled over to the right side of the road, asked them in my broken Italian if this was their home.

“Si.”, they replied simply and strangely with smiles on their faces. I can only assume they thought I would provide them with food or a handout of some kind. I had nothing to give.

“Di dove sei?”, I asked. “Where are you from?” in Italian. The reply, “Romania.”

When I asked if I could photograph them the smiles quickly turned to frowns and they hastily walked away. I respected their wishes and photographed only the outside of their homes in an attempt to show the world what poverty truly is and that it exists in its worst forms in unexpected places.

Two other men later emerged from the home to investigate me. Keeping their distance they asked for food, but again I had none. Not wanting to disturb them further I continued on my way.

Please read the story posted on CNN at:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/15/italy.gypsies.ap/index.html

additional video available from CNN here in this report by Alessio Vinci.