Locals have always known that the Sanità neighborhood in Naples was a place full of traces from a distant past. But since news has spread that visitors must now pay 25 euros to access the Hypogeum of Cristallini street, located under an ancient noble palace, residents are feeling a new sense of confidence.
Anna, for example, lives not far from the archaeological site.
“Do you realize that this changes everything for me? Below my basso, there’s a grotto! That thing always used to scare me because I thought it was full of rats, but now I have decided to open it all up: I’ll throw away the rubbish that we’ve dumped in there for the past 20 years, and instead I’ll create something like the excavation site of Pompeii. For 25 euros, I’ll even throw in a first course, a second course, and a coffee. What do these noble people think — that in the whole Sanità neighborhood, beautiful things are only for them? Dottoré, these signori living opposite me will cry for the pasta e fasule I will serve tourists!”
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