In recent years, Naples has experienced a sort of hyper-narration, especially in film and literature, which has further enriched an already deeply ingrained imagery. The pendulum has always swung wildly between peaks and depressions, making it difficult to form an idea, find an average, or imagine a Neapolitan normality, if such a thing exists. What is the outcome of this period, during which Naples has been the most filmed city in Italy? Where can this longed-for normality be found? Perhaps one should "ascend" to Vomero, a district considered almost foreign to the city, precisely because it is supposed to be "normal," inhabited by a middle class, homogeneous, peaceful? A reality in contrast with the over-the-top life of the historic center, crossed by a thousand layers—architectural, historical, and social—yet even there, an alternative interpretation exists: the center, with its underground city and art metro, as a virtuous model of coexistence between ancient and modern, and not just another variation of exotic exceptionalism. The odyssey of Bagnoli, which has been waiting for thirty years for one of the many redevelopment projects of its industrial area to come to life, is contrasted by the cutting-edge campuses of the former Cirio in San Giovanni a Teduccio, which have a positive impact on the area, as has also happened in the film sector with its many productions in the most challenging neighborhoods. A great success story is that of Fanpage, which has established itself as a highly innovative news outlet and represents a Naples that attracts talent instead of losing it, that exports models, that colonizes instead of being colonized. Even on the governmental level, the "city-state" and its "monarch mayors" present themselves as a political laboratory that often precedes what will become national trends. For better or worse, Naples always amazes, even when it does everything to be "normal."
