Naples: Florida’s Italianate City

Our visit to Naples on the West Coast of Florida was completely unplanned. Discovering upon leaving that we would, upon our return drive home, be arriving in Charleston, South Carolina, by the late afternoon, we made an impulsive decision to drive across the state on what is called Alligator Alley to get to Naples. I had heard a great deal about this immaculate town and resolved to get a quick glimpse into the West Coast lifestyle. The drive, far from being boring, was thick with bird life. Though we did not see any alligators on the alley, we did see a variety of stocks and herons for the road passes through several wetlands and conservation areas.
When we arrived in Naples, we drove directly to the residential area known as Pelican Bay to meet up with our friends Doris and Hank Herbring, formerly of Southport, who have retired to Florida for the majority of the year. Their home on Via Mezner was simply charming. Driving along the broad tree-lined boulevards was a revelation of the kind of posh lifestyle that is possible when one has saved carefully over a lifetime to live a retired life of quiet luxury. We passed mile after mile of emerald-green golf courses and fancy country clubs, big name retail stores and every conceivable restaurant chain. When we did get to the Herbrings, we were bewitched by the style and ambience of their lovely home. A pergola covered with magenta bouganvillea led us into their covered sunny porch and into a living room that was flooded with sunlight from the picture windows. After we had spent a while catching up with our friends who looked remarkably fit and tanned and bursting with vitality, they took us for a walk around their pool and club house to give us an insight into the kind of life they lead. Next, they drove us to the “terminus” for a “tram”—really little more than a roomy golf cart—which then took us down to Pelican Bay past the most colorful bird life. Imagine our delight when we passed by a sand bank and saw a dozen lively baby alligators, no bigger than large lizards, being hounded by hungry stocks and egrets. As the alligators slithered towards the safety of the water, the egrets pounced down upon them leaving them little chance of survival. Thrilled that we had spotted alligators in Florida, albeit a nest of baby ones, we felt as if we were on an exotic vacation to a South Pacific Island or at a Disney theme park passing under tropical waterfalls whose caverns were stocked with plumed wonders. In a few moments, we arrived at the beautiful spotless white beach. The tide was in and waves came right up to the sunbathers’ toes as they tanned steadily beneath their blue beach umbrellas.

Then, bidding goodbye to the Herbrings, we drove to Downtown Naples to take in the enticements of Fifth Avenue. The buildings sport the same pastel colors which I had, by this point, begun to recognize as typically Floridian. Lovely shops, real estate agencies, casual restaurants and boutiques were scattered amidst fountains, cobbled squares and low slung bridges as we made our way down the road. Since it was such a lovely afternoon, it was not surprising that retirees and preppy youngsters chose to sit at pavement cafes sipping their java at leisure as shiny luxury cars made their way down the main street. While Miami, Palm Beach and Boca exude a distinctly Spanish flavor, the essence of life here in Naples, like the city from where it derives its name, is decidedly Italian. Streets are named with Via (meaning “road” in Italian) in their prefixes and pillars and classical Roman statuary are used decoratively everywhere the eye turns

In every way, Naples reeked conservative wealth and prosperity and we were very pleased to have seen how the other half lives in America. Most of Florida seems to be populated with older people who, in the winter, live the good life, their daily routine interspersed with tennis and golf, manicures and perms at the local salons, daytime shopping expeditions and night-time meals eaten al fresco while sipping chilled wines. It is a lifestyle that is deeply enviable and thoroughly Floridian. Come June, most of these Snowbirds will have migrated to cooler climes northwards, leaving their gorgeous homes vacant until the arrival of the next  winter. We were glad we had a small taste of Naples. We understood why real estate in this part of the country is so pricey and sought-after.

Bon Voyage!