Daily life
Codice fiscale
KO-dee-cheh fees-KA-leh
Your Italian tax code — free, same-day, and required before a lease, a bank account, a SIM or a doctor.
Permesso di soggiorno
per-MES-so dee sod-JOR-no
The residence permit. Non-EU arrivals file for it within eight working days of entry, on paper, at a post office.
Contratto registrato
kon-TRAT-to reh-jees-TRA-to
A lease registered with the tax authority. In Naples this is the distinction that decides whether you can register residence at all.
Parcheggiatore abusivo
par-ked-ja-TO-reh a-boo-SEE-vo
An unauthorised parking attendant who will ask for money to 'watch' your car. Illegal, ubiquitous, and best avoided by not driving.
Work
Nero / in nero
in NEH-ro
Off the books — of work, wages or rent. Common, openly discussed, and legally weightless if you ever need to prove income or address.
Emergency
Bradisismo
bra-dee-SEEZ-mo
Slow ground uplift. The Campi Flegrei have been rising for a decade and the civil protection plan names specific Neapolitan districts.
113 / 115 / 118
uno uno tre
Police, fire and ambulance. In Campania the unified NUE 112 answering centre is not yet operational, so these remain the direct lines.
Social
Caffè sospeso
kaf-FEH sos-PEH-zo
A coffee paid for in advance and left for whoever needs it. A genuine Neapolitan institution rather than a story told to visitors.
Jamme jà
YAM-meh YA
'Come on, let's go' in Neapolitan. The language is a recognised language rather than a dialect and is spoken constantly.
Guagliò
gwal-YO
'Kid', 'mate' — the standard Neapolitan address between men of any age. Being called it is a sign you are being treated as local.
Culture
'A Madonna
a ma-DON-na
An all-purpose exclamation. Naples' relationship with San Gennaro and its saints is woven into ordinary speech in a way it is not further north.
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