The Art of Wearing Heels

Neapolitan streets can be treacherous to walk on in flat shoes in fine weather never mind in heels.  There are two kinds of road surface here: ones made of small, square, cobbled stones or large square flagstones with barely an even surface between them. 

The Birkenstock sandals that I wear most days since being here are ruined already due to the raised corners of buckled, chunky, square stone that have cracked and split the cork of the shoe.     

I have also experienced aching legs from all the walking on these hard uneven surfaces let alone accomplishing such kilometers in the foot wear I'm in awe of, despite whether it is attractive or not.

You may be a flat shoe follower like myself but one cannot help but admire the precision required by so many women in Naples who wear excessively high shoes.  I am amazed and fascinated how they can walk in such shoes on such surfaces.  To hear a car drive over this surface is like hearing a truck run over a cattle grid, which is very similar to the sound of a flat tyre on a moving car.  I journeyed on a bus from Posillipo one Sunday afternoon and thought the teeth were going to be shaken from my jaw.  Apart from the rough surface of the road, the bus clearly had no shock absorbers.  I had concerns for elderly citizens on the bus who were desperately trying to hang on to the rails whilst the bus’ rattle viciously tugged at their grip.  And anyone who was close to full term pregnancy took delivery of their offspring into their own hands when ascending the bus steps. 

Italians look adorable when they promenade, arm in arm, not just with their partner but friends of the same sex.  Seeing linked arms makes me feel that the world is good place.  Yet I now know that walking arm in arm is not about friendship or love but about having someone to support you in ridiculously high heels and to catch you if you take a dive.  A slow stroll is another thing that can be seen in Naples which I believe provides some calm amongst the chaos.  I suspect this too is about negotiating the uneven surface and maintaining balance as well as coping with the heat and humidity in summer.

In all the time I have been in Naples I’ve not once seen someone fall or even stub her or his toe on these uneven stones so this suggests to me that there must be an art to it. 

A month ago I purchased a pair of platform shoes as nothing makes you blend in with Neapolitan life more than a pair of platform shoes, stylish boots and some bling on your denim wear.  The shoes I purchased are without doubt, comfortable, and I can easily walk in them, at the shoe store.  The true test however is to walk on the paving stones of concern that takes the experience to a whole other level and like my Italian, it’s one I’m prepared to practice. 

Shoes with a seven-inch-plus heals are reserved for the Olympians in this field.  It appears impossible for the small surface of a shoe, particularly one with a spiky heel and a wedge, to make a solid purchase on the uneven face of a path or road and yet they do it!  I have tried to observe their method when I pass a Shoe Olympian in the streets putting my own safety at risk as I do so by diverting my eyes from looking out for potentially threatening traffic, to watching these Olympian feet in their clobber of highness walk like a model on the catwalk. 

It is unheard of for Italians to wear rubber thongs and given their style, quite rightly so.  There are quite a few Neapolitans who wear a sports shoe, which is of course very sensible and stylish and clearly for the non Shoe Olympian such as myself.  Yet, I also know that when Neapolitans have a special event to attend to they get dressed up and the heels are brought out and put on.  Again, I stand alone, but do I?  I now have my platforms, I have taken them for a test drive and passed my Learners and as I walk my way out of my Provisional period I know that I will graduate proudly by the end of my time here.  

Ciao

hellsbells