In the year and a half that I studied abroad in Florence, Italy, I didn’t get to go to Naples once. I’ve heard you can find the best pizza in Italy there—or any kind of delicious Italian cuisine—and that the streets overflow with curiosities and history. The tourist vision of Naples is what most of us see; millions of people venture there to sit in churches, admire Roman ruins, enjoy the sun.

Not many people think to go deeper. Before reading Delirious Naples: A Cultural History of the City of the Sun, my image of Naples was only a superficial one. It was just another city that I’ve never seen. However, in sifting through the various works by authors who have such a deep connection and interest in this “paradoxical” place, it becomes clear that there is more to uncover there than just a really good meal and a nice spot to take a selfie.