Campania

Campania is intense and generous. Naples, chaotic and beautiful, is the city of pizza, Baroque churches and a historic centre listed by UNESCO. Around the bay rise Vesuvius and the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, frozen by the eruption of 79 AD.

To the south the Sorrento peninsula and the Amalfi Coast offer cliffside villages like Positano, Amalfi and Ravello, while Capri, Ischia and Procida float in the gulf. Inland, the Royal Palace of Caserta and the Greek temples of Paestum complete the picture.

A region of volcanoes, islands and masterpieces

Campania is a land of strong contrasts and intense beauty. It has one of the most famous bays in the world, the Bay of Naples, dominated by the outline of Mount Vesuvius; it has celebrated islands such as Capri, Ischia and Procida; it has the Amalfi Coast and the Sorrento Peninsula, with villages clinging to the cliffs above the sea; it has the Roman towns buried by the eruption of AD 79, Pompeii and Herculaneum, and the Greek temples of Paestum. Inland, often overlooked, are the Royal Palace of Caserta, the Cilento with its national park and beaches, and the villages of Irpinia and Sannio. It is also the home of pizza, buffalo mozzarella and a musical and theatrical tradition known all over the world.

Naples, a Mediterranean capital

Naples never leaves anyone indifferent. The historic centre, a UNESCO site, still follows the street plan of the Greek city: Spaccanapoli cuts the old quarters in two, among Baroque churches, courtyards, workshops and the street of nativity scenes, San Gregorio Armeno. The National Archaeological Museum holds the mosaics and frescoes of Pompeii, the Sansevero Chapel the Veiled Christ, and Capodimonte a great picture gallery set in a park. The seafront of Via Caracciolo, Castel dell'Ovo, Piazza del Plebiscito with the Royal Palace, the San Carlo opera house and the Galleria Umberto tell the story of Naples as the capital of a kingdom. Beneath the city lies a network of caves, aqueducts and catacombs that can be visited, and from the Vomero hill and Posillipo the view over the bay is unforgettable.

Pompeii, Herculaneum and Vesuvius

The eruption of AD 79 destroyed and at the same time preserved entire Roman towns. In Pompeii you walk along paved streets among houses, shops, baths, theatres and the Forum, and you understand how the inhabitants of a Roman provincial town lived. Herculaneum, smaller, is even better preserved, with upper floors, carbonised wood and intact decorations. Both are UNESCO sites, together with Torre Annunziata and the villa of Oplontis. From the national park you can walk up to the crater of Vesuvius, the volcano that dominates the bay, for a view over the whole gulf.

The Amalfi Coast and the Sorrento Peninsula

The Amalfi Coast, a UNESCO site, is one of the most spectacular coastal landscapes in the world. The road runs high above the sea, linking Positano, with its pastel houses tumbling down the hillside, Amalfi, an ancient maritime republic with its cathedral and grand staircase, and Ravello, perched high up with the gardens of Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone and its music festival. Between the villages there are lemon terraces, small fjords such as the one at Furore and the Path of the Gods, one of the most beautiful hikes in Italy. On the other side of the peninsula, Sorrento overlooks the Bay of Naples and is an excellent base for exploring the coast, Pompeii and Capri.

The islands of the bay

Capri has been a legend for more than two thousand years, ever since Emperor Tiberius built his villas here: the Faraglioni rocks, the Blue Grotto, the Piazzetta, the Gardens of Augustus and Anacapri with the chairlift up Monte Solaro are its classic stops. Ischia, the green island, is famous for its hot springs and thermal parks, the Aragonese Castle and the beaches of Maronti and Citara. Procida, the smallest, has the harbour of Corricella with its colourful houses and was Italian Capital of Culture in 2022. The islands are reached by ferry or hydrofoil from Naples, Pozzuoli and Sorrento.

Caserta, Paestum and the Cilento

North of Naples, the Royal Palace of Caserta is one of the largest royal residences in the world, built for the Bourbon kings by Luigi Vanvitelli, with a park of fountains and cascades three kilometres long. Nearby, the medieval village of Casertavecchia and the silk works of San Leucio are worth a visit. South of Salerno, Paestum has three Doric Greek temples that are among the best preserved anywhere and a museum with the famous Tomb of the Diver. Further south lies the Cilento, a national park and UNESCO site: stone villages, the Charterhouse of Padula, the ruins of Velia, beaches and coves such as those of Palinuro, Marina di Camerota and Acciaroli. The Cilento is also the land of the Mediterranean diet, studied right here by the American nutritionist Ancel Keys.

Food and wine

Naples gave the world pizza, and the art of the Neapolitan pizza maker is recognised by UNESCO as intangible heritage: have a margherita or a marinara in one of the historic pizzerias. Buffalo mozzarella, Gragnano pasta, San Marzano tomatoes, spaghetti with clams, the slow-cooked Sunday ragù, pasta frittata and street food such as the cuoppo, a paper cone of fried morsels, and fried pizza are other symbols. Among the desserts stand out the sfogliatella, the rum baba, the Easter pastiera and the lemon delight, and on the coast limoncello. Campanian wines are excellent: Taurasi, Greco di Tufo and Fiano di Avellino from Irpinia, Falanghina, Aglianico and Lacryma Christi from the slopes of Vesuvius.

The Phlegraean Fields

West of Naples lies one of the most fascinating volcanic areas in Europe, the Campi Flegrei, the burning fields of the ancients. In Pozzuoli you can visit the Flavian Amphitheatre, the so-called Temple of Serapis, actually an ancient market, and the Solfatara, a crater where the ground still steams. In Bacoli and Baia, the favourite holiday resort of Roman emperors, are the Piscina Mirabilis, a huge underground cistern, and the submerged archaeological park, which can be explored in glass-bottomed boats or on guided dives. Not far away, Cuma has the cave of the Sibyl, carved into the tuff and linked to Virgil's Aeneid. Lake Avernus, which the ancients believed was the gateway to the underworld, completes an itinerary rich in history and myth.

When to go and how to get around

Spring and early autumn are the ideal seasons: warm but not scorching, with the sea already or still pleasant and less traffic on the coast road. July and August are the months for the beach, but also for the crowds, especially in Capri and Amalfi. Naples is lovely in winter too, especially in December when the nativity scenes are on display. The Circumvesuviana railway links Naples with Herculaneum, Pompeii and Sorrento; on the Amalfi Coast you get around by SITA bus or, better still, by the ferries that link Salerno, Amalfi and Positano. For the Cilento and the interior a car is recommended. Naples Capodichino is the region's main airport, alongside Salerno Costa d'Amalfi.