Provinces: Napoli, Avellino, Benevento, Caserta, Salerno
This may be one of the better-known areas of Italy and contains some of the best-known tourist areas of Italy, including, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Salerno and more. This area is known for its lively fishing villages at the foot of steep cliffs, beautiful blue seas soaking through the colorful lemon trees. Pompeii and the Isle of Capri are also part of this area and you will be hard-pressed to visit Italy without coming to the Campania region located on the western side of lower Italy.
Beauty and romance. Dreams of never going home. All these are very real thoughts when you visit the Campania region. The Amalfi coast is truly a wonder of the world where beauty meets the sea. You can find excitement in Naples and romance on the Isle of Capri. This area is a true Mecca for any person wanting to visit a wonderful part of Italy.
Some of the towns along the Amalfi coast include Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Ravello and continuing on to Salerno. This is the land of Enchanted April, of warm blue sea and sweet-scented evenings, of history both new and ancient, and memories that will last a lifetime. Facing the Tyrrhenian Sea, this region contains one of the best coastlines in Italy. The surrounding area is mostly mountainous, with irregular massifs. Off the coast of Naples, you will find the delightful islands of Capri, Ischia, and Procida.
Naples, Italy – Travel, and Tourism
Set in a beautiful bay with Mount Vesuvius forming an impressive backdrop, Naples has and always will be a favorite for any traveler to Italy and this area. Take time to stroll through the historic city center of Naples, you’ll see the church of Santa Chiara and its beautiful majolica-tiled cloister. Then visit the chapel of San Saero, with its marble statuary; the splendid 16th-century church of San Giacomo degli Spagnoli.
Naples has many museums that are worth taking time to visit. They include the National Archaeological Museum, the Museo Nazionale della Ceramica and the Museo and Galleria di Capodimonte with works by Renaissance and Baroque masters. You can always find a castle or two in this area including Maschio Angioino, Castel dell’Ovo and Sant’Elmo and two royal palaces. Naples should be on everyone’s list when visiting Italy and especially when going to the Campania region.
Positano, Italy – Travel and Tourism
Picture perfect. This very small and exclusive resort town offers some of the prettiest views in the area. Located high above the coast, its brightly painted houses and bougainvilleas have stirred many picture postcards and continues to attract crowds of visitors each and every summer. Positano is situated in the heart of the Amalfi Drive, where the Sorrentine Peninsula curves towards the South and preserves many artistic and archaeological treasures.
Amalfi Coast, Italy – Travel and Tourism
The ride along the Amalfi Coast to Amalfi will evoke thoughts and memories that can last a lifetime. This is one of the finest examples of coastal architecture in this part of Italy. The Duomo, at the top of a steep flight of steps, dominates the town’s main piazza.
Ravello, Italy – Travel and Tourism
Ravello is spread atop one of the coast’s mountains, 335m high. Piazza Vescovado, outside the Duomo: a bright eleventh-century church, renovated in 1786, that’s dedicated to St Pantaleone, a fourth-century saint whose blood, still kept in a chapel on the left-hand side, is supposed to liquefy like Naples’ San Gennaro once a year on July 27. If you go, please take the time to see the Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone. They both are known for their splendid gardens and belvedere that look down to the sea.
Sorrento, Italy – Travel and Tourism
Sorrento is located on the cliffs above the Bay of Naples at the south end. It is a beautiful city and is the gateway to the southern part of Italy. Sorrento is quite popular with tourist and you can catch a ferry or train to any of the major tourist attractions, including Capri, Amalfi, and Naples, and is within easy reach of the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Herculaneum and the city of Naples.
Sorrento is geared for the tourist and there are plenty of hotels and accommodations in the town. Hotels in Sorrento will be ranked by the star system and the luxury hotels in Sorrento will be expensive. There are many other hotels that will be reasonable for the average visitor if you look around.
Sorrento has no shortage of tourist shops, cafes, and restaurants. The cafes and restaurants include sidewalk seating so you can watch people as they watch you. Fun being a tourist.
When you gaze out to sea, the old city quarter is on your port side (left) and the rail station will be on the starboard (right). Sorrento does not have a lot of tourist sights but is a gateway to some of the most popular and visited sights in the southern part of Italy.
Sightseeing and tours around Sorrento are very popular and you can usually sign up through your hotel front desk or at any tourist bureau. The sightseeing and tours can be arranged for you to be picked up at your hotel or at any staging area. Villas are also available for rent in the area and renting a villa is fast becoming a very popular way to stay in the area while you spend time exploring and sightseeing the area.
From Sorrento, you will find that you can get to any other tourist destination in a timely manner. This is a great gateway town and you should find that the natives are very friendly and the old town at night is usually alive and bustling.
Sorrento has been an attraction for tourists and artists for many centuries. Wagner, Nietzsche, and Gorky all spent time in Sorrento and Ibsen wrote “The Ghosts” while staying in Sorrento. The Museo Correale is a striking 18th-century villa with a collection of decorative arts and paintings belonging to the Correale family. A stroll through the gardens and vineyards will bring you to a promontory overlooking the bay providing quite a spectacular view of the harbor and the surrounding towns and cliff sides.
Isle of Capri
This island has been a pleasure ground for the rich and famous for many centuries. One of the more upscale and beautiful places in Italy, this seaside getaway is very much worth the visit. The island’s beauty is epic, the cliffs are the very quintessence of time, bougainvillea-shaded paths looking down upon the sea. The town and island have a collection of white houses, tiny squares, and narrow medieval alleyways, all hung with flowers, while the hillsides are wonderful settings for luxurious seaside villas as backdrops.
Very few visitors will not be impressed with the island and the views from it. For photographers or artists, this island will evoke visions and landscapes that are hard to even dream about, much less visit in person. Definitely worth the time and effort to visit.
Pompei and Herculaneum, Italy – Travel and Tourism Close to Naples lie Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that erupted in AD 79 destroying the people and Pompeii with tufa stone and volcanic mud. The locations remained covered until the 1700s when a farmer discovered Pompeii while digging a water well. The two cities give you a real grasp of what life was like in the Roman Empire. The site has well persevered and the casts and artifacts are well worth the trip.
When you visit Pompei you should begin your exploration in the central town “square”, surrounded by temples, triumphal arches, shops, and a basilica. Walkthrough ancient paved streets, stopping at several houses or shops along the way. The Villa Dei Misteri and its ancient paintings of Dionysian rituals are outside the main area but worth the visit.
Salerno, Italy – Travel and Tourism
Most tourists do not get to Salerno, but, if you get there you will find a real classic part of Italy waiting for you. They have some great beaches and water for sunbathers and all tourists alike.