Amalfi Coast & Campania

Naples is not a city you "like" or "dislike" — you surrender to it. Rough, loud, chaotic, beautiful, dangerous, warm-hearted, dirty, and divine all at once. Naples is Italy's untamed jewel, and those who embrace it will be rewarded with experiences no other city can offer.

Centro Storico (UNESCO) ★★★

The historic center is the largest contiguous old town ensemble in Europe. The three main streets (Decumani) follow the ancient Greek street grid (Naples was founded as Neapolis in 470 BC). Every alley holds surprises: baroque churches (over 400!), underground catacombs, laundry on lines, Vespa chaos, and the omnipresent smell of pizza.

Spaccanapoli ★★★

The straight street that divides ("splits") the old town is Naples' lifeline. From Quartieri Spagnoli to Via Duomo: Here, life pulses in its most compressed form. The Cappella Sansevero (entrance 8 €, book in advance!) houses the Cristo Velato — a marble sculpture with a translucent veil so realistic you hold your breath.

The best pizza in the world

Naples is the birthplace of pizza — and here it tastes like nowhere else. The dough is soft, fluffy, with charred bubbles (cornicione), the San Marzano tomatoes come from Vesuvius, the Mozzarella di Bufala from nearby Campania. A Margherita costs 4–7 €. Must-visit pizzerias:

• L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele · Via Cesare Sersale 1 — Only two types (Margherita and Marinara), since 1870. Always a queue, but fast turnover. No frills, pure pizza perfection. 4–5 €.
• Sorbillo · Via dei Tribunali 32 — Gino Sorbillo is Naples' pizza star. More innovative, greater variety, equally grand. 5–9 €.
• Starita · Via Materdei 27 — Famous since the film "L'Oro di Napoli" (Sophia Loren). The Pizza Fritta (fried, stuffed) is the specialty here. 4–8 €.
• 50 Kalò · Piazza Sannazzaro 201 — Ciro Salvo's modern interpretation: perfect ingredients, elegant ambiance, still affordable. 7–12 €.

On August 24, 79 AD, Vesuvius erupted and buried the thriving port city of Pompeii under 6 meters of ash and pumice. The horror of that day became a boon for archaeology: Pompeii is the best-preserved ancient city in the world — a time capsule that has preserved daily life in the Roman Empire in all its details.

What to see: Complete streets with wagon tracks in the pavement, houses with frescoes and mosaics (the Villa dei Misteri is breathtaking), baths with intact heating systems, the amphitheater, the forum, brothels with astonishingly explicit wall paintings, bakeries with petrified bread, and the poignant plaster casts of the victims in their final moments.

Herculaneum (Ercolano), 10 km away, was buried by a mudslide and is even better preserved than Pompeii — wooden structures, fabrics, and organic materials are partially intact. Herculaneum is smaller, more compact, and less crowded. If you can visit only one site: Pompeii for the scale, Herculaneum for the details.

Positano is the postcard image of the Amalfi Coast: pastel-colored houses cascade down a steep cliff to the sea, bougainvillea overgrows the stairs, and the dome of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta shines in majolica tiles. John Steinbeck wrote in 1953: "Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn't quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone."

The town is small, steep, and expensive. There is one main street (Via Pasitea) and hundreds of stairs. The Spiaggia Grande is the main beach (deck chair + umbrella from 20–30 €), the Spiaggia di Fornillo (10 min walk) is quieter and cheaper. Most hotels charge 200–500 € per night in high season.

Positano's true magic reveals itself in the off-hours: at 7 am, when fishermen push their boats into the water, or at 9 pm, when streetlights bathe the facades in warm light and the day tourists have disappeared in their buses.

Amalfi ★★

The city that gives the coast its name was one of the most powerful maritime republics of Italy in the Middle Ages (alongside Venice, Genoa, and Pisa). Today, Amalfi is a picturesque coastal town with an impressive cathedral (Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea), whose Arab-Norman facade and the cloister "Chiostro del Paradiso" (3 €) showcase a unique blend of styles. The Limoncello production of the Amalfi Coast originated here — tastings in many shops.

Ravello ★★★

300 meters above the sea, Ravello sits as the "balcony of the Amalfi Coast". Two villas make the place unforgettable: The Villa Rufolo (7 €) inspired Richard Wagner for the magical gardens of Parsifal — the terraces overlooking the coast are breathtaking. The Villa Cimbrone (7 €) has the "Terrazza dell'Infinito" — a balustrade with busts over the abyss, often called the most beautiful viewpoint in Italy.

In summer, the Ravello Festival (July–September) takes place: classical concerts on an open-air stage above the sea. Wagner's music, Ravello's view, sunset — if there is a more perfect place for a concert, it has yet to be discovered.

The island of Capri in the Gulf of Naples has been a place of longing since antiquity. Emperor Tiberius ruled the Roman Empire from here, and even today, the island exudes a touch of glamour and luxury that has made it a jet-set destination since the 1950s.

Grotta Azzurra (Blue Grotto) ★★

The island's most famous natural wonder: A sea cave whose water glows in an unreal neon blue due to refracted sunlight. Access only by rowboat (15 €, plus boat trip to the grotto from about 18 €). Closed during rough seas (often in winter). Touristy, expensive, but truly magical.

Capri & Anacapri

The island has two towns: Capri (glamorous, expensive, the famous Piazzetta with its cafés) and Anacapri (quieter, more authentic, the chairlift to Monte Solaro). The Monte Solaro (589 m, chairlift 12 € return) offers the best panoramic view. The Via Krupp (spectacular serpentine path down the cliffs) is open again after restoration.

Budget tip: Capri is absurdly expensive — a cappuccino on the Piazzetta costs 7–10 €, lunch from 30 €. Bring provisions from Naples and enjoy the island as a hiking destination instead of a shopping destination. The hike to the Arco Naturale and the Grotta di Matermania is free and spectacular.

The Sentiero degli Dei is one of the most beautiful hiking trails in Europe and the best way to experience the Amalfi Coast: on foot, high above the sea, with views of Capri and the entire coast.

The Route

Start: Bomerano (above Amalfi, reachable by bus from Amalfi). Destination: Nocelle (above Positano). Distance: about 8 km. Duration: 3–4 hours. Elevation: 600 m descent (the path is mostly downhill). From Nocelle, 1,700 steps (!) lead down to Positano — or you can take the bus.

The path leads through macchia vegetation, rock formations, and forests with views that constantly force you to stop. On clear days, you can see as far as Capri and the Li Galli islands. A head for heights is helpful in some places, but there are no truly exposed passages.

The Vesuvius (1,281 m) is the only active volcano on the European mainland and looms menacingly over Naples and the entire bay. Its last eruption was in 1944, and geologists consider another eruption inevitable — 600,000 people live in the "red zone".

The ascent from the parking lot (Quota 1,000) to the crater rim takes about 30 minutes on a well-maintained gravel path. At the top: an impressive view into the 300 m deep crater and over the entire Gulf of Naples. On clear days, you can see Capri, Ischia, and the Amalfi Coast.

Getting to the Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast is best reached from Naples or Salerno:

• By ferry: From Salerno to Amalfi (35 min, 10 €) and Positano (70 min, 14 €) with Travelmar. From Naples to Sorrento by Circumvesuviana train (1h, 4.60 €), then bus or boat.
• By bus: SITA buses run the entire coastal road SS163 (Salerno–Amalfi–Positano–Sorrento). Breathtakingly beautiful, but slow and crowded in high season. Buy tickets in advance at the kiosk.
• By car: Only if necessary. The SS163 is narrow, winding, and congested in summer. Parking is scarce and expensive (3–5 €/hour in Positano and Amalfi).

Accommodation

The Amalfi Coast is extremely expensive in high season (June–August). Budget tips: Stay in Salerno (charming old town, 50% cheaper than Positano) and commute by boat. Or in Vietri sul Mare or Maiori — less glamorous, but more authentic and affordable. Agriturismo in the mountains behind the coast are also affordable alternatives with panoramic views.

Limoncello

The lemon liqueur of the Amalfi Coast is made from the giant Sfusato Amalfitano lemons — handpicked, sun-ripened, so aromatic that the peel alone is fragrant. Buy Limoncello directly from producers (from 8–12 € a bottle), not in tourist shops. Tip: Limoncello after a meal, ice cold, in small ceramic cups — that's how the locals do it.