Destination: Italy

LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION

Itinerary: A Campaign in Campania

This route is short on kilometres (240km round trip) but high on interest along some of southern Italy’s most densely packed coast; one week is barely enough to get to grips with this part of the south.



Exploring the Mezzogiorno makes for an incredible trip, whether you want to live it up in a crazy, chaotic city, ponder the greatness of civilisations long past amid their ancient ruins or explore some of the country’s most dazzling coastline.

Sitting in the shadow of Mt Vesuvius, Naples is a thriving metropolis where life is lived at a raucous and anarchic pace. You’ll want to devote two days to exploring the city quarters around Spaccanapoli, the grand Museo Archeologico Nazionale and the city’s trattorie.

Within striking distance of this fascinating city lie the ruins of two Roman settlements where daily life was frozen in time by a fierce eruption from Vesuvius. Herculaneum, once a Roman resort town, is still being excavated and Pompeii, Italy’s premier tourist attraction offering an enthralling insight into the daily lives of the Romans, needs no introduction. You could devote a day or more to this excursion. Don’t even think about leaving the Bay of Naples without making a visit to Capri, the island home of spectacular caves, lush vegetation and charming villages. It is a magical place to spend a day or two.

The Amalfi Coast is one of Europe’s most dramatic coastlines incorporating beautiful towns such as Positan, Amalfi and Ravello along its spine-tingling route, while Paestum, a shade further south, boasts three Greek temples that are among the best-preserved monuments of Magna Graecia. Nearby, Agropoli makes a handy base for Paestum and the Parco Nazionale del Cilento e Vallo di Diano is good for a nature injection before returning to the hustle of Naples via a quick stop in Salerno.

Travelling to Italy?
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