Naples
With its cobblestone streets, breathtaking bay, elaborate Baroque churches, the Royal Palace and rambunctious people, Naples is as intriguing as a great motion picture of love and life. The streets bustle with shoppers and cafe hoppers and swirl with local colour and flavour imparted by its people and cuisine. Start with the historic centre of Spaccanapoli, where the Chapel of St Januarius houses the relics of the patron saint. Shop at Via San Biagio Dei Librai, lined with goldsmiths and jewellers and pick up items such as the presepi and pastori (elaborate depictions of nativity scenes) for which Naples is famous.
The city has a unique attraction in its Napoli Sotterranea (Underground Naples) unveiled in a tour through a portion of the city's labyrinth of tunnels, well shafts, and subterranean halls. For opera lovers, San Carlo, with its breathtaking ceiling fresco by Giuseppe Camarano, compares favourably with La Scala in Milan.
The Castel dell'Ovo, with its rock tunnels, stands tall on the bay overlooking this grand city. Here in June, the courtyard of Castle Nuovo is filled with love and romance as young couples register their marriage vows! Before leaving Naples feast on la vera pizza napolitana, namely the real Neapolitan pizza! In this city, there are official documents stating how pizza should and should not be made. Wayside cafes also serve delicious misto di frittura (deep fried pieces of vegetables). At the colourful and animated flea markets, pick up vintage antiques, prints, pictures, clocks and books.
Attractions Around Naples
The Island of Capri, the beautiful coastal towns of Sorrento and Positano, and the bewitching Amalfi Coast-the region of Campania is studded with luminous attractions!
One of the jewels of the Gulf of Naples is Capri. This weathered coastal island is as much the playground of the rich and famous as it is for day trippers who go there in droves to explore its tantalizing sea caves. The most stunning of them all is the Blue Grotto, where the sunlight refracts magically off the water and imparts a breathtaking blue hue. A boat ride with a singing sailor is an absolute must!
Sorrento is named after the Sirens, the beautiful 'mermaids' whose irresistible singing was believed to be the cause of many shipwrecks. Today, it is the view and the intense fragrance of oranges and lemons that will lure you to an unforgettable holiday.
The ancient town of Positano, once the favourite destination of great artists such as Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee, and writer John Steinbeck, is dotted with churches like Santa Maria Assunta with its glistening ceramic dome and spectacular vistas.
The bewitching landscape of the Amalfi Coast, a 50 km stretch from Sorrento to Salerno, is laced with winding roads that wrap themselves around cliffs that drop perilously to the sea |
 |
 |
