This is the beginning of a beautiful vacation! We’re headed to Positano and Capri and decided to stay the night in Naples. After hiring a driver and guide, we were able to explore Pompeii, climb Mount Vesuvius, and then finally arrive in beautiful Positano!

I was warned when plotting out the itinerary that I wouldn’t actually want to spend a lot of time in Naples. I am glad I took their advice and just stayed our first night in Naples. I always try to keep things very positive while providing as much information as I can, but I have to be honest, I’m not a fan of Naples so far. Unfortunately, it was ridiculously dirty and quite sketchy. Not the charming old Italian city ‘dirty,’ but actual dirty. I’m also quite sure a guy tried to pick-pocket me even though I was clearly aware of the situation.

I will give it another shot because there’s more Pizza to be eaten and I’d like to give it another chance and see a few more spots for a more detailed city guide. There’s a ton of potential as it’s quite historic

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The Island of Capri ⋆ Positano and The Amalfi Coast ⋆ Staying at Casa Buonocore in Positano ⋆ The Naples Pizza Battle ⋆ The Path of the Gods ⋆ Gastronomic Trekking on the Amalfi Coast ⋆ Exploring the Cinque Terre with a Local ⋆ Portofino ⋆ The Italian Riviera ⋆ Parma ⋆ Modena ⋆ Bologna

Naples

Related Post: Pizza Battle in Napoli

There is a huge reason to at least stay in Naples for a night. It’s the birthplace of Pizza as you know it. Not these crazy modern pies but the classic. The original. We arrived in the early evening so as any self-respecting pizza lover would and should do, I committed to sampling the hot-spots!

So What Else to Do?

• Explore the ancient Roman ruins of Pompeii (read more on this below)

• Climb Mount Vesuvius (read more on this below)

• Castel Nuovo

• Castel dell’ Ovo

• Piazza del Plebiscito

• San Gennaro Catacombs

• Naples National Archaeological Museum

• The Royal Palace of Naples.

Pompeii

A Bit About It…

Pompeii is an ancient Roman ruin that was destroyed in 79 AD by the eruption of the nearby monster volcano, Mount Vesuvius. This eruption is believed to be one of the most catastrophic eruptions in recorded history. This site is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This site has 2.5 million visitors annually. My friend, Francisco, told me that if I’m in the area Pompeii is a must-visit and I agree!

We visited in route to Positano. I typically do things on our own, but in this case, it was best to hire a driver and make the stops on the way for time efficiency. We booked through Tours of Pompeii with Lello & Co, and it was perfect. Enzo, our driver, was incredible! He was full of information, super friendly, and made stops along the way for photos and coffee! Enzo made the trip so enjoyable. We also had a guide, Italo, for 2.5hr at Pompeii, which was very informative. There’s no way we would have been able to cover nearly as much without him! In that period, we were able to see 1/4 of the ruins. This makes it easy to see and learn more next time since we can do it in segments.

Pompeii is located just 30 minutes southwest of Naples. You can reach it by train or vehicle. It took me a bit to wrap my head around the magnitude of this eruption and its tragic demolition of Pompeii. Italo, our hired guide, explained that they are still carefully excavating the ruins which blew my mind. Pompeii and other nearby villas were covered by 13 to 20 feet of volcanic ash and pumice. Pompeii was first unearthed in 1592 during a river channel dig.

There are storage areas full of plaster casts and artifacts found within the ruins. Some artifacts are also housed in various museums such as the ‘Garden of the Fugitives’ in the Archaeological Museum of Naples.

Lunch Break at Bosco De’ Medici

Until this point I don’t believe I’ve ever had the pleasure of trying wine that’s from a volcanic vineyard. I included lunch when making our reservation with Lello & Co. Bosco De’ Medici is just a kilometer from the archaeological site of Pompeii. I was simply expecting a decent lunch but was delightfully surprised when our arrival turned into a facility tour, wine tasting, as well as a wonderful wine-paired lunch. They have very good wines and I absolutely loved the tour provided by Roberta! I was so hungry by this point I totally forgot to photograph two of the courses.

Mount Vesuvius

A Bit About It…

Vesuvius, the only volcano on Europe’s mainland to erupt in the past 100 years, is located between Naples and Pompeii. It’s historically known for burying Pompeii in the AD 79 eruption and is a major tourist attraction in the region. As such, the local government has made it quite easy to arrive by car or bus. We visited during a ‘low tourism’ timeframe in late April. There were still plenty of visitors present to check out this beast!

After parking, you can expect a 30-minute walk to the crater. Bring a camera with a wide lens if possible because Vesuvius is big. The height alters with each eruption but was recorded at 4,203 feet in 2010. The sides of the volcano are scarred by the lava, and as with many of these scenarios, the vegetation grows perfectly afterward. There are plenty of trees lower and exceptional vineyards.

Vesuvius has erupted many times since the major eruption in AD 79 and is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanos in the world. There are more than three million residents nearby. No other volcano is surrounded by as dense of a population as Vesuvius. We luckily felt no rumbling upon our visit.

Related Posts

The Island of Capri ⋆ Positano and The Amalfi Coast ⋆ Staying at Casa Buonocore in Positano ⋆ The Naples Pizza Battle ⋆ The Path of the Gods ⋆ Gastronomic Trekking on the Amalfi Coast