Campania is the region that has everything — volcanic history, Greek temples, the most extravagant coastline in Italy, and a city that operates entirely on its own rules. It cradles the Bay of Naples between Vesuvius and the Sorrentine Peninsula, and stretches south past the Amalfi Coast to the ancient ruins of Paestum and the wild Cilento.
Naples, the capital, is loud, chaotic, beautiful, and like nowhere else in Italy. It is the birthplace of pizza, the home of the world's finest archaeological museum, and a city where baroque churches line streets that haven't changed much since the Spanish Habsburgs. Just outside its door, Pompeii and Herculaneum offer the most vivid window into ancient Roman life that exists anywhere.
The coast is the other reason to come. The Amalfi Coast road winds around cliffs above an improbable blue sea, connecting Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello — towns that are simultaneously overrun with visitors and still genuinely spectacular. Sorrento, perched on the edge of its own cliff, makes an excellent base. The islands of Capri and Ischia sit in the bay — one glitzy, one volcanic and spa-focused.
Further south, the Cilento region is where Campania shakes off its crowds. The Greek temples at Paestum are among the best-preserved in the world and see a fraction of the visitors that Pompeii does. The Cilento National Park covers mountains and a wild coastline that most tourists never find.
Destinations in Campania
- Naples — the city that anchors the region
- Pompeii — Roman city preserved by Vesuvius
- Herculaneum — smaller, more intimate than Pompeii
- Sorrento — clifftop town, ideal base for the region
- Amalfi — the historic maritime republic
- Positano — most picturesque town on the coast
- Amalfi Coast — the cliffside coastline that ties the towns together
- Ravello — hilltop town above Amalfi
- Capri — island in the Bay of Naples
- Ischia — volcanic island with thermal spas
- Paestum — Greek temples in the south
- Caserta — Bourbon royal palace
- Benevento — inland city with Roman remains
- Agropoli — gateway to the Cilento coast
