Travel guide
Written by people who live here.
Itineraries, off-season notes, food, festivals — kept current by our team through the year.
Food6 min readA walking street-food map of Naples
You eat your way through Naples or you don't really visit it. Five stops, three hours, two pockets full of paper cones.
Cities7 min readCapri — the version most visitors miss
Day-trip Capri is the famous awful experience. Overnight Capri is what people who fall in love with the island actually visit.
Food7 min readThe pizza argument: Tribunali, Spagnoli, Forcella
Every Neapolitan family will tell you a different pizzeria is the only one. Here is the honest, less-arguing version.
Outdoors8 min readWalking the Sentiero degli Dei
The 'Path of the Gods' is a 7.8km cliffside trail above Positano. Done correctly — early morning, downhill direction, sturdy shoes — it's the highlight of a Coast trip.
Culture6 min readHerculaneum — the better Pompeii
Vesuvius buried Herculaneum in pyroclastic mud rather than ash — preserving wood, fabric, even food. It's the more intimate site, and you can do it in three hours.
Itineraries9 min readThree days in Naples, without the queues
How a local plans a long weekend in the centro storico — which churches, which alleys, which sfogliatelle, and which two streets to skip on a Saturday night.
Practical4 min readThe Circumvesuviana train — what to know
The Circumvesuviana is the only way most travellers will see Pompei or Sorrento. It's fine — provided you know the rules.
Itineraries6 min readRavello in 24 hours
Most visitors do Ravello as a day trip from Amalfi. Sleep one night and the village is yours from 18:00 to 10:00 the next morning.
Culture5 min readHow to order coffee like a Neapolitan
The Neapolitan coffee ritual takes ninety seconds and changes how you measure days. A short guide to doing it correctly.
Practical5 min readHow the ferry system works in the Bay of Naples
Once you understand which company runs which route, the boats are the best way to get anywhere. Here's the map.
Outdoors5 min readCapri by boat — the Faraglioni loop
Skip the big cattle-boat tours. Hire a 6-person gozzo from Marina Grande for €350 split four ways. It's the right way to see Capri.
Cities4 min readAtrani — Amalfi's quieter neighbour
Atrani is the smallest comune on the coast. Same beach, same cliffs, one tenth of the people. Stay for dinner.
Itineraries12 min readThe five-day Amalfi Coast, from Salerno to Positano
Salerno, Vietri, Ravello, Amalfi, Positano — five days, no rental car, and a real plan for the SS163 traffic that ruins most first trips.
Practical6 min readWhen to visit Campania — by season
There's no bad time to visit Campania, but there's a wrong time for what you want to do. Match the month to your trip.
Outdoors6 min readIschia's thermal gardens — which to pick
Ischia sits on an active volcanic system. Its thermal gardens — vast clusters of mineral pools at different temperatures — are the island's defining experience.
Culture7 min readUnderground Naples — three tunnels you can actually walk
Forty metres below the centro storico runs a second city — Greek, Roman, Bourbon, wartime. Three of its tunnels are open and worth your morning.
Outdoors5 min readHiking Vesuvius — to the rim and back
Vesuvius is an active volcano you can walk into the crater of. Book the morning slot — by 13:00 the cloud cover rolls in and the view is gone.
Culture5 min readVietri sul Mare — where the coast's ceramics begin
Every yellow-and-blue ceramic plate you've seen in a coast restaurant came from Vietri. Six minutes by bus from Salerno — the workshops are open to visitors.
Itineraries6 min readCampania with kids — a seven-day plan
Naples and the Coast are excellent with kids if you base smart and pace slow. Here's a week that works.
Itineraries8 min readSpaccanapoli, end to end, in one afternoon
Spaccanapoli is two kilometres of unchanged Greek-Roman grid. Walk it from Via Pasquale Scura to Via San Biagio dei Librai with one church, one chapel, and one pastry.
Food5 min readLimoncello — real, fake, and how to tell
A bottle of real Sorrento limoncello has three ingredients: Sfusato lemons, alcohol, sugar. If yours has 'natural lemon flavour' it's industrial.
Cities6 min readUp to the Vomero — the city's escape valve
When the centro storico becomes too much, Neapolitans take the Funicolare Centrale up to the Vomero. So should you.
Itineraries5 min readA romantic weekend on the Amalfi Coast
Skip Positano on a weekend. Sleep in Ravello or Praiano, eat one big meal at Don Alfonso, walk the Path of the Gods at sunrise.
Food5 min readCetara and the colatura di alici
Colatura is the amber liquor pressed from anchovies fermented in oak barrels for 18 months. A few drops over spaghetti and you understand why the Romans paid more for it than for wine.
Cities4 min readSant'Angelo — the car-free Ischia
Sant'Angelo is the most photogenic corner of Ischia and the only village on the island where the cars stop at the edge of town.
Cities7 min readPompeii without the coach tours
The coach tours from Rome land at 10:30. Beat them by 90 minutes from Porta Marina and you'll get the Villa dei Misteri to yourself.
Itineraries5 min readNaples after dark — one evening, three quarters
The Naples night moves between three quarters. Done in this order, you taste the whole city in five hours.
Food6 min readAglianico and Falanghina — Campania's two great wines
Skip the Tuscan list at dinner. Order a Falanghina del Sannio or a Taurasi Aglianico — younger sommeliers in Naples will respect you.
Cities4 min readPraiano — sleep here instead of Positano
Praiano was the original Coast hideout for Neapolitan aristocrats. Now it's the smart base for anyone who's done Positano twice.
Practical5 min readCampania without a car
Naples is one of the few Italian regions where a rental car costs you time. The public transport network covers everywhere you'd actually want to go.
Culture5 min readSan Gregorio Armeno — the year-round Christmas street
On any given day there are 60 workshops carving terracotta figures of the Pope, Maradona, and last week's politicians. It's earnest folk art and you should buy one.
Outdoors5 min readProcida on foot — the half-day loop
Procida is small enough to walk end-to-end. The right route hits the historic centre, the pastel fishing harbour, and the wide sandy beach in one morning.
Itineraries5 min readNaples in three days with kids
Naples is more kid-friendly than its reputation suggests. The trick is to swap museum hours for hands-on hours.
Outdoors4 min readThe Furore fjord — Italy's smallest beach
Furore isn't really a town — it's a fjord between Praiano and Conca dei Marini. The bridge is the photo; the beach beneath is the swim.
Food5 min readMozzarella di bufala — where to taste it real
Mozzarella di bufala DOP is made in the Sele plain (Salerno) and the Mazzoni (Caserta). Stop at a caseificio on the way to the coast — it's a different cheese from the one you've had at home.
Outdoors5 min readLungomare Caracciolo at sunset
Naples' seafront went car-free in 2012 and never looked back. The 45-minute walk is the city's collective evening ritual.
Practical5 min readDriving the SS163 — when and how
The Amalfi coastal road was carved into the cliff in the 19th century for ox carts. The driving rules haven't fully caught up to modern SUVs.
Practical4 min readNaples with a baby or toddler
Naples has rough pavements, narrow alleys, and not much by way of changing tables. With a sling, no car, and a sense of humour, it's entirely doable.
Practical5 min readFerry or car? Moving along the Amalfi Coast
Between June and September, the ferry beats the car on every measure except 'we already paid for the rental'. Plan accordingly.
Food4 min readSpaghetti alle vongole — the dish Naples invented
If a restaurant in Campania can't get vongole right, it can't get anything right. The dish reveals the kitchen.
Practical5 min readThe Amalfi Coast on a real budget
The Coast is one of the most expensive corners of Italy, but it has a much cheaper second layer if you know where to look.
Food5 min readFive Neapolitan pastries you have to try
Naples invented half the Italian pastry canon. Start here, in the right places.
Outdoors4 min readVivara — Procida's secret islet
Vivara was a private hunting reserve, then a research station, then abandoned. Reopened in 2018 for guided visits on weekends.
Cities5 min readSorrento — the ideal day-trip base
If you want to see everything without changing hotels, Sorrento is the answer. The trade-off: the town itself is less interesting than where you go from it.
Culture5 min readThe feast of San Gennaro — Naples' biggest day
Naples shuts down for San Gennaro three times a year — and the September feast is the one to be in town for.
Cities6 min readProcida in shoulder season
April and October on Procida feel like a different island — fishermen at dawn, half-empty trattorie, and Marina Corricella to yourself for an evening passeggiata.
Culture6 min readLa Reggia di Caserta — Italy's Versailles, then some
The Bourbon royal palace at Caserta is 30 minutes from Naples by train and bigger than Versailles. Plan a full day — half the visitors only see the front rooms.
Cities4 min readAnacapri or Capri — which side to stay on
Capri town is the boutiques and the Piazzetta. Anacapri is the quiet one with Villa San Michele and Monte Solaro. The choice is character-driven.
Culture6 min readChristmas in Naples — a city in costume
December in Naples is loud, crowded, and the best time to feel the city's identity. Plan to stay through the 6th of January.
Food4 min readThe Sfusato Amalfitano lemon
The terraced groves of the Amalfi Coast grow a lemon so distinctive it has its own IGP. Eat it in everything you can while you're here.
Food4 min readPastiera at Easter — Naples' one true cake
Pastiera is the dessert that defines the Neapolitan year. Every nonna's recipe is the only correct one. Try four.
Culture6 min readThe MANN — three hours, the rooms that matter
The MANN holds the Pompeii frescoes you can't see in Pompeii anymore, plus the Farnese collection. Three hours, four rooms, and you've done the highlights.
Outdoors4 min readPunta Carena — Capri's wild side
Skip the Faraglioni side for an afternoon. The lighthouse at Punta Carena and the rocky cove below it are Capri at its rawest.
Culture5 min readMay of the Monuments — when Naples opens its closed doors
If you can pick when to visit, pick May. The city's hidden architectural archive opens for a month and Neapolitans queue alongside the tourists.
Food4 min readThe five gelaterias that matter in Naples
Naples gelato is generally excellent and occasionally world-class. A short list of where to spend the €3.50.
Culture6 min readCapodimonte — Italy's other great art museum
Most tourists never make it to Capodimonte. They should. It's a 20-minute bus from the centro storico and houses a top-three Italian collection.
Food5 min readThe fish market at Porta Nolana, by 7am
Six mornings a week, the catch from the Gulf lands on Via Sopramuro. By 9:30 it's gone to the city's restaurants. Go at 7am, bring cash, ask before photographing.
Cities4 min readMinori vs Maiori — the quieter twins
If your group includes someone who can't do stairs, Minori and Maiori are your villages. Flat, accessible, working — and as pretty as anywhere on the coast.
Cities5 min readSouth of the Amalfi Coast — the Cilento
The Cilento starts an hour south of Salerno and runs for 100km. The temples at Paestum are first; then the empty Mediterranean coast for the rest of the week.
Cities4 min readVia Toledo — Naples' shopping spine
Via Toledo is the only big shopping street in Naples and the daily passeggiata of the entire centre. Walk it once, look up at the buildings.
Cities5 min readSalerno — the most overlooked night on the coast
Salerno isn't pretty in the postcard sense, but it's a real city — and one night here at the start of a coast trip is the best primer you can get.