 The
region immediately south of Lazio, Campania, marks the
real beginning of the Italian south or mezzogiorno. It's
the part of the south too, perhaps inevitably, that most
people see, as it's easily accessible from Rome and home
to some of the area's (indeed Italy's) most notable
features - Roman sites, spectacular stretches of coast,
tiny islands. It's always been a sought-after region,
first named by the Romans, who tagged it the campania
felix , or "happy land" (to distinguish it from the
rather dull campagna further north), and settled down
here in villas and palatial estates that stretched right
around the bay.
You might, of course, find this hard to believe now, and
anyone coming in search of the glories of the Bay of
Naples is likely to be disappointed.
Industry has eaten into the land around the city so as
to render it almost unrecognizable, and even in the city
the once-grand vistas are often cluttered by cranes and
smoke-belching chimneys. Many people take one look and
skate right out again, disappointed at such a grimy
welcome.
But give the area time. Naples is the obvious focus, an
utterly compelling city and one that dominates the
region in every way. At just two-and-a-half hours by
train from the capital, there's no excuse for not seeing
at least this part of Campania, though of course you
need three or four days to absorb the city properly,
before embarking on the remarkable attractions
surrounding it.
The Golfo di Napoli, certainly, is dense enough in
interest to occupy you for a good week: there are the
ancient sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum , just half an
hour away - Italy's best-preserved and most revealing
Roman remains; there is the odd, volcanic Campi Flegrei
area to the north of the city; and of course there are
the islands, Capri, Ischia and Procida - Capri swarms
with visitors but is so beautiful that a day there is by
no means time squandered, while Ischia, which is the
largest island and absorbs tourists more readily, is a
lively and attractive base from which you can explore
the bay by ferry.
Inland Campania is, by contrast, a poor, unknown region
for the most part, but the nearby towns of Capua and
Caserta repay visits and are easily seen on day-trips.
Similarly Benevento , an old stop on the Roman route to
Brindisi, has its moments, though you might want to make
this part of a wider trip through Campania's interior
(or on to Puglia), bearing in mind that it's a difficult
and not especially rewarding area to travel through. The
area south of Naples has more immediate appeal -
beach-bum territory on the whole, though certainly not
to be avoided. Sorrento , at the far east end of the
bay, is a major package-holiday destination but a cheery
and likeable place for that; and the Amalfi coast ,
across the peninsula, is probably Europe's most dramatic
stretch of coastline, harbouring some fantastically
enticing - if crowded - beach resorts. Further south,
the port of Salerno is an inviting place and gives
access to the Hellenistic site of Paestum and the
uncrowded coastline of the Cilento just beyond.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT
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