When in Naples
The largest city in southern Italy, Naples is a beautiful place which has maintained its oldest features alongside the more modern requirements of a busy, flourishing conurbation.
However, while it has grown into a major city in the south of Italy, it does not attract the mass tourism of other Italian cities and as such is often a lot quieter for it. There are plenty of interesting places to visit, but it seems that the majority of visitors to Italy looking for a piece of history head to Rome, which is a shame as they end up missing out on the wonderful treats to be found in Naples. Not least, the city is set on the banks of the gorgeous Bay of Naples, which has the warm Mediterranean Sea lapping at its shores.
Located halfway between the volcano of Vesuvius and the volcanic region of the Campi Flegrei, the rich fertile soil made Naples a much sought-after destination for farmers in centuries gone by, although the violent eruptions have threatened the future of the city on many occasions over the years.
Although Vesuvius remains an active volcano the city is an ideal destination from where to visit the famous and historic remains of Pompeii and Herculaneum, both of which were devastated by the might of Vesuvius many centuries ago. Indeed, apart from actually visiting these sites, visitors can also see many artefacts retrieved from the former Roman towns in the beautiful Villa Communale. This former royal park houses some wonderful collections from both Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as the Farnese Marbles, in the beautiful Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli.
Vesuvius is one good reason to visit Naples. The only remaining active volcano in Europe, the mountain is a wonderful sight to behold and seeing it first hand can be both an awe-inspiring and humbling experience. Famed for its destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum in AD 79, Vesuvius remains a highly active and dangerous volcano and this means that visitors should be careful to find out about the volcano's current status when considering going to see the mountain by contacting the local tourist authorities.
Naples itself has been declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, thanks to its wide variety of important historical monuments, the majority of which date back to the days of the Roman Empire and even back to the time of the Greeks. The city also provides visitors with tours underneath Naples, offering a glimpse of the oldest parts of the city. Guided tours around the stratification of Naples reveal Greco-Roman reservoirs and the very foundations on which the city is now built.
The city is littered with remnants of the past, from the ancient Castel dell'Ovo, which stands strong against the waves on the seafront, to the glorious Cathedral of St Januarius in the heart of Naples. These fantastic pieces of heritage are playing an important role as Naples emerges as one of the most important cultural centres in the Mediterranean. Although it lost its power in the region when Italy became one unified country (when cultural and economic power centred on Milan and Rome), Naples is now a resurgent city with much to offer visitors in its wide collection of museums.
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Introduction
