Neapolitan delights

Doesn't sound overly inviting but that's only half the story -- the neapolitans know how to have fun and spend their time buzzing around on the Vespas from bar to bar (strenuously avoiding compliance with anything vaguely approaching a traffic rule - it seems to be a matter of pride to jump lights, drive up one way streets and park wheresoever is personally convenient!) . . . their food is fantastic, the city is gloriously situated on the bay of Naples and can give you almost anything you want.

The old centre is crammed with splendid ancient churches, the city boasts a medieval university and the good-value eateries and cafes that go with canny students. There are colourful street markets and some swanky high fashion shops as well.

The raucous and sometimes anarchic atmosphere may have something to do with the the city's famous connections with organised crime and it's not the safest place to be out and about at night.

Quick Tips:

Also on your list should be the Palazzo Reale and less well-known Palazzo Reale di Capodimonte and the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (Museo archeologico nazionale di napoli).

Obvious trips out of town are to Vesuvius, Pompei and Herculaneum and, a bit further afield, Isla di Capri is a pleasant way to escape the hot and busy city by jumping on a boat from the harbour out to the swanky island with its yachts and very well-heeled, seeming a million miles from Naples.

Best Way To Get Around:

The underground is pretty good -- cheap and relatively efficient (though again I wouldn't hang around there at night) and you can get to and from the station much more easily than getting stuck in the hideous one-way systems out of town to the airport.

It's light and airy, thoughtfully laid out, signposted (you get a map in English and Italian with your ticket) and there are numerous assistants if you have a question (though woe betide you if you take a photo with flash).

Of most interest perhaps are the numerous pieces brought for safekeeping from Pompei and Herculaneum (see entries below) (and lesser known Stabiae), including some quite breath-taking mosaics (mezzanine floor -- look in particular for the enormous mosaic of the handsome Macedonian leader, Alexander the Great, astride his horse in mid-battle (hence "Battle of Alexander") shame really that it is not in situ on the floor of the Casa del Fauno in Pompeii but at least you can get up close now it's on the wall -- and the great, colourful scenes of fishes and squid/octopi, presumably used either in a Roman kitchen or to advertise the wares of a Roman fishermonger?), some impressive and well-preserved bronze-works, on the first floor some impressive Roman frescos and paintings (Lord knows how they got them off the walls), domestic furnshings and household goods.

Also look out on the first floor (room 94) for the excellent "Plastico di Pompei" - a scale model which will help you plan your trip or see where you've been.

So far as the mosaics are concerned, it helps I think to go to Pompei and Herculaneum before coming to the museum so you can picture where the mosaics would once have lain -- conversely though seeing so many here makes you realise why perhaps the ancient sites are slightly less colourful that you might otherwise have expected.

There is also the material unearthed from Magna Grecia (Campagnoa and Southern Italy) such as the Vase of the Persians (first floor) and grave paintings from Cuma, Nola and Ruvo.

Admission 9-2pm every day save Tuesdays and Xmas/New Year's Days. Nearest underground is Piazza Cavour.

Nowadays, you can enter through one of two gates (there were originally eight and you can see the remains of most of them) via the Piazza Anfiteatro to the east or through the Porta Marina (which will certainly be your entry if you come from the train station). There are 64 main buildings or areas to be explored, though a large proportion of the site remains to be surveyed and excavated.

A walk will depend on how long you have and how minutely you want to explore and peruse. Taking that into consideration, in this and the following entry, I set out three suggested itineraries--2 hours, min. 4 hours, and a full day (with a few thoughts on personal highlights as you go round -- * = worth seeing, ** = don’t miss). As you wander, keep your eyes open for little details, like the water pump in the street (see photo below).

2 HOURS covering the large-ish cluster near Porta Marina -- start with the Imperial Villa (a patrician house with some lovely frescoes) and suburban baths (both of these are outside the gate itself), then head through the gate to the Temple of Venus and basilica* (law courts), and follow the Via Marina as it climbs up to the Forum** (the town’s heart, with the most important buildings and temples), with its multitude of surrounding buildings. Clockwise: along the west side, the Doric Temple of Apollo**, Forum toilets, Mensa Poneraria (storage place of weights and measures) and grain-store (both of which are well preserved with stone or marble fitments); Temple of Jupiter** (whose impressive columns and statuary remain mainly in place) dominating the north; the Macellum (covered food market), Temples of Lares and Vespasian, and Comitium along the east; the grand municipal buildings to the south.

North of the Forum, heading along Via del Foro towards the Tower of Mercury (from which you can nip along the wall to the Porta Vesuvio) are (left side) the Forum Baths** (very well preserved--you can sit and imagine having taken a dip) and Houses of the Tragic Poet* (its frescoes have been moved to the Archaeological Museum) and Large Fountain* and (right side) the Temple of Fortuna.

Take the Circumvesuviana railway to Ercolano Scavi station, tben walk 1km down the hill. Herculaneum's main area comprises two broadly parallel streets (Decumanus Maximus and Inferior), bisected by three narrower streets (Cardo III to V). It's compact -- a walk will take 1-2 hours; the buildings are well-preserved, so assume everything is worth a look.

Decumanus Maximus was the gracious main street, partly closed from traffic as a Forum. The teatro was partially excavated in the 18th century; lying slightly north of the Decumanus Maximus, it held 2,500 and was fairly unusual in not being built into a hillside, but free-standing (like Rome's Colosseum).

Along Cardo IV, the House of the Mosaic Atrium has a tablino (living room), garden, terraces, and halls with rich paintings. The nearby Casa del Tramezzo di Legno (House of the Wooden Partition) and Casa Sannitica have wonderful atriums and fine frescoes; the Casa della Gemma (Jewelled House) is distinctively painted in red and black -- the kitchen hearth holds crockery remains.

From the House of the Stags (Casa dei Cervi), containing some remnants of statuary and marble furniture and an impressive atrium with frescoes of deer being chased by dogs and a Stairo con otre (satyr with wineskin) statue, there's a ramp to the so-called Sacred Area (which itself has steps down to the old harbour and the arched storerooms) where about 300 victims of the lava flow were found during excavations (closed to the public). Next door, the House of Neptune and Amphitrite contains beautiful wall mosaics -- this quality is what makes Herculaneum stand out from Pompeii. Look also for the fresco of Hercules (after whom the town is thought to have been named).

The Suburban Baths (sometimes closed but very well worth seeking out) are well preserved, particularly the floor mosaics -- look at the floors: the weight of the flow caused the tesserae to crack and the floor level to subside. Three distinct rooms can be seen -- tepidarium (warm room for acclimatising), caldarium (steam-filled room), and frigidarium (cold room for a quick plunge in the pool); it still feels like a place to socialise in grandeur.

The vast Palaestra (gymnasium) saw exercising and athletic competitions; surrounded by three columned walkways with portico and loggia for spectators, you can also see the remains of a meeting hall, supposedly where athletes received their traditional olive-wreath crown (cut from the wild olive tree from which Hercules' clubs were made).

The island is only 3 miles from the mainland (though it lies closer to Positano and Sorrento, a little way south down the coast, than to Naples -- the trip from there is quicker) and is c4x2 miles. The ferry or hydrofoil will come into Marina Grande on the north-east coast, from which you can either plunge with the masses onto a bus uphill towards Anacapri or Capri Town, or do up your walking shoes and head along the wiggling road (Via Marina Grande) westwards or southwards. For Capri Town, you can also spend 15 mins on the chairlift (€8 one way) which runs continuously until dusk - if you’re going to take only one chairlift, I’d recommend the longer one referred to below so bide your time.

If you do head to Capri town, wander round the narrow cobbled streets, starting with the main square at the C17 Church of St Stephen and taking in the C14 Carthusian monastery of San Giacomo (open 9-2 Tues-Sun) and don’t miss the fantastic views along the south coast from Augustus Gardens.

If you’re on the island overnight and feeling very energetic, get up early before the sun starts to bite and make the hour’s walk along Via Tiberio from the east side of the town to Villa Jovis, where Tiberius lived. It’s a well-preserved Roman villa (open 9-shortly before dusk; €3). Just behind the villa building is Salto di Tiberio (Tiberius’ leap) from which slaves and those out of favour were made to jump. Though not for the fainthearted or lightly shod, the walks around the coastline give fantastic views that become a blur from a bus (see photo below).

The other main town is Anacapri, smaller and quainter. It’s also home to Villa San Michele, built for Dr Axel Munthe, Swedish writer whose bust can be found in the gradens to the house (open 9-6; admission €4). Anacapri is also the starting point for the better chair-lift, starting at Piazza Vittoria to the top of monte Solaro (589m) which gives tremendous views both of the island’s rocky escarpments and plunging drops and, on a good day, across inland to Vesuvius and down the coast. (Note – buy a return rather than waiting for 2 singles – it works out much cheaper.)

Two things to ensure before you leave Capri – first, have an insalate caprese (fresh tomatoes that taste of sunshine, basil and caprese cheese, rather like mozzarella) in the place where it was born; secondly, shop around for one of the fabulous ceramic tiles (you’ll have admired them in situ everywhere – street names, little scenes on walls or benches (see below for photo), mottoes, directions. A common, practical and good value souvenir is to buy small tiles with however many numbers your house has – works out about €3 each tile.