Although it’s a pretty chaotic city Naples has always impressed travelers with its beautiful bay and setting. Nearby Mount Vesuvius, which can be visited by chairlift or road, forms the backdrop to the city and the bay. In the shadow of the volcano, the fertile crescent of Campania cradles the Bay of Naples and the larger Gulf of Salerno. Some say, this is Italy's most spectacular natural setting. Sunny climate, a wealth of historic sights, and hospitable populance make the area around Naples a well-touristed domain. Naples itself is home to 1.2 million inhabitants, amonst them Pulcinella (the ancestor of Punch and Judy), the Great Caruso and - of course - pizza.

The city's commercial and cultural history has always been strictly connected with the importance of its port. Strategically located Naples has been coveted ever since it was established as a Greek colony around 600 BC, named "Neapolis" (New City). Conquered by the Romans in 327 BC, it became a favorite residence of emperors and literary personages, including Virgil and Nero. A Byzantine dukedom in the 7th century and later sunject to Norman Sicily, Naples reached the zenith of its medieval prosperity when Charls I of Anjou made it his capital in 1266. Along with his Angevin and Aragonese successors, Charles enlarged the city and embellished it with palaces and churches. The Spanish Habsburgs (1502 - 1704) were followed by the Bourbons, Bonapartes and finally the Savoys, when Campania became part of the unified Italian nation in 1860.

A point of embarkation for emigrants in the past, Naples now has a large traffic of merchandise (petroleum, carbon, cereals) and passengers. In the vast urban area one can distinguish many different neighborhoods: the old center, characterized by buildings closely crowded together, is bordered on the west by the new administrative district and on the east by the business district, into which flows almost all the road and rail traffic. Other neighborhoods, with narrow climbing streets, rise around the base of the San Martino and Capodimonte hills. These neighborhoods have experienced intense development, typically of the simpler kind, in contrast to that of the residential neighborhoods that stretch out comfortably along the Vomero and Posillipo hills.

Today Naples is a filthy, large, overbearing and crime-infested city - but in all these things lies the city's charm. Although the living circumstances for most of Naples' inhabitants are low, they know how to survive and to enjoy the joys of live.

You could easily spend up to three nights getting a taste of Naples although it can be seen on day trips if you’re staying elsewhere on the Sorrento Peninsula. For most people no trip to Naples would be complete without a trip to Pompeii and Herculaneum or without sampling a "Margherita" pizza. Also nearby are the islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida.
Naples is 105 mi/185 km southeast of Rome.