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Costiera Amalfitana - the land where the lemons grow

Naples City Sightseeing and Day Tours to Capri, Amalfi

Naples, Italy Amalfi Coast

Naples is the third largest city in Italy after Rome and of course Milan. It has about 1 Mio. Inhabitants, and is the capital of the region of Kamapania.

  • In the 8th century B.C. Parthenope was founded by the Greeks, a few centuries later, in the 5th and 6th century B.C. a new name was given to this town: “Napolis”.
  • In the year of 79 A.D. the volcano Vesuv erupted leaving nearby towns like Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabbiae completely destroyed.
  • 476 A.D. the last roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, died in the castle dell’Ovo (formerly known as Castrum Lucullianum).
  • After that the Byzantines took over the Mediterranean lands. From 763 until 1137 Nepal was a kingdom under the rule of the Byzantines.
  • After the Norman conquest in 1137 the king of the Normans, Rogers II, reigned over the city of Naples.
  • Naples was governed by many different powers,such as the French, the Spanish and the Austrians. In 1860 Guiseppe Garibaldi came and freed Naples from the government in place at that time. Later after a plebiscite it was decided that Naples should be part of the Republic of Italy.

Naples, Italy Amalfi Coast
accommodations and virtual tour of Naples

If there is a clear sky, you can see the islands Capri, Ischa and Procida from Naples.
With its sweet-smelling lemon- and orange-tree plantations, the Coast of Amalfi overlooking the Gulf of Sorrent, is one of the most fascinating coasts that Europe has to offer.
The whole area originates from volcanic activity and because of that it offers interesting spectacles of nature, for example "Campi Flegrei".

Castello Nuovo

Naples by night - "Castello Nuovo" ( the new castle)

See also:    Hotels Gulf of Naples, Hotel in Naples, Surroundings of Naples

The "Campi Flegrei" are the burning fields, which are an area of hot springs with wisps of smoke, the so-called “Fumarolen”, rising from them.

In Naples there are three city gates Porta Capuana, Porta Nolana, Port’Alba and Porta San Gennaro, they were all built between the 15th and 17th century.

Some other sights of Naples are; Vomero, the district of town that was built on the hill, or the district with many flowers and parks, the “green district”, Chiaia-San Ferdinando-Posiliipo with the fishing harbor Santa Lucia. 

Castel dell'Ovo

The castle is from the early epoch and is found on a small island right off the coast, that can be reached by a small street from the mainland. The fortress has a museum in it that is worth a visit.

Castello Nuovo

This majestic castle from the year 1279 is directly in the harbor area. At the entrance of the castle a triumphal arch was added on in 1443 to honor the arrival of Alfonso I of Aragon.

In this castle you kind find the Museo Civico, the Palatina Cappella with its enthralling frescos and sculptures from the 13th and 14th century, in addition to the silver and bronze objects made in the 15th - 20th century. The hall of the barons is still used today as the meeting place for the local government of Naples.

A day in the underworld of Naples can also be very exciting. The city is built on yellow tufaceous limestone. This stone was used in the antiquity by the Greeks to build their temples and walls. Some of the caves were used as gathering places for the cults or as graves.

In the following centuries the limestone was also used to build houses above these caves and temples. For this reason, a 80km long labyrinth of pathways and caves about 40 m down is under the city that we now know as Naples.

Parts of the “sewage system”, with its cisterns that was built by the Romans can still be seen today.

The caves under the city have been used as catacombs and places to dump the trash (even today they are still illegally used to get rid of waste). They were also used as a place of refuge and shelter for those who had no other place to go. During World War II they were turned into a kind of air-raid shelter, for all these reasons there are many legends about these caves. In some cases these caves are still utilized as shelter for those who are homeless and poor.