Naples in a Camper

Pozzuli - Campi Flegrei - Ischia

excerpt from We arrive on Saturday around 12:00 in the most important centre of the Campi Flegrei, as well as one of the most important archaeological sites in Campania, Pozzuoli. After settling in at the Vulcano la Solfatara campsite, in the afternoon we visit the burning land of the solfatara with its smoking craters and sulphurous vapours.The sulphurous vapours that come out of the ground reach temperatures of 160° and the natural mud is considered excellent for treating rheumatism.The day is pleasant and prompts us to continue by scooter along the mythological route as far as the archaeological park of Cuma, and it is thrilling to walk inside the dark Antro of the Sibyl.On Sunday, by scooter, we board for Ischia, the green island.

Having disembarked at Casamicciola it is very easy to tour the island by motor vehicle, we head towards Ischia Ponte to admire the Castello Aragonese in all its majesty, and climbing up to Campagnano the view from above of the castle surrounded by numerous sailing boats is even more striking.We have lunch with typical dishes at the hotel Ristorante La Capannina looking out over the enchanting bay.We move on to Forio to admire, from its characteristic church of the Soccorso, also the opposite side of the island before returning to board for the journey back.

La città di Napoli e i suoi sotterranei

excerpt from Monday – we move by camper to Naples to the Capodimonte rest area, bus R4 and here we are at piazza Dante. In no time we reach on foot the street "Spaccanapoli", we enter the church of Gesù nuovo, then that of Santa Chiara, we admire the marvellous cloister of the Clarisse with its numerous colourful majolica columns, the charm of the "Veiled Christ" sculpted by Sammartino and displayed in the cappella Sansevero leaves us speechless. We finally reach S.

Gregorio Armeno and we cannot take our eyes off the numerous terracotta figurines on display, there are all the political figures but there is also the lucky hunchback, pulcinella and so many nativity scenes.We realise the multifaceted aspect of the city, of the blend of art, culture and tradition that lives in all these alleyways and perhaps this is precisely one of the most fascinating aspects of the city that make it unique of its kind.Strolling along via Tribunali, we arrive at the Associazione Napoli Sotteranea and join the group to discover the Neapolitan underground. We travel through part of the network of tunnels and large cistern cavities that cross the city lengthwise and breadthwise, the light is dim or non-existent in the narrow passages where we use candles to light our way.

After about an hour and a half we come back to the surface and realise that the weather has changed and a light rain is falling. We don't despair and continue our walk towards the imposing fortress of the Castello Nuovo or rather Maschio Angioino.We then emerge into the large piazza Plebiscito with its colonnade and the interior of the church of San Ferdinando inspired by the Pantheon in Rome.It is almost five and at the Teatro San Carlo the last guided entry is starting, of course we take advantage of it and the interior of the oldest opera house in the world, recently renovated, fascinates us, sitting in the royal box and thinking that in a few days on that stage maestro Muti will conduct the orchestra is thrilling, a shame that by that day we will have already left.

Also interesting is the exhibition, beneath the theatre, dedicated to Renata Tebaldi.Tuesday – we enter the park and then the Palazzo Reale, today the Museo di Capodimonte. The Farnese collection is rich in masterpieces, there are works on canvas by Botticelli, Mantegna, Bellini, Titian and it is a pleasant total immersion in true art, from the small painting of the boy blowing on the candle to the large, magnificent Flagellation of Christ by Caravaggio.In the afternoon we visit the Duomo and the sumptuous Cappella del tesoro di San Gennaro where next Sunday the reliquary with the saint's blood will be displayed.Last stop in Naples, the islet of Megaride, Castel dell'Ovo the oldest in the city.

We climb onto the various terraces of the castle to admire capo Posillipo and… no sooner said than done, we take the bus and here we are in a few minutes at the top of the Posillipo hill, at the parco Virgiliano. Among trees, gardens and sports facilities, the gaze ranges over the whole gulf of Naples.We congratulate ourselves on the efficiency of Naples' transport system which allowed us to move around quickly and without problems.

Ercolano - Capri

excerpt from www-viaggiericordi.com Wednesday – we say goodbye to Naples and resume our descent. We skip the visit to Pompeii, already seen several times, to stop at Herculaneum which for us is a real interesting surprise. The guide accompanies us among the well-preserved excavations and manages to make us relive the atmosphere and life of the era. At first glance they seemed like just stones, while walking among these ruins you are overwhelmed by the architecture and the ancient discoveries that are still used today We stay at the Seiano spiaggia campsite in Vico Equense, the campsite is small, very shaded and quiet, a few metres from the sea.

After some difficulty in arranging the campers we get on the scooter and reach Sorrento for a walk in the centre.Thursday – with a fast ferry we reach the island of Capri.The combination of land, sky and sea, the green of the vegetation on the steep rock faces make this island enchanting. We go up to the centre of the island, to the famous little square, and then move by the small bus to Anacapri and to Marina Piccola to admire the Faraglioni.Unfortunately the blue grotto is closed because the sea is too roughThe evening ends in Vico Equense at the pizzeria "da Gigino" with a metre of pizza.

Sorrento - Amalfi Coast

excerpt from Friday – we set off by scooter to discover the Amalfi coast, about thirty kilometres of mighty cliffs plunging into a sea rich in bays and inlets.Positano looks like a large nativity scene with its cascade of multicoloured little houses down the slope. Praiano and Marina di Praia with the beach carved between two high walls of rock and the nearby Conca dei Marini and Capo di Conca overlooking the sea which takes on different shades of blue and green.The place is a dream, the "coast of the Sirens", wild, daring and romantic, fascinates us to its very soul – Amalfi.In the background the mountain scenery, dotted with houses below and a picturesque web of alleyways and stairways up to the large square dominated by the famous Duomo with its imposing facade lit up with enamels and golden mosaics.

We climb the majestic staircase to enter the Chiostro Paradiso and admire the intertwined arches supported by 120 slender little columns and continue inside the sumptuous cathedral.Outdoor lunch based on excellent fish at the trattoria dei Cartari.The afternoon traffic becomes increasingly heavy and given the time we start our scooters and return, admiring once again the little stairways going down to the sea, the houses clinging to the coast and the wonderful blue of the sea.As always beautiful things come to an end but let's not be sad, we go home to set off again at the first opportunity, naturally with our house on wheels.