Getting to Amalfi and Sorrento Coast from Rome Leonardo Da Vinci FCO airport and from Rome Termini train station

To get to Sorrento or Positano or Praiano from the airport of Fiumicino you will need to board a shuttle train to the main station in Rome, which is called "Termini". From the Termini train station you can then catch a train to Naples (Napoli Centrale station), and once in Naples you can catch a local train, called "Circumvesuviana", which will stop you in Sorrento. In Sorrento you can board a bus, operated by Sita, that will take you to Positano or Praiano.

If you need to get to Amalfi, Maiori, Minori, Cetara or Vietri, you can take the train from Rome to Salerno then take a bus from Salerno to those villages (fare eur 2.00).

Check the time table and fares of the train from Rome to Naples or Salerno at http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/homepage_en.html

Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Sorrento costs EUR 1,50.

Also, a bus is available from Rome Tiburtina train station to Sorrento and to Amalfi. Check time table at http://www.marozzivt.it/biglietteria.aspx?tipobigl=marozzi (click on "ricerca orari e corse").

Getting to Amalfi and Sorrento Coast from Naples by public transport

Many tourists visiting the area ask me the following question often: the best way to get to Amalfi and Sorrento Coast by public transport from Naples. I understand then that it is quite difficult find that info on the web! :) Here are the answers.

a) From Naples airport to Sorrento/Massa Lubrense/Positano/Praiano/Amalfi/Ravello.
A bus leaves from Naples airport to Sorrento - just outside the arrival terminal (Naples is a small airport and you will not have problem in finding where the bus leaves). Company name is Curreri. Watch the time table anyway!! the last bus leaves at 19.30 (7.30 pm). Have a look: http://www.villasyreon.com/en/tourist-information-category/bus-timetable-sorrento-to-napoli-airport-and-vice.html Fare is EUR 10.00. Once in Sorrento to reach all Positano, Praiano and Amalfi, the Sita bus company runs every 30 minutes from 6.00 till 22.00 (10.00 pm) Time sheet at http://www.sitabus.it/sitabus/campania/orarioCAMPANIA/QUADROXIV.pdf). Fare EUR 2.00. Many tourists also ask: "I would like to take the ferry from Naples to reach Sorrento or the villages of the Amalfi Coast". Usually I dont suggest it as ferry time table is not reliable as the buses....also, are you sure you will be able to get easily from the quay - especially in Positano - to your hotel or property with your luggage? Positano is built on a cliff and you will need to hire a porter at the quay to reach the hotel with the bags. Most of times, the bus will leave you quite close the hotel or the house, and you will have to walk for a few to reach it from the bus stop. However, if you want to do it anyway, you have to take a bus from the airport called ALIBUS (time tables at http://www.pithecusa.com/spostarsi/alibus.htm ). Once at Molo Beverello (piazza Municipio) you can take a ferry to Sorrento or Amalfi Coast. Have a looki at http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/campania/ferries.html
To get to Ravello a bus runs from Amalfi regurarly.
b) From Naples train station to Sorrento, Positano, Praiano, Amalfi and Ravello.
You need to board the Circumvesuviana train that runs from Naples train station each 30 minutes to Sorrento (trip time 1 hour, fare EUR 2.00). Once in Sorrento take the Sita bus, as mentioned above. From the train station of Naples you can also board the Alibus that will take you to the quay (Molo Beverello), anyway - again - I dont suggest it. Much more easy by train/bus.

c) if you have to reach the villages of Maiori, Minori, Vietri or Cetara (that are located on the side of the Amalfi Coast closer to Salerno) best way is: from Naples airport take the SITA bus to Salerno (trip time at http://www.sitabus.it/sitabus/campania/orarioCAMPANIA/Salerno-Capodichino.pdf ) fare EUR 7.00, luggage EUR 5.00 each - then board the SITA bus that goes to Vietri, Cetara, Maiori, Minori and stops in Amalfi (trip time at

http://www.sitabus.it/sitabus/campania/orarioCAMPANIA/QUADROXV.pdf ) fare eur 2.00.

From the train station of Naples, take a train to Salerno, then board the Sita bus. Sita bus in Salerno is just in front of the train station exit.

Frequently Asked Questions about Amalfi and Sorrento Coast

Are beaches both public and private in Amalfi and Sorrento Coast?
Yes, beaches are mainly public and private (as private, I mean you can rent a sun umbrella and deck chairs).

Is Amalfi Coast good for bicycle rides?
It is not. The Amalfi Drive (watch the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9AtjiPxeak ) is a narrow road with many bends.

What about golf and tennis courts?
Some tennis courts are available, for instance in the villages of Minori, Praiano, Sorrento and Massa Lubrense. The closest golf courts are located in Naples or Salerno area (at about 1 hour and half driving) On Amalfi and Sorrento Coast there are no golf courts.

Where is the closest Hospital?
On Amalfi Coast it is in Ravello, street address: Via Civita 40, loc Castiglione di Ravello. A larger Hospital is located in Sorrento, or in Salerno.

Is feasible a day trip to Rome?
Probably not, or if so it will be very tired. Note that to get to Rome from Amalfi and Sorrento Coast you will need not less than 3 hours by car, and 4,5 hours by public transport.

Diving center, where is it in Amalfi Coast?
Look at LA BOA DIVING CENTER, in Praiano area. Web site: http://www.laboa.com/main_eng.html

Credit cards, are mostly accepted?
Yes, they are accepted in all the restaurants and in many shops. Anyway, in some small shops they don’t accept credit card payments. My suggest is to have always some cash with you.

Tip, which is the rule in Italy?
Indeed we don’t have a rule. Tip is of course welcome, but there is not a pattern. Basically, us Italians base it on the quality service.

How can I get to Paestum ruins by public transport?
You have to take a bus to Salerno (two if coming from Positano or Sorrento) then board a train to Paestum. Actually by car is much more easily, just check the driving directions on the left of the blog.

Italian school, do you know any?
Yes you can find some in Sorrento and Salerno town center. Read more at http://www.sorrentolingue.com/ and at http://www.accademialeonardo.it/ or at http://www.accademia-italiana.it/?lang=en

For those who love the nights, what disco do you recommend?
“Music on the Rocks” in Positano, the "Fauno" in Sorrento.

What time food shops close? Are they open on Sunday?
About 8.00 pm. Closed on Sunday.

Local Markets - Amalfi Coast

I often get the following question: "when do local markets take place in the villages of Amalfi Coast"? Here is below where and when they take place.

Amalfi

on Wed from 8.00 am to 1.00 pm. Street address Via Ercolano.

Praiano

on Tue from 8.00 am to 1.00 pm. Street address Via Costantinopoli (clothes, fruit and vegetables, flowers)

Praiano

on Sat from 5.00 pm to 8.00 pm. Street address Via Costantinopoli (clothes, fruit and vegetables, flowers)

Maiori

on Fri from 8.00 am to 1.00 pm. Street address Piazza del Mercato.

Minori

on Thu from 8.00 am to 1.00 pm. Street address Lungomare California.

Ravello

on Tue from 7.30 am to 1.30 pm. Street address Piazza Duomo Parking (on August it doesn't take place).

Vietri sul Mare

on Wed from 8.00 am to 1.00 pm. Street address Piazzetta Ferrigno.

Main Events - Amalfi Coast

Here is below a list of the main events of the Amalfi Coast that take place every year.

Ravello Festival
From June to September Classical music concerts
Location: Ravello
Web Site: http://www.ravellofestival.com/

Chamber Music on the Amalfi Coast
From March to July / From September to November
Chamber music concerts
Locations: Villa Rufolo Gardens and Auditorium Ravello, St Rose Convent Conca Dei Marini
Web site: http://www.ravelloarts.org/

Crocefisso Ritrovato Feast
Late April
Big local fair, local food tasting, handcraft exhibition and shows
Location: Salerno downtown
Web site: http://www.turismoinsalerno.it/

I Suoni degli Dei (Concerts on the Path of Gods)
On May, September and October
Concerts on the Path of Gods
Location: Praiano area
Web site: http://www.isuonideglidei.com/

San Pietro and Paolo Feast
On June 29 Midnight fireworks on the main beach
Location: Cetara

International plunge contest
First week of July
Location: Furore

Saint Trofimena Feast
On July 13
Religious event, band concerts on the promenade
Location: Minori

Festival della tradizione
On July/August "i Suoni della Tradizione”
Web site: http://www.festivaldellatradizione.it/
Location: Praiano

Luminaria Di San Domenico
From late July to early August
Amazing lights show
Location: Praiano
Web site: http://www.luminariadisandomenico.it/

Saint Mary Assunta Feast
On 14-15 August
Religious events, concerts and wonderful midnight fireworks on the main beachLocation: Positano

Giffoni Experience
On July International Film Festival
Location: Giffoni (Salerno district)
Web site: http://www.giffoniff.it/

Ferragosto Maiorese
On 14-15-16 August
Music, concerts, fireworks shows
Location: Maiori

Gustaminori
Early September
Food tasting, clothes parades, local bands music, theatre shows
Location: Minori
Web site: http://www.gustaminori.it/

Saint Patron Matthew Feast
On 21 September
Religious events, band conerts, period clothes parades, and wonderful midnight fireworks on the main beach.
Location: Salerno

Rossellini Prize
End of October
Film AwardLocation: Maiori
Web site: http://www.premiorossellini.com/

Just ask to andreaciao@gmail.com (or check the tourist offices web sites on the left) for any further info.

Maiori

Maiori is a bathing resort on the biggest beach of the Amalfi Coast. The landascape is really suggestive and, in a few minutes, it changes from the sea to a wooded inland, which is an ideal place to go walking and enjoy being in touch with nature.It is one of the most ancient village of the " Amalfi Coast". Some historicals asset that Minori descended from Etruscan origins. But the beauty of this little village attracted many important tourists, especially rich families from the Roman Empire, who built a "Villa" which is well keptand still today, it is possible to visit and admire it. While walking up the Corso Reginna, the visitor can visit the many charming burghs of Maiori. This lovely itinerary can be followed on foot or by car:
- San Pietro: the ancient quarter of S. Pietro with its magnificent little square and its church is 10 minutes from the center of Maiori. The church of St. Peter the Apostle was built in the fourth century on the ruins of the Temple of Vertumno, destroyed by the citizens of Maiori following their conversion to Christianity.
Queen Giovanna II d'Angiò worshipped in this church during her visit to Maiori in 1416 on the occasion of her second marriage to James the Bourbon, Count of Marra.
The statue of the Apostle is of great artistic value. The visitor to this tiny corner of Maiori finds himself immersed in the atmosphere of a past era.
- Santa Maria delle Grazie: the first burgh encountered after leaving the quarter of S. Pietro is S. Maria delle Grazie (Saint Mary of the Graces).
It is a minute village, although the population has increased through the years. The economy of this small burgh of Maiori, with its many lemon groves, is still based on agricultural activities.
The town church is worth visiting; the church is situated on the banks of the Reginna Maior river and historians trace the present structure to an ancient sixth century Basilica.
Rebuilt in the eighteenth century, the church of S. Maria delle Grazie was almost completely destroyed by the flood of 1910. The church was subsequently rebuilt and a fresco was added to the interior of the church under the vault over the alter. It depicts the Madonna during the terrible flood. The marble baptismal font, dating back to the end of the thirteenth century, is of significant historical and artistic value.
- Ponteprimario: going up from the burgh of S. Maria delle Grazie, the visitor finds the small burgh of Ponteprimario, which borders with the Tramonti valley.
The church which dominates this small village is the Church dedicated to the Madonna del Principio (the Madonna of the Beginning), which dates back to the seventh century.
The recently renovated church has been rebuilt many times following the floods which through the years have upset the entire territory of Maiori. What remains of the original structure can be found in the crawl space under the present pavement, and on the left side of the open area in the front of the church, where the arch of an ancient Apse bearing the fresco of a flower can still be seen.

The towers

All of the he towers along the Amalfi Coast (the first fortifications along the coastline) can be dated to the epoch of the Swabian domination of the coastal zone. As regards the territory of Maiori, the oldest towers are dated to the era of the reign of Carlo I d'Angiò in 1278, specifically the towers of Erchie and of Capo d'Orso. The towers which were important structures for sighting enemy assaults, were constructed in such a way that the entire territory could always be under control and so that messages could be sent between the various lookout points. Among the most majestic of these towers, is the Torre Normanna (Norman Tower) at the entrance into Maiori coming from the direction of Salerno, which in the past was called the Torre dell'Angolo (the Corner Tower). It was built in 1563 and is an imposing bastion set on a rocky abutment. Today the tower houses a restaurant. Between the cities of Maiori and Minori, there is another ancient tower, called the "Torricella", built in 1563. This tower is quadrangular in form, and through the years it was transformed into a Castle and given the name of its ancient owner, Mezzacapo, hence it is called the Mezzacapo Castle. Other important lookout points were found in the Acquaruolo Tower in the locality of Salicerchie and the Sanspirito Tower in the locality of Badia. Ancient tradition dictates that the inhabitants of the city of Atrani realized that pirate ships were approaching the shoreline without an escort from the various towers positioned in the territory of Maiori, and so they lit a great bonfire on the beach to warn Maiori of the danger. Since then, as a sign of gratitude for the help given by the people of Atrani, in the occasion of the celebrations dedicated to the Patron Saints of the two cities, the first citizens of both cities exchange visits, and a great bonfire is lit on the eve of the celebration.


What to see in Maiori

Collegiate of Santa Maria a mare
In the thirteenth century, the ancient fortress of St. Angelo, built after the Longobard invasions, was partially demolished to enlarge the church dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel. In the meantime, the church had been elevated to Basilica in order to host the rectory of S. Maria a Mare (St. Mary at Sea), after a wooden statue of the Madonna, wrapped in a bale of cotton, had been found at sea in the first years of the century. Every year, on August 15th, at the end of a procession through the city streets, the citizens of Maiori carry the statue of Santa Maria a Mare on their shoulders, and run up the steep stairs that lead to the Collegiate, and with this gesture of faith and folklore, they represent the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Chruch of San Francesco
The church of S. Francesco dates back to 1405 and was built in proximity to the Grotto dell'Annunziata (Grotto dedicated to the Madonna of the Annunciation). It was annexed to the western side of the convent, to the opposite of its present location. In 1435 both the church and thge convent were destroyed by the army of Mohammed II, and the church was rebuilt the following year by S. Bernardino di Siena (St. Bernardine of Siena). In 1440 a violent tidal wave again destroyed the church was once again rebuilt in the same place. Construction of the newer, larger church was begun in 1517 and was interrupted during a Turkish invasion of the entire coast in 1558. In 1590 construction of both the church and the convent, in their present location, was completed.

Church of the “avvocata”
The Chiesa dell'Avvocata (Sanctuary of the Protectress) is located at the top of a long rock formation on the plateau of Mount Mirteto (approx. 900 meters above sea level) at the base of Mount Falerzio (1024 meters above sea level). A steep stairway from the Lama quarter in Maiori leads to the Sanctuary; instead, from the city of Cava de' Tirreni, a narrow mule path leads to the Sanctuary from the S.S. Trinità Abbey. Every year, on the Monday after Pentecost, the main feast day of the Madonna dell'Avvocata, numerous faithful followers go up to the mountain top. From this summit, the beautiful panorama of the Gulf of Salerno and the Amalfi Coast can be admired.

Castle
The Castle of St. Nicholas de Thoro Plano is situated on the hill bearing the same name, and from this position it overlooks the entire city of Maiori, offering a splendid view. If you are on foot, the steps of Via Castello lead from the burgh of S. Pietro to the Castle, or, if you are traveling by car, you can reach the Castle from the village of Vecite.
The castle was built in the ninth century to defend the city from pillaging after the barbaric incursion of the Longobards of Sicardo. After a period of abandonment, the castle was rebuilt in the fifteenth century.



Restaurants in Maiori

Mammato
Località Mare Amendola
+39 089 853683

La vela
Via G. Amendola, 13Telephone: 089/852874

La ninfaVia Santa Tecla, 8Telephone: 089/877202

Pietra di LunaVia Capone, 27Telephone: 089/877500
Ristorante Capo d'Orso
Via D. Traiani n° 48
Tel: +39 089877022

Nettuno
Via Capone 27
Tle. 39 089/877500


Other sights of the area- driving distances and approximate driving times

Amalfi: 6 km / 4 miles / 10 min.
Praiano: 16 km / 10 miles / 24 min.
Positano: 22 km / 14 miles / 28 min.
Ravello: 18 km / 11 miles / 18 min.
Sorrento: 37 km / 23 miles / 48 min.
Pompeii: 60 km / 37 miles / 72 min.
Naples: 80 km / 50 miles / 90 min.
Caserta: 85 km / 53 miles / 82 min.
Rome: 276 km / 172 miles / 165 min.
Salerno: 20 km / 13 miles / 27 min.
Paestum: 60 km / 37 miles / 65 min.
Castellabate: 86 km / 54 miles / 81 min.
Marina di Camerota: 145 km / 90 miles / 152 min.

Minori

Once a place where noble Romans passed the summer months, which can be seen in archeological findings from the first century, nowadays Minori is a synonym for flavor and exceptional food. Since the 16th century its natives dedicated their time to the production of pasta from wheat imported from Salerno; More recently, local agricultural producers have focused on the production of various kinds of liqueur (made of lemons, mandarins, strawberries and fennel) as well as sweets (for example delizia del limone - lemon delight) that are now known nationwide. During the fine food festival called "Gusta Minori" (Tastes of Minori), that takes place in early September, visitors can sample local specialties and attend theatrical performances based on chosen themes.

Driving distances and approximate driving times
Amalfi 3 km /1,8 miles / 8 min.
Praiano: 13 km / 8 miles / 19 min.
Positano: 19 km / 12 miles / 30 min.
Ravello: 13 km / 8 miles / 19 min.
Sorrento: 35 km / 21 miles / 43 min.
Pompeii: 52 km / 32 miles / 72 min.
Naples: 73 km / 45 miles / 80 min.
Caserta: 79 km / 49 miles / 82 min.
Rome: 278 km / 173 miles / 180 min.
Salerno: 21 km / 14 miles / 28 min.
Paestum: 60 km / 38 miles / 60 min.
Castellabate: 91 km / 63 miles / 91 min.
Marina di Camerota: 152 km / 95 miles / 165 min.

Cilento National Park

Very close to Amalfi and Sorrento Coast, Cilento National Park is the second largest park in Italy, and the most important amongst the parks that border on the Mediterranean Sea. It stretches from the Tyrrhenian coast to the foot of the Apennines in Campania and Basilicata. The extraordinary naturalist complexity of the heterogeneous territory goes hand in hand with the mythical and mysterious character of a land rich in history and culture. This land melts people and civilization and preserves the evident traces of them in its distinctive characters: the Nature, the Cultural, Archaeological, Architectural Patrimony, the Territorial order soaked of medieval elements, the alive world of the Traditions. Placed at the center of the Mediterranean it is therefore its proper Park because of this sea it embodies what is the deepest spirit, the bio-diversities wealth, the environmental interpenetration, the History, synthesis of the meeting of people and different civilization.

It is a protected area comprised of several small rural towns and seaside villages. The interior area of the park has thick woods, a number of rivers, rolling green hills with olive trees and some fluvial plains. Designated as a "World Heritage Site" by the United Nations, in 1998, the Park hosts a fascinating array of natural wonders and historical sites. Here is the justification given by the U.N for the Park's designation as a World Heritage site: "The Cilento National Park is an outstanding cultural landscape. The dramatic groups of sanctuaries and settlements along its three east–west mountain ridges vividly portray the area's historical evolution: it was a major route not only for trade, but also for cultural and political interaction during the prehistoric and medieval periods. The Cilento was also the boundary between the Greek colonies of Magna Graecia and the indigenous Etruscan and Lucanian peoples. The remains of two major cities from classical times, Paestum and Velia, are found there, as well as the impressive monastic property of the Certosa di San Lorenzo in Padula." There are very few places in Italy that provide as unspoiled an environment as the Cilento Park. The long list of natural sights include dramatic grottos by the sea (Palinuro), prisine sandy beaches (Marina di Camerota), stalactite caverns (Pertosa and Castelcivita), canyons, mountains and valleys with chestnut trees and olive-groves (Castellabate), colorful wild flowers in spring and mushrooms in winter. Massif of calcareous origin host on their slopes medieval villages. The weather is ideal year round, with a typically Mediterranean climate. There are two types of vegetation in the park, Apennine and Mediterranean. Plant life ranges from fir trees to evergreen maquis. In the Cilento massifs there are wolves, wild cats, martens, polecats and badgers. Otters live along the many of the larger rivers in the Park and their respective tributaries. The Park is rich with bird life including golden eagles, black woodpeckers, kites and ravens.
All in all, Cilento Park is wonderful place to visit for nature lovers seeking to escape the crowds.

And, for those who long to admire some of the most beautiful and well-known places in the world, Pompeii, Naples, Sorrento, Capri, Ischia, Positano and the Amalfi Coast - to name a few - are all within reach of a day trip. Amalfi is at just 2 hours driving.

Meta di Sorrento

Meta di Sorrento is a small picturesque tourist location, with large beaches overlooked at the crystal blue sea.
It is at just three kilometres from Sorrento (about two miles).
So named because here came the old Roman road, Meta di Sorrento was landmarked by a temple dedicated to Minerva, upon which was built a paleochristian church, replaced in the 18th century by the Basilica of Madonna del Lauro, which is today the symbol of Meta with its dome paneled with majolica and its characteristic bell-tower. From the church it starts the road leading to the Marina di Meta. Along the way it rises the town with the palaces of the sea captains and of ship proprietors. In fact Meta had once a great tradition of sailors, belonging to the Bourbon’s dominion: until there were the sail ships, Meta kept a leading place among Italian municipalities as regards to the registered tonnage. On a side of Marina di Meta it stretches the large and beautiful beach of Alimuri, a resort much frequented and appreciated.
Meta di Sorrento is linked by local train to: Sorrento (five minutes), Pompeii (fifteen minutes), Napoli, the city centre (one hour). It is also joined to this cities by motorway and local way, this second very panoramic, and from Meta di Sorrento you can take the road to the famous “Costiera Amalfitana”, with its countries -Positano, Amalfi, Ravello-, best known all over the world.


Restaurants in Meta di Sorrento

Grillerie del Casale – via Vocale n° 35 Tel: +39 0818787722

La Conca - 3° Traversa Alimuri - tel. +39 081 5321495

La Tavernetta Via A. Cosenza, 56 - tel. +39 081/5342131

Da Ninuccio - Via Casa Iaccarino 31 – +39 081/5321436

Tico Tico – via Caruso 3 - +39 081.5321837

Da Giosue a Mare – Via Caruso 3 - tel 39 081/8786685


Tourist sights of the area - Distances and driving times

Amalfi: 34 km / 21 miles / 37 min.
Praiano: 24 km / 15 miles / 27 min.
Positano: 19 km / 12 miles / 23 min.
Ravello: 41 km / 25 miles / 51 min.
Pompeii: 28 km / 15 miles / 37 min.
Naples: 46 km / 28 miles / 53 min.
Caserta: 74 km / 45 miles / 77 min.
Rome: 261 km / 163 miles / 170 min.
Salerno: 59 km / 37 miles / 59 min.
Paestum: 103 km / 64 miles / 100 min.
Castellabate: 124 km / 78 miles / 126 min.
Marina di Camerota: 185 km / 116 miles / 185 min.

Marina di Puolo

Between Sorrento and the promontory of Capo di Massa Lubrense, the pictoresque Marina di Puolo is enclosed with its rustic village looking on it. Its history flows among the wrinkles of the old fishermen, intents to mend nets and to search the sea, the sea of the Riserva Naturale Marina of Punta Campanella, a protected area of important environmental merit for its biodiversity. During the course of the centuries the village always has been inhabited because it's sure the presence of three churches. The Church of the Virgin Mary Addolorata builded about in 1500 and rebuild in the eighteenth century when the Church of Saint Erasmus, which stood near the stream brook, collapsed. They said that there was the column where Saint Erasmus suffered the martyrdom and that the sand in front of the church was miraculous.The third church is the Chapel of Saint Eustacchio which stood on the Cape of Massa (where there is the inlet called 'o Maciello).
The word "Puolo" derives from the Latin "Pollius", the name of the Roman patrician Pollius Felix, the proprietor of the villa extolled by Stazio in the poems:"Villa Surrentina Pollii Felicis" and "Hercules Surrentinus Pollii Felicis". The villa enclosed the whole bay (from the Cape of Sorrento to the Cape of Massa Lubrense);surrounded by wonderful gardens and vineyards, it was a downright jewel-case of treasure and works of art, adorned with splendid polychrome marbles from Mediterraneo. Many centuries after, the french Jean-Jacques Bouchard, who was in Sorrento in 1632, in his "Journal" wrote: "...there is a gulf, a bay called Polo... where it's possible see that view described by Stazio and where there are the remains of an ancient civilization, the remains of ancient splendour...". Marina di Puolo, located in the heart of the Sea Park of Punta Campanella, is distant about 50 Km from Naples, 3 Km from Sorrento, 2 Km from Massa Lubrense, 4 miles from Capri.
Restaurant in Marina di Puolo
Baia Di Puolo. Via Marina di Puolo, 10 – Tel. +39 0815339796
Sant Rapahel. Via Marina di Puolo, 23 - tel. +39 081 5339814
La Villanella. Via Partenope, 31 - Tel. +39 0818075651
L'Angolo del Mare. Via Marina di Puolo, 14 tel. +39. 081.5338022
Da Rafele. Via Marina di Puolo, 3 - tel. +39. 081.5338020
Tourist sights of the area - Distances and driving times

Sorrento: 3 Km /2 miles/ 5 min.
Amalfi: 33 km / 20 miles / 32 min.
Praiano: 20 km / 12 miles / 22 min.
Positano: 15 km / 11 miles / 22 min.
Ravello: 37 km / 24 miles / 51 min.
Pompeii: 31 km / 19 miles / 39 min.
Naples: 49 km / 30 miles / 53 min.
Caserta: 75 km / 46 miles / 77 min.
Rome: 265 km / 165 miles / 170 min.
Salerno: 58 km / 36 miles / 56 min.
Paestum: 102 km / 63 miles / 96 min.
Castellabate: 121 km / 76 miles / 124 min.
Marina di Camerota: 184 km / 115 miles / 180 min.

Paestum

Paestum is one of the best collections of Greek temples anywhere, and certainly the most accessible to western Europe. Located in the Sele plain (Cilento National Park), Paestum was founded by the Dorics in 650 B.C. under the name of Poseidonia; conquered by the Lucanians who called her Paistos and then, in 273 a.C. by the Romans who gave it the name of Paestum. The walls date back to the IVth century with Roman and Lucan parts and are strengthened by towers often as thick as 7 meters. Inside the town there are the Temple oh Hera, dating back to 550 B.C., with nine columns on the short sides and eighteen on the long ones and remains of the decoration of the architrave, and the Temple of Nettuno, built in 450 B.C., imposing and harmonious, formed by a base with three steps on which stand six columns on the short sides and fourteen on the long ones. The columns are all nine meters high and are united, on top, by an architrave supporting a sloping roof ending both on the front and in the back with two pediments; the Temple of Cerere of 500 B.C., with six columns on the short sides and thirteen on the long ones. In the inside part there can be still seen the remains of such places as the Curia, the thermae, the Italic temple, the comitium, the aerarium etc.. In the nearby museums there are precious materials coming from the town and from the neighbourood among which ceramics and sculptures, fictile little statues, bronzes and the slabs of the famous "Tomba del Tuffatore" dating back to 490 B.C., the only example of wall paintings of Magna Graecia. Next to the museums stands the early Romanic basilica of Annunziata, noteble sacred building with nave and two aisles.

The National Archaeological Museum of Paestum
The Museum of Paestum is certainly between the most important Italian archaeological museums. In it is guarded one of the most valuable collections of archaic sculptures than coming from southern Italy (cycle of metope of the Heraion of Foce Sele VI sec. B. C.) and of funeral paintings referable to the lucano period (IV sec. B.C.) that they are today an unicum, like it is, for the Classical age, the so-called "Tomba del Tuffatore" (Tomb of the Diver), exceptional example, splendidly preserved, of funeral painting of Greek tradition.The Archaeological Park of Paestum
The Archaeological Park of Paestum is characterized from the ruins of the city Sanctuary with the monumental testimonies of the three great Temples, exceptionally preserved, dedicated to the goddess Hera (the so-called Basilica and Temple of Neptune) and to Athena (so-called Temple of Cerere), datable between the half of VI and half of V sec. B. C. . The testimonies of the Greek city (Agorà, so-called sacello ipogeico) and Roman, with the amphitheatre, the monuments of the Foro and the insulaes of residence are moreover visitable.

Restaurants in Paestum

Da Nonna Sceppa Via Laura, 53Telephone: 0828/851064

Il GranaioVia Porta Marina 86Telephone: 0828721014

Nettuno Archaeological zoneTelephone: 0828/811028

L’OasiVia Magna Grecia 72Telephone: 0828/811935

Il Cantinone
Via Magna Grecia 51Telephone: 0828/723377

Le Trabe Via Capodifiume 1Telephone: 0828/724165

Driving distances and approximate driving times
Salerno: 37 km / 23 miles / 45 min.
Pompeii: 74 km / 46 miles / 80 min.
Sorrento: 100 km / 62 miles / 103 min.
Amalfi: 61 km / 38 miles / 90 min.
Naples: 99 km / 61 miles / 100 min.
Acciaroli: 44 km / 27 miles / 54 min
Santa Maria di Castellabate: 20 km / 13 miles / 30 min.
San Marco di Castellabate: 22 km / 15 miles / 35 min.
Perdifumo: 29 km / 19 miles / 45 min.
Agnone: 37 km / 23 miles / 57 min.
Ascea Marina: 50 km / 31 miles / 70 min.
S.Mango Cilento: 32 km / 20 miles / 50 min.
Marina di Camerota: 44 km / 27 miles / 54 minutes

Massa Lubrense

This village is an ideal place for a great vacation, more than 100 km of marked trails in the country side, country landscape, famous for its cuisine (7 restaurants in the top 20 of Campania, one of the best 3 in Italy), a coastline almost 20 miles long in the middle of the Protected Marine Area of Punta Campanella. The early testimonies about Massa belong to the 10th century, when it was property of the Sorrento Duchy. It succeeded to gain its freedom from Sorrento only in 1470. The territory characterised by Mediterranean bush, typical cultivation and coasts just on the sea, constitutes one of the main tourist resources of Sorrento Peninsula. One the activities promoted in this view has been the localisation and delimitation of a series of foot-paths. In 1990, in the sole commune of Massa Lubrense were localised 22 foot itineraries for an overall development of an area of about 110 km far from the carriage road and by the built-up area. Along these paths, whih are clearly indicated, it is possible to rediscover enchanted places rich in historical memories, panoramic points and ancient hamlets, the whole through lemon-orchards, olive-groves, oak-woods, sunny coasts and a luxuriant and evergreen nature, typical of the whole Sorrento Peninsula. The shores of Massa Lubrense are the closest to Capri (only 3 miles away) and you can reach Positano (13 miles), Amalfi (25 miles), Pompeii (21 miles), Ercolano (28 miles), Vesuvius (30 miles) and obviously Sorrento (3 miles) in less than one hour. Massa Lubrense offer the holiday visitor the opportunity to share in the beautiful natural scenery of this part of the of Sorrentine peninsula.

The territory of Massa Lubrense occupies all the final part of the Sorrento Paninsula, with a settlement divided into about thirty hamlets.


Ieranto Bay

Located at few miles from Massa Lubrense, Ieranto Bay includes traditional rural architecture with domed structures characterised by typical building materials and techniques. There are important elements of industrial archeology, including the village complex established in the early 19th century for quarrying activity, and the related infrastructures of warehouses, powder magazines and piers. The territory is structured in terraces for extended cultivation of olive trees. Important evidence of the coastal defensive system include the Montalto tower overlooking the bay. Archaeological evidence spread over the entire territory include ruins of a Roman villa and of old kilns found on the property. All decisions concerning the restoration were made in respect of the important value of the historical, architectural and rural elements characterising the landscape. Special attention was to the continous interrelationship between individual elements and the general landscape. Works of conservation and enhancement have involved all evidence of man's presence on this territory, while recovering the remains of agricultural and road infrastructure, old coastal defensive buildings, rural and industrial buildings. The aim of protecting the integrity of the characteristic, complex and cultural landscape, and the interesting botanical naturalistic heritage of the area was paramount.

Marina della Lobra

Marina della Lobra is a short drive from the center of Massa Lubrense. It is a small fishing village with houses built on the seashore and harbor. At the entrance of the village of this hamlet of Massa Lubrense, there is the Church of Santa Maria della Lobra (Our Lady of the Lobra), built in 1528 to replace the former ancient christian church that was built upon an ancient pagan temple. Inside the church there is a beautiful pavement in majolica tile of the 18th century and a vaulted ceiling. Near the church there is a Franciscan convent. Inside its cloister are kept some archaeological remains of the Greek and Roman age.


Sport and free time in Massa Lubrense

Boat Rental

“Forza 7 Sorrento Boat Rental” delivers any where along The Sorrento Peninsula coastline.
You can hire a motor boat or Sail Boat by the hour, daily or weekly, on weekly rentals discounts are applied.
Forza 7 Sorrento Boat Rental , loc. Marina della Lobra, Massa Lubrense - Tel.: (+39) 0818789008.

Diving

Dive Center Cala di Puolo - via Marina di Puolo - Massa Lubrense - tel: 0039-081-8072410
Diving activities: free and escorted dives for novices and experienced divers - Cave dives - Discovery program Dive school training to all level held by qualified - Intructor Dives and accomodation personalized package



Restaurants in Massa Lubrense

Aspiett nu poc - via Capo d'Arco, 12 - tel: +39 3683060863

Cantuccio 2 - largo Vescovado, 6/8 - tel. +39 081.8789549

Maria Grazia - Marina del Cantone - +39 081.8081011

Riccardo di Francischiello - Via Partenope, 26 -Tel. +39 081 8789181

Tramonto Rosso - via Caprile, 1 - tel. +39 081 808 10 45

Torre Cangiani - loc. Vigliano - tel. +39 0815339849

Agrimar- via Vincenzo Maggio - tel. +39 081 8089682


Tourist sights of the area - Distances and driving times

Amalfi: 25 km / 15 miles / 31 min.
Praiano: 18 km / 11 miles / 22 min.
Positano: 13 km / 8 miles / 19 min.
Ravello: 33 km / 20 miles / 44 min.
Pompeii: 21 km / 13 miles / 40 min.
Naples: 52 km / 32 miles / 58 min.
Sorrento: 3km / 2 miles / 7 min.
Caserta: 78 km / 48 miles / 81 min.
Rome: 268 km / 167 miles / 177 min.
Salerno: 51 km / 31 miles / 50 min.
Paestum: 97 km / 60 miles / 92 min.
Castellabate: 117 km / 73 miles / 115 min.
Marina di Camerota: 177 km / 110 miles / 175 min.

The Royal Palace of Caserta

Of all the magnificent works and constructions by which the Bourbon dynasty adorned and modernised the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the pride is the universally famous Royal Palace of Caserta. It was designed and mostly built by the Dutch architect Ludwig Van Wittel, who received the Italian onomatopoeic name of Vanvitelli. He was called to Naples by King Charles, who, as real grandchild of the Roi Soleil, wanted to build a new Royal Palace, a “residence” fit for a Bourbon King and his Court. The palace - in the King’s intentions - had to be the most beautiful and largest royal palace in the world after Versailles, a pride for the new Kingdom he had conquered and a further evidence of his willingness to make this Kingdom an independent and sovereign one.

Charles personally followed the work together with the Queen and they both were Vanvitelli’s inspirers, however without modifying the original design of the great architect. It was an excellent “union of souls”: evidence of this is given by Vanvitelli himself, in his periodic letters to his brother, where he always expressed his joy for the attention that the two Sovereigns paid to his work and for the good understanding that made the work progress quickly and with great profit. Its foundation stone was laid on 20 January 1752 in an official ceremony celebrating the 36th birthday of King Charles. Vanvitelli had presented his project the previous year, on 2 May 1751. Charles and Maria Amalia were so enthusiast that the architect wrote his brother that reality had overcome his best expectations. The Palace had been designed as a huge building with twin facades, one looking on to the parade ground, the other to the gardens. The central dome and the statue of Charles on the gable in the middle of the facade were present in the original design but were never realised. For the first time, the central stairway leading to the royal apartments (at whose entrance we now find the Public Administration High School), was put at the centre of a building. The Royal Palace of Caserta was planned by Charles of Bourbon, who came to the Kingdom of Naples in 1734. In the choice of the site, which had belonged to the family of the Princes Gaetani di Sermoneta, foe of the Bourbons, climatic motives were predominant – salubrity of air and fertility of soil – strategic reasons, being the distance from the sea and the consequent risk of naval gunfire, and political-economic ones regarding the development of hitherto neglected land. Several architects were considered, finally Luigi Vanvitelli was given the charge, already designer and architects in the service of the Pope.
The construction of the Reggia continued at a good pace until 1759, the year in which Charles of Bourbon left the kingdom of Naples to take up the crown of Spain. Thereafter building slowed down, and at Vanvitelli’s death in 1773 it was still far from being completed. Up to 2681 workers were engaged simultaneously on the yard, of whom 300 master masons, 166 convicts, 245 Turkish Mohammedans captured on the pirate ships that infested the Mediterranean, 160 Christians guilty of misdemeanour; all under supervision of 438 guards, 14 adminstrators and 3 directors. According to the reports of the times, for the transportation and the removal of materials, aside from horses and donkeys, camels and elephants were used! It was not until 1847 that the Throne Room was finished and the work could finally be considered completed.

In total, the Palace has 1200 rooms! A description of the Palace and its gardens is impossible here. It is one of the most famous and loved architectural masterpieces in the world. We will limit ourselves to show some pictures and spend a few words on the most important and beautiful rooms. Entrance to the Palatine Chapel (similar to the one in Versailles) is from the upper hall. The Chapel is an unadorned and vaulted room with columns and a high stylobate. It was inaugurated by the Mass of Christmases Eve in 1784, at the presence of the King and all the Court. The chapel is dedicated to Mary Immaculate, whose image is painted on the apse. A mention must be made to the Rooms of the Seasons, small and highly decorated rooms: in the room of “spring”, the King and Queen welcomed their most intimate guests and Hackert embellished it with some splendid views of harbours. Whereas the King’s apartment is furnished in a rigorous way and contains German pieces of furniture, the apartment of Queen Maria Carolina is somehow frivolous and elegant. Once crossed the three neoclassical rooms of the Palatine Library, we reach the Elliptic Room, all white washed, without decorations, destined to the Court recreation; it presently houses the enchanting Bourbon Crib. The Bourbons always encouraged the ancient Neapolitan tradition of the Crib and every Christmas a huge crib was prepared in the Palace by expert artisans but also by the Princesses, who tailored the dresses of the shepherds. The hands, heads and feet of the statuettes were made of clay, whereas the body was made of stow and wire. Real designs were realised for the crib: the last one was made in 1844, and the present crib in the Palace is inspired by that last project. Leaving the Elliptical Room, we entry the splendid Art Gallery, recently furnished with the portraits of the Sovereigns. But even more important is the area dedicated to the splendid landscapes that Ferdinand IV ordered to J.P. Hackert, the other famous artist who worked in the Palace of Caserta. Mention must be also made to the small and precious theatre, located in the western wing. The theatre was not foreseen in the first design, and Vanvitelli made it upon a precise will of King Charles in 1756, when the work had already begun.

To conclude, no description can convey the beauty of the wonderful gardens and their enchanting sculptures, that can only be appreciated while personally seen. Only a visit to the place can give merit to the splendour of the Palace and the munificence of the Bourbons, makers of the most beautiful and largest Palaces in the world.
Admittance ticket to the Royal Palace of Caserta: EUR 6.


Restaurants in the area

Casa Hirta
Via Ruggiero
Tel. 0823-353655

La Leccese
Piazza Vanvitelli
Tel. 0823-329612

Lampara
Via Vico
Tel. 0823-321709

La Taverna dei Mannesi
Via XXV aprile
Tel. 0823-491422

La Tegola
Via Mondo
Tel. 0823-442689

La Toppa Rossa
Via Case Sparse
Tel. 0823-341076

Le Colonne
Via Appia
Tel. 0823-467494


Driving distances and approximate driving times

Amalfi: 79 km / 49 miles / 82 min.
Praiano: 89 km / 55 miles / 93 min.
Positano: 82 km / 51 miles / 84 min.
Ravello: 90 km / 56 miles / 100 min.
Sorrento: 72 km / 45 miles / 70 min.
Pompeii: 48 km / 30 miles / 40 min.
Naples: 33 km / 20 miles / 30 min.
Rome: 198 km / 123 miles / 121 min.
Salerno: 78 km / 48 miles / 60 min.
Paestum: 117 km / 73 miles / 86 min.
Castellabate: 138 km / 86 miles / 109 min.
Marina di Camerota: 159 km / 99 miles / 170 min.

Sant'Agata dei due Golfi

Sant'Agata sui due Golfi is a small town between Sorrento and Positano.
It is on a hill, at about 400 mt. above sea level. The name of Sant'Agata dei Due Golfi is due to the wonderful sight, opening fom here, on the two gulfs: Golfo di Napoli at north, Golfo di Salerno at south.; it is a well known holiday resort and one of the "pearls" in the Gulf of Naples. S.Agata is situated between the Gulf of Naples and the Gulf of Salerno, in the hills surrounding the Sorrento Peninsula, with fabulous views on the sea. Well known for its healthy air and organic vegetables, S.Agata has been a popular tourist resort since the Eighteenth Century.
Its Church (XVI century) was visited for its late renaissance structure and its very precious altar attributed to the school of Florence of the XVII century. It is a masterpiece with very fine and elaborate marquetry of motherpearl, lapislazuli, malachite and every type of precious marble. Etruscans, Greeks and Romans, were enchanted by the beauties of the Siren Land and lived in the wooded hills for centuries. This has been confirmed by the wide necropolis existing on the northern side of the hill. Probably on these heights - Montes Sireniani, they used to be called - was a sanctuary of Greek age dedicated to the mermaids. Later it was occupied by the Carmelitani Padri who built a Monastery which they gave the name "Deserto". In the Roman age it became the junction of merchant traffic between the two gulfs. S. Agata nowadays derives its name from a Chapel built in the XVI by the Festinese family dedicating it to the young Sicilian Vergin.
The village itself is in a very good location. Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Ieranto Bay and Massa Lubrense can all be easily reached either by car or bus. Also, it is the ideal centre for unforgettable excursions to Capri, Pompei, the Vesuvius and Ischia. If you like hiking, from Santa Agata you will able to ahve striking walks, along paths and hilltops of unforgettable beauty.
In Santa Agata you can have a dinner at “Don Alfonso 1890”, the most famous (and expensive…) restaurant of the Sorrento Coast.

Restaurants is Santa Agata dei Due Golfi

Don Alfonso 1890 - Corso S. Agata 11- Tel +39 0818780026

Reginella Ristorante Pensione - Via Termine, 7 – tel. +39 0818780043

i 4 Venti - Via Nastro Azzurro, 28 - Tel. +39 0818080901
Tramonto Rosso - Via Caprile, 1 – Tel +39 0818081045

Le Tore - Via Pontone 43 – tel +39 0818080637


Other sights of the area – Distance and approximate driving times

Sorrento: 7 km / 5 miles / 15 min.
Amalfi: 26 km / 16 miles / 25 min.
Praiano: 18 km / 11 miles / 20 min.
Positano: 6 km / 4 miles / 10 min.
Ravello: 31 km / 19 miles / 31 min.
Pompeii: 35 km / 20 miles / 47 min.
Naples: 56 km / 35 miles / 63 min.
Caserta: 80 km / 50 miles / 88 min.
Rome: 271 km / 169 miles / 180 min.
Salerno: 50 km / 31 miles / 52 min.
Paestum: 93 km / 58 miles / 90 min.
Castellabate: 114 km / 70 miles / 108 min.
Marina di Camerota: 177 km / 111 miles / 170 min.

Sant'Agnello

Is a pleasant holiday resort on the coast at about at 1,5 miles from Sorrento, named after its patron saint, which is venerated in the beautiful baroque church with the same name. On its side there is the imposing campanile and both are preceeded by a stairway as large as the whole facade. In this church by tradition they came from the neighbourhood the husbands of parturient women, to ask the Saint for a good result of the birth.The most interesting place to visit architecturally is the baroque style church of Sant’Agnello.
Whilst you walk through the streets of the town you can also see some houses with original windows and doors from the 15th century. From the main square of Sant’Agnello, if you go down Via Dei Cappuccini, you arrive at the beautiful beach of the Marinella which is situated at the end of a deep gorge of volcanic rock which in ancient times was used as the jetty of a Roman villa. If you continue along Corso Crawford, you can see an ancient convent surrounded by lush vegetation which has been cleverly renovated and transformed into a hotel without spoiling its historical architecture. Don’t’ miss to visit the beautiful countryside of Santa Agnello. Also, a nice excursion is a boat trip to the Grotta delle Sirene (the mermaids’ cave).

Restaurants in Sant’Agnello

Da Arturo, via Crawford 6. tel. +39 081 8772689

Da Peppino, via Balsamo 79. tel + 39 081 8074072

Eldorado, via del Pini 40. tel +39 081 8783255

Il Camino, via Nastro Azzurro 2. tel. +39 081 8083844

Il Capanno, rione Cappuccini. Tel . +39 8782453

Mezzaluna, via Pietra Piana 7. Tel. 081 8783436

Via Nastro Azzurro 19 +39 081 8083525

Tourist sights of the area - Distances and driving times

Amalfi: 33 km / 20 miles / 35 min.
Praiano: 23 km / 14 miles / 25 min.
Positano: 18 km / 11 miles / 20 min.
Ravello: 40 km / 24 miles / 48 min.
Pompeii: 28 km / 16 miles / 37 min.
Naples: 48 km / 30 miles / 53 min.
Caserta: 77 km / 48 miles / 77 min.
Rome: 263 km / 164 miles / 170 min.
Salerno: 58 km / 36 miles / 56 min.
Paestum: 102 km / 63 miles / 96 min.
Castellabate: 123 km / 76 miles / 120 min.
Marina di Camerota: 184 km / 115 miles / 180 min.

Punta Campanella Protected Area

Located between Sorrento and Positano, the territory of Punta Campanella Area is characterized by homogeneity in the landscape and in the natural aspects of great importance at a global level, by the historical and cultural quality of the sites, by the presence of tourist settlements, of food and alimentary and artistic craftsmanship, by commercial activities, and by high-quality tourist services. Because of the calcareous nature of the peninsula, the area is characterized by karst phenomena leading to the formation of a considerable number of emerged cavities, which became underwater because of tectonic movements and of the raising of the sea level. Among the most spectacular ones there is the Grotta della Cala di Mitigliano in which, at not a very great depth, you can explore the charming world of the underwater dark caves.

The establishment of the Marine Protected Area “Punta Campanella” has the aim to preserve one of the most beautiful and rich stretches of Italian coast from a naturalistic point of view, both for the terrestrial and for the underwater environment. The 40 Km of coasts are a succession of green promontories and welcoming inlets: the Baia di Ieranto is famous, since it offers to the visitor a unique landscape.

Historical-Artistic Monuments

The Roman Villas

Already during the 1st century BC Roman villas began to be built by the Roman elite in the most panoramic points of the coast: as a matter of fact, the Roman elite had chosen already in the previous century the Gulf of Naples as a place of idleness and holiday. The impressiveness and the luxury of these aristocratic residences of Sorrento is documented by some finds worthy of the capital.
Athena's Sanctuary
The cultural horizon in which the cult of Athena in Punta della Campanella must be read is a horizon “integrating earth and water, coast and open sea in relationship with the ideal needs of navigation”. The cult can “legitimately be considered addressed to the patronage of the maritime access of the Gulf since ancient times".
The coastal towers
The watching towers characterizing all the coasts of the Kingdom of Naples were built according to the will of the viceroy Don Parafan de Ribera and mainly accomplished during the vicekingdom of Don Pedro di Toledo.
Zones

Vervece Zone
The cliff of Vervece, situated at about one thousand meters from the small harbor of Marina della Lobra (Massa Lubrense), can be considered a real sea Sanctuary for the presence at 12 meters of depth of the statue of the Virgin Mary which protects divers.
From the surface to the bottom, the Vervece holds all the charm of diving into the Mediterranean Sea. Just below the surface of the water, the walls seem gardens in bloom, because they are covered with Parazoanthus with the open octopuses ready to catch planktonic particles. Red starfishes lie down on the yellow colonies, while hundreds of multicolored small fishes circle around the divers.

Vetara Zone

The small cliff of Vetara lies on a seabed of about fifty meters, its walls degrade by alternating gentle slopes to steep falls. Flora and fauna enrich it from its first meters and a luxuriant “coralligenous” colonizes each ravine.At less than one hundred meters from the cliff there is a shoal linked to it with its top at -6 meters, and it is possible to glimpse it through the crystalline water. When you dive, you will imagine to be in a tropical atoll: groups of multicolored Labridae, clouds of Ray's breams, Blotched picarels, and Boces. Sworms of small anchovies, sardines, and mackerels attract greedy shoals of Little tunnies and Greater amberjacks. On the slope facing the open sea, at -15 meters there is a small cave full of Shrimps Parapandalus narval, with red colors and long white antennas. At a greater depth, the walls are covered with yellow and red Gorgonians, adorned by clusters of delicate and pink laces of Briozoan (Sertella beaniana) and by thick “bouquets” of transparent Ascidians (Clavelina lepadiformis). In the fissures of the walls you can catch sight of White Breams sharing their den with Brown Meagres and Greater Forkbreads, and also with some rare Groupers. On the bottom there is the Pinna nobilis and big cup-shaped brown Sponges.


The Riserva Naturale Marina Punta Campanella is provided with the following structures:
Multimedia hall with Internet points and didactic software;
Meeting hall with multimedia overhead projector and giant screen with videorecorder for didactic projections.

The area of Punta Campanella is at about 1,5 miles from Postano on a side, and at 2 miles from Sorrento on the other side.

Salerno

Helped by an excellent location, in the north edge of the huge homonimous Gulf, where the natural ways of communication have their outlet in the hinterland of Basilicata, Irpinia and Campania, Salerno, rich of ancient and illustrious history, delightfully adorned by charming sorroundings, extending toward the two sides of the homonimus gulf and which are known also for their mild climate, spreads out between the overhead hills and the seaside, with its districts, which, from west eastwards, underline the historical development of the town, from Roman Age to the post-war period. The urban centre, at the foot of Bonadies hill, between the XVI century church of Annunziata, with its beautiful baroque bell tower made by Sanfelice, and the XVIII century Porta Nuova, which divides the modern built-up area from the medieval one, testifies, with its monuments, the opulence of the town during the periods of its greatest civil, cultural and political prosperity, still famous worldwide for the magnificence of the first medicine school born in Europe, the famous Scuola Medica Salernitana.

Salerno is very well connected by train both from the south and from the north of Italy.

MONUMENTS AND MUSEUMS

The main monument of Salerno is the Cathedral (Duomo), romanesque building of XI century, dedicated to the apostle San Matteo, the patron saint of the town; the saint's body and that of Pope Gregorio VII (dead banished in Salerno) are kept inside the church. The cathedral - full of remarkable works of art (including two oustanding ambos and a mosaic-floor) - has three naves, with pillars incorporating the original columns; the entrance consists of a (central) bronze door, melted in Constantinople. The building is completed by a hall (surrounded by a colonnade and by arabian-norman style arches), where in summer concerts of classical music are held, and the baroque crypt (visit time: every day from 9 am to 7,30 pm).
The Museo Diocesano, situated in the archiepiscopal seminary in Piazza Plebiscito, keeps several paintings, a famous ivory baldaquin of the XII century with biblical scenes and an illuminated Exultet of the XIII century (free entrance every day from 9 am to 6 pm). In the restored wing of the former medieval abbey of San Benedetto is settled the Museo Provinciale, in which archeological items found in the town and in various places of the province are collected, including a remarkable head of Apollo made of italic bronze, of the I century b.C.
Facing the Museo Provinciale, it has been recently reopened the wonderful romanesque church of S. Benedetto, consacrated to Gregorio VII, who lived in the attached monastery.
The Castello Longobardo enjoys a great view on Bonadies hill, over the centre of the town. The byzantine castle was enlarged by the Lombards and fortified by the Normans. In the rooms recently restored are now settled collections of items relies found nearby. Exhibitions and meetings are also held.

Among central religious monuments in Salerno we indicate:
* S. Giorgio's church (via Duomo) recently restored by the Monument and Fine Arts Service, rich of frescos and stuccos of the XVII century, among which stand out some Francesco Solimena's works (1675).
* the church of Crocifisso (piazza Matteotti) has three romanesque naves, with XIII century frescos in the crypt.
* the church of S. Pietro a Corte, palatine-lombard chapel, with its original bell tower and frescos of the XIII century, which offered to the experts valuable evidence of the roman and medieval history of Salerno (now closed for restoration).
* the former S. Grogorio's church (via Mercanti), where now is settled the exhibition on Scuola Medica Salernitana, undertaken by the Monuments and Fine Arts Service, illustrating the activity of the school during XI and XIII centuries (free entrance from monday to saturday, from 9 am to 1 pm and from 4 pm to 7 pm).
* in the top area of the centre is S. Maria delle Grazie church (Largo Scuola Medica) with a XVI century tablet representing the Holy Mary with Child.
* XVI century church of Annunziata (near the Villa Comunale) with a XVIII century bell tower made by Sanfelice.
* behind the Palazzo della Provincia, the S. Agostino's church a byzantine picture of S. Maria of Constantinople.


Restaurants in Salerno

Concord P.zza della ConcordiaTelephone: 089/226856Fax: 089/253026

Del Golfo Via Porto, 57Telephone: 089/231581
Il Brigante Via F. Linguiti, 4Telephone: 089/226592

Trianon
Piazza Flavio Gioia
Tel. 089252530

Da Pasquale Via Indipendenza, 44Telephone: 089/254017

Il TimoneVia Generale Glark, 29/35 Tel. 089/335111


Driving distances and approximate driving times

Acciaroli: 80 km / 50 miles / 102 min.
Santa Maria di Castellabate: 59 km / 36 miles / 72 min.
San Marco di Castellabate: 62 km / 38 miles / 80 min.
Perdifumo: 68 km / 42 miles / 90 min.
Marina di Camerota: 120 km / 75 miles / 120 min.
Agnone: 75 km / 46 miles / 95 min.
Ascea Marina: 86 km / 53 miles / 102 min.
S.Mango Cilento: 68 km / 42 miles / 86 min.
Paestum: 37 km / 23 miles / 5 min.
Pompeii: 29 km / 18 miles / 31 min.
Sorrento: 56 km / 36 miles / 58 min.
Amalfi: 24 km / 15 miles / 31 min.
Naples: 54 km / 33 miles / 50 min.

Vietri

Vietri is considered the "First Pearl" of the Almalfi Coast, and is one of the most important villages in the province of Salerno. It is indeed the entrance to the Amalfi Coast coming from south. Distinctively clear waters met by bright blue backdrops and eternal sunscapes create a magical and healing place which is nourishing to the soul. Brilliant tones of orange, green, red, and deep sea blue are the natural color schemes which represent the many beautiful and healing attributes of this magical Mediterranean retreat.
Vietri is the town where is produced the famous ‘’ Ceramica Vietrese’’. The ceramics of Vietri are a feast for the eyes, a joy to use and amarvel for memories. The delightful Musuem of Ceramics set up in the Tower of Villa Guariglia, situated inside the grounds of a park that juts out and overreaches the sea at Raito numbers among its exhibits pieces that date as far back as the year 500 and later pieces belonging to all epochs including the present time: holy water containers, decorated plates, candlesticks, pots, painted, tiles kitchen pots, flowers pots, objects for display. All this reproduced in the ovens bringing back to life the antique traditions and customs of craftsmen from generation to generation, you will find in the omporiums of ceramics, walking and browsing your way through the streets of Vietri.

It is possible to visit the Solimene Family factory where in the morning from 9.00 a.m. until 12.00 p.m possible to see the artists that paint each dish one by one. It is possible also to visit the Ceramic Museum: it is located in the Villa Guariglia tower in Raito; it includes documentation about ceramic production from XVII century to the "German period".

Also, do not miss to visit the Church of S. Giovanni Battista, with late-Renaissance façade, dome tiled with majolica.

Restaurants in Vietri

Bristol - Via C. Colombo, 2 - Telephone: +39 089210216

La Lucertola - Via C. Colombo, 29 - Telephone: +39089210255
La Sosta - Via Costiera, 6 - Telephone: +39 089211790

Sapore di mare - Via G. Pellegrino, 104 - Telephone: +39089210041

I Due Fratelli - Via Statale, 18 - Telephone +39089761300

Tourist sights of the area - Driving distances and approximate driving times.

Salerno: 1,5 km/ 1 mile / 2 min.
Pompeii: 29 km / 18 miles / 31 min.
Sorrento: 56 km / 36 miles / 58 min.
Amalfi: 24 km / 15 miles / 31 min.
Naples: 54 km / 33 miles / 50 min.
Acciaroli: 80 km / 50 miles / 102 min.
Santa Maria di Castellabate: 59 km / 36 miles / 72 min.
San Marco di Castellabate: 62 km / 38 miles / 80 min.
Perdifumo: 68 km / 42 miles / 90 min.
Marina di Camerota: 120 km / 75 miles / 120 min.
Agnone: 75 km / 46 miles / 95 min.
Ascea Marina: 86 km / 53 miles / 102 min.
S.Mango Cilento: 68 km / 42 miles / 86 min.
Paestum: 37 km / 23 miles / 5 min.

Capri

The Isle of Capri is famous in all over the the world as a classy and beautiful holiday destination. There are few who won't express their envy when you tell them of your trip. Everyone has their own Capri myth, whether it's a myth of Sirens charming seafarers, of ancient Roman orgies, of dreamy seaviews, of 1950s celebrities in big sunglasses, or of lazy summer evenings spent browsing in exclusive boutiques.
There are two towns in the island: Capri and Anacapri. About 8000 people live in Capri and 7000 in Anacapri. The town of Capri is located on the eastern side of the island, Marina Grande - the port - to the North and Marina Piccola to the South. Anacapri is on the western side of the island and is separated from Capri town by the imposing slopes of Mount Solaro The climate of Capri is typically mediterranean.
The principal Capri tourist attraction is the island itself; its views, its rocky seashores and its scenic charm. There is plenty of good walking - or strolling - to be done as you explore the island. Top scenic panoramas include views of the Bay of Naples, the Faraglioni Rocks and the Gardens of Augustus.At the ruined Villa Jovis you can see the remains of the Emperor Tiberius's palace, and also the cliffs over which he is reputed to have had his enemies tossed. Back in Capri town, the 14th-century Certosa di San Giacomo is a handsome old monastery-fortress, now hosting a school and art exhibitions. For shopaholics, Capri town is a dream, with all the big designer names and expensive boutiques. Almost every Capri visitor makes the trip to the Grotta Azzurra, the Blue Grotto. Like the island itself, it tends to split its visitors in two - those who find the blue-lit cave an unforgettable experience, and those who find the jostling boatsmen and extortionate prices a rip-off. A boat trip around the island, though, is a more rewarding experience. You can admire the coastline and the island's other grottoes, and the famous Faraglioni, in a leisurely fashion.
The heart of Capri is the Piazza Umberto I (the exclusive “Piazzetta”), which is a small, compact, closed-off square that resembles a courtyard. Surrounding the square are the ''Torre dell'Orologio'', or Clock Tower, which may have been the belltower of the old cathedral, plus the municipal offices (located in the rooms of the former bishop's residence), and a series of stores and caffes; the picturesque left side of the San Stefano church acts as a backdrop. The piazza was probably part of the primitive inhabited are a of Capri (Vth-IVth cents. BC), as shown by a number of sections of wall made from limestone blocks some squared and others formed in the more ancient, pseudo-polygonal-technique.
Also, don miss to have a shopping in the fabolous boutiques of the island. Beautiful lanes to wander. No cars. Allowing you to sashay from one side of the street to the next, without looking both ways. The wonderful dressed shop windows. And the goods themselves. Like Gucci's, Tod's & Prada's. And Loro Piana's.

Get to Capri
Regular ferries run to Capri both from Sorrento and Amalfi and Positano. From Amalfi and Positano journey time is approximately 70 minutes. From Sorrento you should be in Capri in about 40 minutes.

Get around Capri
Capri ferries arrive at the port of Marina Grande. From Marina Grande, buses run up to Capri town and Anacapri. There is also a funicular which travels to Capri town. Buses travel busily around the island, connecting Capri, Anacapri, Marina Grande, the Grotta Azzurra, Faro and Marina Piccola. Boats also run around the coastline. The island, however, is highly walkable so you may not bother too much about public transport when you're there.


Sailing and motorcycle hire

SAILING CHARTERING

Banana Sport - Via Marina Grande, 12 (spiaggia) - Tel. 39 081 8375188

CapriMar - Via C. Colombo, 75 - Tel. 39 081 8375581

Capri Relax - Tel. 39 081 8377849

Sercomar - Via C. Colombo, 64 - Tel. 39 081 83787

81Simeoli - Tel. 800 801661

Taxi del mare - Via degli Aranci, 180 (Sorrento) - Tel. 39 081 8773600

Whales - Via C. Colombo, 17 - Tel. 39 081 8375833

Capri Yacht Charter - Piazza Vittoria 3 - Capri - Tel. 39 0818370819

MOTORCYCLE HIRE

Capri

"Capri" di Alfano Antonio - Via Marina Grande, 280 - Tel. 39 081 8377941

"Capri" di Alfano Ciro - Via D. Giobbe Ruocco, 55 - Tel. 39 081 8378018

Oasi Motor - Via C. Colombo, 47 - Tel. 39 081 8377138

Rent an Electric Scooter - Via Roma, 68 Tel. 39 0818375863

Rent an Electric Scooter - Via Prov.le Marina Grande, 210 Tel. 39 0818375863

Anacapri

Alfano Antonio - Piazza Barile, 26 - Tel. 39 0818373888

Grotta Azzurra - Via Tuoro, 57 - Tel. 39 0818371486

Oasi Motor - Piazza Caprile, 3/A - Tel. 39 081 8372444

Restaurants in Capri

Capri
AISHA - Via Gradoni Sopramonte, 6/8 - tel. 39 0818379054

BUCA DI BACCO - Via Longano 25 - tel. 39 0818370723

BUONOCORE - Via V. Emanuele - tel. 39 0818377826

CAPRI - Via Roma, 71 - tel. 39 0818370003

CASANOVA - Via Le Botteghe, 46 - tel. 39 0818377642

DA GEMMA - Via Madre Serafina - tel. 39 0818370461

DA LUIGI - Via Faraglioni - tel. 39 0818370591

DA GIORGIO - Via Roma, 34 - tel. 39 0818370898

SETTANNI - Via Longano, 5 - tel. 39 0818370105

SOLLIEVO - Via Fuorlovado, 36 - tel. 39 0818370665

SYRENE - Via Camerelle, 51 - tel. 39 0818370102

VERGINIELLO - Via Lo Palazzo, 25 - tel. 39 0818370944

VILLA BRUNELLA - Via Tragara, 24 - tel. 39 0818370122

VILLAVERDE - Via Sella Orta 6 - tel. 39 0818377024Marina Grande
AL GALLO D'ORO - Via Marina Grande, 23 - tel. 39 0818370853

BAGNI SMERALDO - Via Marina Grande - tel. 39 0818377212

BAGNI TIBERIO - Via Palazzo a Mare - tel. 39 0818377688

DA FRANCESCO - Via C. Colombo - tel. 39 0818376490

IL RISTORO - Via C. Colombo, 8 - tel. 39 0818370384

SAN COSTANZO - Via Marucella, 26 - tel. 39 0818377947

Marina Piccola
CIRO A MARE - Via Marina Piccola - tel. 39 0818370264

DA MARIA - Via Marina Piccola - tel. 39 0818375648

LA CANZONE DEL MARE - Via Marina Piccola - tel. 39 0818370104

LA PIAZZETTA - Via Marina Piccola - tel. 39 0818377827

LE SIRENE - Via Marina Piccola - tel. 39 0818370221Anacapri
'A CURTIGLIA - Via Nuova del Faro, 86 - tel.39 0818373334

AL NIDO D'ORO - V.le D Tommaso - tel. 39 0818372148

COLUMBUS - Via Caposcuro, 8 - tel. 39 0818371441

IL SARACENO - Via Trieste e Trento - tel. 39 0818372099

IL SOLITARIO - Via G.Orlandi, 96 - tel. 39 0818371382

LA GIARA - Via G. Orlandi, 67 - tel. 39 0818373860

LA RONDINELLA - Via G. Orlandi - tel. 39 0818371223

Pompeii

Pompeii, an ancient city frozen in time by a volcanic eruption, offers the best insight into the daily life of the Romans. It is the most important archeological site anywhere. The eruption of the Vesuivius in 79 A.D. buried the city when it was still part of the Roman empire. The volcano, in fact, is still active, but not much of a threat. The ongoing excavations are open to the pubic. Pompei was inhabited by the Greeks and the Samnites before it became a Roman colony. However, it was devastated by an earthquake in 79 A.D. When Vesuvius erupted 16 years later, about 10 percent of the 20,000 inhabitants died. The eruption did hasten the city's decline, and it was abandoned during the Saracen raids and earthquakes that followed. The ruins of the abandoned city weren't discovered until 1594, and the excavation didn't begin until 1748, during the reign of Charles of Bourbon. Work continues today, although many of the famous mosaics and murals that have been recovered have been moved to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples. The Museo Vesuviano also has Vesuvian-era artifacts.
The first archaeological explorations took place towards the mid-18th century, and excavations soon began in earnest, but not until 1860 were they conducted in an orderly, systematic fashion. It is thought that, to date, about three-fifths of the ancient town has been excavated. Pompeii is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world, because it provides a complete picture of the topography and life of a Roman town.


The origin
Pompeii was built on a highland at a middle height of around 30 ms. on the sea-level formed from a prehistoric lava casting. At the mouth of the Sarno river (at that time navigable), the city was destined to become the harbour of some countries far from the sea. The name may derive from the Oscan “pompe” (five), to mean a community of five villages, or from the Greek “pempo” that means “to send”, to underline the fact that it was a huge commercial harbour able to supply of agricultural products (oil and wine) different points of the Mediterranean.
Soon Pompeii was influenced by two populations of superior civilization, established in Campania since the VII century B.C.: the Greeks of Cuma and the Etruscans of Capua. These last succeeded to the Greek between 530 and the 474 B.C. when they conquered the coast and they became a big power of the Mediterranean. The Greeks, defeated the Etruscans with the help of the Syracusans, held Pompeii up to 438, when some Samnite populations belonging to the same log of the ancient Oscans, invaded the whole Campania. It goes up again to this period the expansion of the city from 9,3 to 63,5 hectares of territory, extending itself till the whole lava casting. In the IV century B.C. the Samnite populations that lived on the Apennines did new invasions to damage the same Samnites of the lowland and of the coast, by now totally urbanized. For the occasion (300 B.C.) they were forced to restructure the urban boundaries made by Sarno limestone. Even Rome, in help of the Samnites of Capua, took part to these events (Samnite wars: 343 - 290 B.C.), going out of it victorious and becoming the mistress of the whole territory. Pompeii drew from this situation a notable positive push in the commerce and in the art. It goes up again in fact to this period the frequently employment of Nuceria tufa, above all for the public buildings that were partly restructured, partly built ex - novo.

Sights to see
The archaeological excavation sites are constantly packed with tourists and have been placed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Some of your top priorities here should be the Forum Baths, complete with bodycasts of those who were bathing at the time, and the House of the Vettii, with preserved frescoes. The brothel, known as the Lupenar, is also popular. Pompei also contains the oldest standing amphitheater in the world, which was built in 80 B.C. and held 12,000 spectators at a time. Some other sights are the Tempio di Apolo, temple remains built by the Samnites in the Doric style. The Tempio di Glove is a similar sight. Porta Marian is the southwestern sea gate, also worth a look. Many remains of theaters are worth seeing, especially the Teatro Grande. The Villa dei Misteri, meanwhile, is one of the most complete structures left standing, and its Dionysiac Frieze is one of the largest paintings from ancient Rome still in existence.

Herculaneum - is less famous than nearby Pompeii, but as the excavations progress, and with the recent opening to the public of the Villa dei Papiri - one of the best-known sites in this area - it is once again becoming a great tourist destination.

getting there

By Public transprtation
The Circumvesuviana Railway every half hour from Sorrento.
A round-trip fare is EUR 2; trip time is 45 minutes each way.

By car - driving distances
Amalfi: 37 km / 23 miles / 46 min.
Praiano: 42 km / 26 miles / 54 min.
Positano: 38 km / 23 miles / 47 min.
Ravello: 45 km / 28 miles / 60 min.
Sorrento: 28 km / 17 miles / 36 min


Restaurants in Pompeii

Addu' Mimi'- Via Roma, 12 Tel. +39 0818638332
Al Gambero Rosso - Via A. Rossi, 41 Tel. +39 0818638322
Amitrano - Via Lepanto 93/95 Tel. +39 0818505253
Anfiteatro - Via Roma, 109 Tel. +39 0818631245
Carlo Alberto - Via Carlo Alberto, 15 Tel. +39 0818633231
Corallo - P.Zza Anfiteatro Tel. +39 0818632523
Da Peppino - Via Duca D'aosta, 39 Tel. +39 0818504821
Degli Amici - Via Plinio, 43 Tel. +39 0815631223
Dei Platani - V. C. S.Bartolomeo Tel. +39 0818633973
Hostaria Del Gallo Nero - V.Le Mazzini, 116 Tel. +39 0818630034
Tiberius Via Villa Dei Misteri, 7 Tel. +39 0818613550
Vecchia America Via Roma, 111 Tel. +39 0818633418
Vesuvio Via Plinio, 133 Tel. +39 0815367494
Vittoria P.Zza Esedra, 3 Tel. +39 0815368166
Zi' Caterina Via Roma, 20 Tel. +39 0818507447


Tourist sights in the area - Distances and driving times

Amalfi: 37 km / 23 miles / 46 min.
Praiano: 42 km / 26 miles / 54 min.
Positano: 38 km / 23 miles / 47 min.
Ravello: 45 km / 28 miles / 60 min.
Naples: 23 km / 14 miles / 21 min.
Caserta: 47 km / 29 miles / 40 min.
Rome: 243 km / 151 miles / 141 min.
Sorrento: 28 km / 17 miles / 36 min
Salerno: 30 km / 18 miles / 30 min.
Paestum: 72 km / 46 miles / 62 min.
Castellabate: 84 km / 52 miles / 74 min.
Marina di Camerota: 149 km / 94 miles / 142 min.

Positano

Situated in a superb spot which opens out southwards to the centre of a vast gulf, stretching from the Germano tip in the east to Capo Sottile in the west, Positano is one of the famous and popular seaside resort of the Amalfi coastline. An ancient fishing village nestling on the southern slopes of the Monti Lattari, it is crowned to the north by the steep slopes of Monte Comune and Monte S. Angelo in Tre Pizzi, between which snakes a deep valley falling away to the sea. Positano’s origins date back to the inhabitants of Paestum who, around the tenth century, took refuge in a Benedictine abbey, where the hid from the Saracens who had destroyed their city.

As the natural disposition of the new site made it much easier to defend, the refugees established a new city there. Within a few decades, Positano had become a maritime centre of Amalfi. At the beginning of this century, its particularly lovely setting and mild climate began to attract tourist, initially Pathenopean aristocrats, who built some villas on the slopes of Monte Comune. In more recent years, the city’s hotels and sports facilities have been upgraded, thus allowing a grater development of tourism, which is currently the main activity of the people of Positano.
The oldest part of the town has preserved the typical aspect of a seafaring village, with its staged terraces descending toward the sea, and houses in the characteristic cubic shape, separated by narrow little streets most of which are marked with steps. The backbone of the area is via Pasitea, which is an extremely windy street. The little Flavio Gioia square, from which one can enjoy a magnificent view, is the centre of the town: on to it looks the church of S. Maria Assunta, with its great majolica cupola in geometric patterns.
From the square one goes down to the clifframed beach of the Marina Grande. On the other side of the town, looking west, the beach of Fornillo opens out just beyond a tract of rocky coast. To the east Positano lie the highly accessible beaches of La Porta, Ciumicello and Arienzo. The area surrounding Positano is full of extremely attractive spots. Near Punto Germano the coast road passes over a deep fissure in the rock with a precarious little bridge called “Ponte dei Libri” (Bridge of books). The name comes from the regular stratification of the rock walls which seem like leaves of enormous tomes superimposed on one another and which one can see better by climbing down the valley via a path

Leaving Positano for Amalfi, the road runs high above the sea, passing the two charming villages of Montepertuso and Nocelle on the left. On the slopes of Monte S. Angelo in Tre Pizzi, stands the imposing “Arco Naturale”, which is particularly beautiful in the morning as the rays of the rising sun fall upon it. Near Punta S. Pietro is found the eponymous church which commands a grand and truly splendid view of the coast and the island of Capri, which can be seen protruding from behind Punta Campanella. From Positano trips can be made to Monte S. Angelo in Tre Pizzi and Monte Comune, while one can also test one’s strength in an arduous climb down the steep spurs which fall sharply away to the sea.

Shopping in Positano – Boutiques

Quality fashion tailoring is an activity that has distinguished Positano since the end of the 50's when, with the creation of the bikini, innovative swimming costume, the town on the Amalfi coast became famous in Italy and throughout the world. Today production is wide ranging and offers a great variety of clothing: including typical garments for the seaside, wraparound skirts, beach robes, bags and Bermudas, to the more formal afternoon clothes or elegant evening dress and even very special wedding dresses. Bright, cheerful patterns, brilliant colours and the use of absolutely natural materials, linen, gauze or cotton, characterise Positano fashion. After a phase in the 1950s and 60's, in which Hawaiian-inspired designs predominated, during the 70's plain-coloured gauze took over, instead today, patterns that portray Mediterranean plants prevail, lemons, flowers and leaves, "borrowed" from the luxuriant
natural surroundings. So, pleasant little shops cheer the lanes of the centre and are a must for the many tourists who come to the town all the year round. Apart from its skilled tailors, Positano is outstanding for its famous cobblers, able to create the typical Positano sandals hand-made to measure while you wait in front of the shop: with names like "spider", "monk", flipflops, wooden or cork clogs and the very comfortable canvas mules, with string soles.
Our favourite boutiques in Positano

BON BON - web site: http://www.bonbonsrl.it
LA BOTTEGA DI BRUNELLA - web site: http://www.brunella.it
LUISA POSITANO - web site : http://www.luisapositano.it/
MARIA LAMPO - web site: http://www.marialampo.it




What to see in Positano

Positano preserves many artistic and archaeological treasures, for example, the ruins of a Roman villa, or the three defence towers that were built by the Viceroy of Spain - Peter from Toledo in the 16th century.

Dont miss to visit:

The Collegiate of the S. Maria Assunta
Romanesque, built in 1200 AD, it holds a precius Sacred Treasure, the "Circumcision" (painting) by Santafede of the XV century, and on the main alter the Byzantine icon of Black Madonna with Child which legend say that came to Positano, on the wave of the sea. Its original structure was almost completely rebuilt in 1700. The impressive inside wall painting in the dome dictates the church, which is divided by pillars, into three separate aisles.

The Siren's Rocks (Li Galli Islands)
In front of Positano are the Rocks of the Sirens or even the sirens themselves, who humiliated by Ulysses died of pain... the mariners of the places tell that on the days of the Scirocco wind, you can still hear singing! Easily reachable by boat from Positano harbor.

And, for those who love the night dont miss the famous discoteque “Music on the rocks” (Grotta dell'Incanto - tel +39 089-875874).

Rent a Boat – Excursions

Blue Star Positano – web site : http://www.bluestarpositano.it/inglese/default.htm
Gennaro e Salvatore – web site : http://www.gennaroesalvatore.it/english
Lucibello – web site : http://www.lucibello.it

Restaurants in Positano

CANNETO Via G. Marconi +39 089-875881
CHEZ BLACK Via Marina +39 089-875036
COVO DEI SARACENI Via Regina Giovanna +39 089-875400
DA ADOLFO Spiaggia di Laurito +39 089-875022
DA COSTANTINO Via Mons. Saverio Cinque +39 089-875738
DA PUPETTO Spiaggia di Fornillo +39 089-875087
DA VINCENZO Viale Pasitea +39 089-875128
LA MARINELLA Via Positanesi d'America +39 089-811843
LE SIRENE Spiaggia di Laurito +39 089-875490
LE TRE SORELLE Via Marina +39 089-875452
LO GUARRACINO Via Positanesi d'America +39 089-875794
O' CAPORALE Via Regina Giovanna +39 089-875374
SANTA CROCE Loc. Nocelle +39 089-875319
SARACENO D'ORO Viale Pasitea +39 089-875390

Other sights in the area – Driving distances and approximate driving times

Amalfi: 15 km / 10 miles / 22 min.
Ravello: 28 km / 17 miles / 35 min.
Sorrento: 17 km / 11 miles / 24 min.
Praiano: 6 km / 4 miles / 8 min.
Caserta: 82 km / 51 miles / 84 min.
Naples: 60 km / 37 miles / 70 min.
Pompeii: 39 km / 24 miles / 48 min.
Rome: 275 km / 171 miles / 181 min.
Salerno: 41 km / 25 miles / 56 min.
Paestum: 78 km / 48 miles / 100 min.
Castellabate: 106 km / 66 miles / 120 min.
Marina di Camerota: 168km / 105 miles / 183 min.

Mt Vesuvius - The Volcano

Mount Vesuvius is certainly the symbol and the main feature in the Neapolitan landscape, and it is one of the smallest active volcanoes in the world (1277 mt high). It consists of a truncated cone, Monte Somma, which rises to the height of 1152 mt in punta Nasone, on the Northern side. In it there is a smaller cone, the Mt. Vesuvius (1281 metres), divided by lowering named Valle del Gigante (Giants Valley), a part of the ancient caldron where in a later period, perhaps during the 79 A.D. eruption, the Gran Cono (Great Cone) or Mt. Vesuvius arose. The Valle del Gigante is still divided in Atrio del Cavallo on the west and the Valle dell'Inferno on the east. The Somma's ancient crater is well preserved as far as its entire northern part is concerned, in fact in historic times it was less exposed to the volcano's devastating violence, because it was well protected by the height of the internal face that has prevented the downflow of lava on its slopes. The slopes, which vary in their steepness, are furrowed by profound radial grooves produced by the erosion of the meteoric waters. The whole section is then characterized by dikes and fringes of dark volcanic rock. The old crater edge is a stream of summits called “cognoli”. While the height of mount Somma and its profile have remained the same for centuries, the height and the profile of the mount Vesuvius have suffered considerable variation, because of the following eruptions, with raisings and lowerings. Mt. Vesuvius is a characteristic polygenic mixed volcano, meaning that it is constituted by lava of different chemical composition (for example trachytes, tephrites, leucitites) and formed either by casting of lava or pyroclastic deposits. All the zones at the slopes of the mountain are formed by transported earth of lava mud which goes down from the steep slopes in the rainy seasons through deep and narrow grooves called channels or more commonly "lagni". The high embankments are formed by piles of lavic scoriae, which precipitated in incandescent state and spread towards the low slopes, proving precious for the vegetation thanks to their fertile material, rich in silicon and potassium. Proceeding along the rim of the crater, one can observe the whole extent of the southern part of the volcano and, during days with good visibility, it is possible to see the entire gulf of Naples, from the Sorrento peninsula to Cape Miseno, Procida and Ischia. It is also possible to note the large number of buildings which have been built on the vulnerable flanks of the mountain.

THE VESUVIUS NATIONAL PARK

The park was founded to preserve animal and vegetable species, vegetable and forest associations, geological peculiarities, palaeontological formations, biological communities, biotopes, scenic and panoramic values, natural processes, ecological balances. Also, its purposes are the application of ways of management or environmental restoration suitable to realize an integration between man and the natural habitat, also through the protection anthropological, archaeological, historical and architectural values and the protection of traditional and pastoral activities; the promotion of educational and formative activities of scientifis research, that can be interdisciplinary too, the promotion of compatible recreational activities as well; another purpose is the defence and the reconstitution of hydraulic and hydrogeological balances. The task and the values concerning the Vesuvius National Park are even wider because we have to defend the most famous volcano in the world, and at the same time one of the five most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the high urban conurbation that ahs recently grown up around it, disrespectful of the laws forbidding the construction of buildings. Therefore the Vesuvius National Park represents an anomaly among the European National Parks, a sort of challenge aimed to rescue the wild and enchanting beauty of Vesuvius and Monte Somma (Somma Mountain), pulling them away from the incredible deterioration and giving them back to the pleasure of the old and the new generations they belong to.

Enviroment and nature

The territories around the Vesuvius and Monte Somma are different for various environmental seasons but, at the same time, they share some aspects, in particular the strong anthropization that characterizes the lowest slopes of both mountains. Speaking of the differences, it is necessary to point out that the first area is drier and sunnier than the other, with a typical Mediterranean vegetation, artificial grown pinewoods and ilex trees, which are occupying more ground in comparison with pines, and are reforming the splendid Mediterranean forest. The second (Monte Somma) is damper with a wood vegetation similar to the Apennine one, with chestnut woods, oak trees, alders, maples, ilexes; among these there is, even if rarely found, the wonderful birch, a very unusual presence in a Mediterranean habitat. The colonization of lava grounds by the numerous plants, begins after the cool down and is due to the liche Stereocaulon vesuvianum, which has a coral shape, it is grey and is the first living being which installed itself on the cold lava by preparing the land in receiving roots of the plants. It entirely covers the Vesuvian lava making it change to grey, giving the lava a silvery reflection during the full-moon nights. The list of plants includes 906 different species. Among these species we can observe interesting types, such as the Neapolitan maple, the Neapolitan alder and the Helichrysum litoreum, particularly abundant on the Vesuvius. We can point out also the large number of orchids (23) and the broom present in different species: Genista tinctoria, Genista aetnensis; the last one was imported from Etna in 1906 and today it is widespread on the entire Vesuvian territory.

VESUVIUS OBSERVATORY

The observatory was built during the reign of Ferdinand II of Borbon between 1841 and 1845 and it is located at 600 m asl, and it has survived some notable eruptions (in 1850,1855, 1861, 1868, 1872, 1906, 1929, 1944) without being damaged. It was built on the southern border of the Somma caldera, between two deep valleys bordering the hill. These valleys have now been filled by the lava flows of the above-mentioned eruptions.
Since 1983, the National Group for Vulcanology has encouraged research in the geological structure of the volcano, and improved its monitoring. In the 80s there was a significant number of earthquakes, called bradysism, in the Phlegrean Fields and particularly in Pozzuoli that made the earth rise about 1,8 m and after which 30.000 people were evacuated to other nearby areas. Now everything seems to be quiet ot within the limits of natural movement of the earth mass. The only evident exterior activities are the steam fumaroles inside the crater of Vesuvius, in the Phlegrean Fields and on the isle of Ischia. In the historical building of the Osservatorio Vesuviano is a volcanological museum where old instruments are on display. The exhibition takes the visitor on a fascinating tour through the world of volcanoes. It starts off with a description of the various types of eruption and how dangerous they are, and finishes with observation, in real time, of seismic and geochemical data recorded by the Vesuvius Observatory surveillance team. And everything is brought to life with the aid of video clips, illustrations, collections of rocks and minerals, historical instruments, books, paintings… It is also possible to look through the camera’s eye deep into the craters of Vesuvius, Etna, Vulcano and Stromboli. One of the Observatory guides will show visitors round. The entrance is free.

HOW TO ARRIVE
By car
If you have a car, you can reach Mt. Vesuvius going through the motorway A3 Salerno - Napoli till the exit of “Torre del Greco”: at that exit you have to turn right, then you have to go straight toward the first crossroads. Left this crossroads, go straight through Via De Nicola and then Via Vesuvio; an easy path 3 kilometres (1,86 miles) long take to crossroad with the road getting on from Ercolano (next to La Siesta restaurant), where you need to turn right and go on. After passing the aforesaid crossroad, you have to continue going up, and after 3 kilometres ( 1,86 miles) you meet with another crossroad: turning right you can reach the old and new Vesuvius Observatory. If you want to reach the crater, instead, you have to go straight on, but the road divides further: the right fork take to the ex-chair-lift (not more operating), where there is a pleasant bar with a sight-seeing terrace; take the left fork, which stops after 2 kilometres (1,2 miles) in a wide parking at 1000 metres (0,62 miles) of altitude where you have to continue on foot.

By train, bus and taxi

Who comes from Sorrento or Pompeii, can reach Ercolano-Scavi station taking the Sorrento-Napoli or Pompei-Napoli lines. A bus service, managed by Trasporti Vesuviani, and a taxi service is available from Ercolano-Scavi station to Mt. Vesuvius, until 1000 metres (0,62 miles) of altitude.

The access to the crater

When you arrive by car, bus or taxi at 1000 metres of altitude, from the parking there is a short trail 860 metres long, with a drop of 135 metres and an average slope of 14%, which in about 15 minutes arrives on the west crater rim (1180 metres) where there is a refreshment-point and the ticket office. The crater can be visited all the year, except when weather forecast aren't good. The access to the crater is allowed from 9.00 to 15.00, upon buying a ticket of 6.5 Euro for grown-ups, and 4.5 Euro for school-children supplied with pupil list and for boys from 6 to 12 years. From the ticket office starts a conducted tour, accompanied by the local volcanological guides. The crater presents inside a cavity over 300 metres deep, a circumference of the crateral rim about 500 metres long. The path continues among characteristic projections and briefly takes to the Capannuccia (1170 metres) and then to the highest point of Mt. Vesuvius (1281 metres). Shoes and dresses must be suitable for an excursion above 1000 metres of altitude on unpared terrain.



Driving distances and approximate driving times

Sorrento: 41 km / 25 miles / 62 min.
Praiano: 55 km / 34 miles / 75 min.
Positano: 51 km / 32 miles / 70 min.
Ravello: 47 km / 29 miles / 67 min.
Pompeii: 17 km / 11 miles / 29 min.
Naples: 32 km / 20 miles / 47 min.
Caserta: 58 km / 36 miles / 64 min.
Rome: 249 km / 155 miles / 175 min.
Salerno: 47 km / 29 miles / 54 min.
Paestum: 91 km / 56 miles / 93 min.
Castellabate: 112 km / 70 miles / 111 min.
Marina di Camerota: 173 km / 108 miles / 180 min.