Metropolitan Naples
Sourced from Wikivoyage. Text is available under the CC-by-SA 3.0 license.
The City of Naples (Italian: Città metropolitana di Napoli) is a political entity in the Campania region of Italy. With 3.1 million inhabitants, it is Italy's third largest metropolis behind Rome and Milan. Naples itself has just short of a million citizens, and an incredible amount of monuments and churches. The metropolis also has spectacular sceneries with the Vesuvius volcano, and the Roman ruin cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.Cities
- – The capital, with 2,700 years of history.
- – The site of St. Anthony's basilica, in the northern hinterland.
- – villas of the ancient Roman city of Stabiae, spa resorts and the massive Mount Faito, accessible through a cable car.
- – Beautiful town close to Sorrento, but less touristy.
- – A magnificent baroque Royal Palace and other 18th century villas.
- – Two Roman amphitheaters and many other archaeological sites.
- – pleasant locality overlooking the Bay, known worldwide for limoncello and other typical products.
- – Remains of the Roman city of Oplontis, spa and beach resort.
- – The most populated city at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, famous for the manifacture of coral.
Other destinations
- – many remains of Roman age, an underwater archaeological park and the Royal pavilion on Fusaro Lake built by Vanvitelli.
- – the wonderful island of Blue Grotto, faraglioni an Roman villas.
- – Roman city buried by Mount Vesuvius along with Pompeii.
- – the largest island in the Bay, rich of spas and beach resorts.
- – well preserved Roman city buried by Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
- – the smallest of Bay's islands with enchanting pastel houses.
- – Located on the Sorrentine peninsula.
- – the only active volcano in continental Europe, 1,281 meters (4,203 ft) tall.
Understand
Metropolitan Naples hosts an unparalleled concentration of UNESCO World Heritage sites: Naples' old town; the Roman archeological sites of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Cumae, Pozzuoli, Oplontis and Stabiae; the Royal Palace of Caserta; the royal site of San Leucio, the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli, Paestum's Greek temples and the Amalfi Coast, also UNESCO's World Heritage sites, are possible day trips, as are the islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida in the Bay of Naples. Vesuvius is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Tourism itself has a long history in the region, as it was one of the southernmost destination of the Grand Tour in Early modern times.
Tourism itself has a long history in the region, as it was one of the southernmost destination of the Grand Tour in Early modern times.
Get in
By plane
-
Naples International Airport (Aeroporto Internazionale di Napoli)
phone: +39 081 789 6111, +39 081 789 6259The main airport in Southern Italy, easily reachable by car thanks to the Tangenziale di Napoli (A 56 motorway). It is located few km north of the old town and by 2020 it will be connected to the local metro system.
Taxi fares to reach the central railway station and the port are about €20.
Instead, fares to nearby localities are: €80 round-trip to Herculaneum (2 hours of visit), €100 round-trip to Pompeii, €110 one way to Sorrento, €110 round-trip to Caserta, €140 one way to Amalfi. Check for more info
By train
By car
The territory is crossed by five autostrade (toll motorways):-
(Milan-Naples) – The main Italian road, allows to reach Naples from many important cities of the west-Tyrrhenian side of the country: Milan (7 hr); Bologna (5 ½ hr); Florence (4 ½ hr); Rome (2 hr) and just ½ hour from Caserta.
-
(Naples-Salerno) – Runs for 50 km (31 miles) through Portici (10 min), the sites of Herculaneum (15 min) and Pompeii (25 min), to arrive in Salerno in 40 minutes boarding the Amalfi Coast.
-
(Naples-Canosa di Puglia) – Connects the Tyrrhenian to the Adriatic coast of Apulia in the town of Canosa, not far from Bari. A useful way to arrive in the metropolitan city from the opposite coast in 2 hours.
-
(Caserta-Salerno) – Follows a route north of Mount Vesuvius and it can be useful to bypass the Naples area rather than reaching the most interesting tourist attractions.
-
(Tangenziale di Napoli) – Connects the Naples International Airport to Pozzuoli, crossing the northern suburb of the capital, with an exit at Capodimonte just few meters away from the namesake Royal Palace.
Get around
By train
Circumvesuviana
The system uses a narrow gauge and comprises six lines:
- : The most tourist route since passes through Herculaneum, Pompeii and the Sorrentine peninsula (1 hr)
- : Passes through the modern town of Pompeii. (1 hr)
- : Sometimes called Line 3 of Naples metro, links the eastern suburb of the capital. (15 min)
- : Runs to the little town in the province of Avellino via Nola and Avella, where is located a Roman amphitheater. (1 hr)
- : Runs northward until the city of the archaeological remains of Suessula. (½ hr)
- : Runs to this town in the province of Salerno passing north of Mount Vesuvius. (1 hr)
Circumflegrea
Cumana
Go next
There are many interesting places to visit at the edge of the Metropolitan City:
If you want to go further visit the neighbouring regions:
- - Every single village along this stretch of coast is a true jewel and is worth visiting.
- - The enormous Royal Palace is at 28 km (17 miles) north of Naples.
- - A mountain, green district with beautiful sights and its own culture and cuisine, at 50 km (31 miles) east of Naples.
- - Impressive remains of the second largest Roman amphitheater, place of the revolt of Spartacus' outbreak.
- - Greek temples and Roman remains; 100 km (62 miles) south of Naples.
If you want to go further visit the neighbouring regions:
- Lazio - The "Eternal City" is just at 1½ hour of high speed train. Tivoli and the Abbey of Monte Cassino are also easily reachable.
- Apulia - "Trulli" of Alberobello and many other tourist attractions are waiting for you! Various private bus companies offer efficient connections.
- Basilicata - "Sassi" of Matera, pleasant medieval villages and castles. Private bus companies are the best option to get in the region.
- Calabria - White sandy beaches, large thick woods, ski resorts and remains of Magna Graecia's colonies all in one region!
- Sicily - The largest island of Mediterranean Sea, with its fascinating monuments, coast and cuisine. The capital Palermo can be reached in 1 hour by plane.