From all over the island and beyond, Castello Aragonese is the VIEW. Hike to the top of the castle (or avail yourself of its handy elevator) and the castle becomes the island’s VIEWPOINT, its panoramic overlook, or as they like to call it here, the belvedere. At the top, you can have lunch, a drink or a snack at “Il Terrazzo” and take...

The Colosseum is the largest amphitheater in Italy. It also draws the largest crowds. So many in fact, it’s nearly impossible to get a sense of the place, to find the quiet and stillness your mind needs to imagine what it was like there some 2000 years ago. By contrast, the 3rd largest amphitheater in Italy, the Flavian Amphitheater, draws virtually...

If you’ve been to Milan, you’ve seen Galleria Umberto’s big brother, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, but of course, Naples version has a flair all its own. It also has a little brother, the Galleria Principe near the Archaeological Museum. Look up towards the glass and steel dome. See if you can find the mysterious symbols fused into its skeleton....

Everyone should visit Pompeii once in their lifetime, but it’s Herculaneum that you’ll want to revisit again and again. A wealthy Roman town to Pompeii’s bustling port city, Herculaneum is much smaller than its more famous neighbor, but it packs just as much punch. Its compactness makes it easier to manage, especially for little ones and there are far fewer visitors, a...

Naples Cathedral, il Duomo, may be a stunning 14th-century French Gothic church (built on top of a paleo-Christian basilica, built on top of a pagan temple) and the seat of the Naples Archdiocese, but its claim to fame is, shall we say, a bit more… miraculous. The miracle in question is that of the liquefaction of the blood of San Gennaro,...

Hidden behind a church, this quiet little park climbs up the side of Posillipo hill, a switchback walking path follows the contours of the park’s terraces. Enshrouded within an encroaching urban landscape – the nearby train station and a heavily trafficked car tunnel – it’s a (quasi) quiet respite from the hustle and bustle of the city. The views of Vesuvius and the...

This mammoth Roman archaeological site has it all. One of the most famous in the world, archaeologists have been peeling back its layers for nearly three centuries. Thus far, they have uncovered 45 of the city’s 66 hectares along with some 1,500 private spaces and public places that tell how the Romans lived… and how they died.  From the city’s...

Roman ruins, Gothic architecture and Neapolitan artisan crafts live harmoniously behind the walls of Santa Chiara, a citadel-like complex with an unusual double convent. Like most Gothic structures handed down to us from the Angevins, Santa Chiara once wore all of the ornamentation of the Baroque. WWII air raids tragically reduced the complex to rubble, but restoration works serendipitously brought back its Gothic...