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Southeast of anarchic Naples and the fecund but fatal volcano
Vesuvius, the Apennine peaks of the Sorrentine Peninsula plunge
into the Tyrrhenian Sea. Around Sorrento, along La Costiera
Amalfitana to Salerno, unfold limestone cliffs harbouring fishing
communities, terraced groves, limpid inlets, castle gardens and
majolica-domed churches. The impossibly scenic SS163 ‘Amalfi
Drive’ connects villages clinging to the rocks, while puffs of
Amalfi’s maritime adventures adorn the Byzantine and Arabic-
Norman architecture.
Ravello’s serene heights inspire composers and artists. On
the crater rim of mainland Europe’s only active volcano and
AD 79 time capsules – Pompeii and Herculaneum – throbs the
aftershocks of nature and history. At Paestum, now home of
mozzarella balls and roaming buffalo, ancient Greeks colonists
built columns that became the climactic vision of Grand Tourists.
Then there are the islands of the Bay of Naples. Capri is all about
drama, escapism and the molto chic; Ischia heals with thermal
springs, tropical gardens and sandy beaches; while Procida has
earthy charm and pastel-painted villages immortalized in the film
Il Postino. And it’s the star of that film, the Neapolitan Massimo
Troisi who encapsulates the best of the region’s people – the
warmth, humour and passion for simple pleasures. Rejoicing in
Campania’s natural bounty, Epicureanism flourished in its purest
philosophical sense in these bays. It survives in Herculaneum’s
papyrus scrolls and the traditions of the coast’s resourceful artisan
producers and cooks.
