OC, overlooking city, San Martin

Hi, I’m Rudy Maxa.  I’m deep in the heart of Italy, in the southern city of Naples, ready to take on some of the world’s great historic treasures and Europe’s most spectacular drive.  Now, its Naples and the Amalfi coast on More Travels.

VO Narrator

Join Rudy for the ins and outs of travels at the speed of life.  Efficient, adventurous escapes for today’s on-the-go vacations.  Our travel authority is syndicated columnist Rudy Maxa – widely known as public radio’s The Savvy Traveler.

OC

The pressures of modern life leave most of us completely wrapped up in everyday worries.  That’s why I think vacations are so important for maintaining balance in our lives and recharging our batteries.  There’s nothing like traveling to a culture very different from our own - one that’s completely steeped in history - to give you new perspective.  And southern Italy is just what the travel doctor ordered!

Map

We’ll start here in Naples and check out Pompeii, then head south to stylish Sorrento, travel the thrilling Amalfi coast highway, and visit the ancient ruins at Paestum.

OC, walking city street

Birthplace of pizza, Caruso and Sophia Loren, Naples is the kind of place many of us picture when we think of a real Italian city.  This is truly a land of extremes.  Here’s a boisterous urban center brimming with chaos, while nearby are some of the best historic sites of the ancient world.

WS city, from Certosa di San Martino, street scenes

Smoldering in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius, Naples is big, crowded and molto Italiano.  The city curves like a theater around its dazzling bay.  But it’s the city streets that put on the show.  Here you can really feel Italy’s heartbeat.  Over there, a woman is selling the most delicious lemonade, while on that corner you can buy pizza to die for.

Street and market scenes

Like the volcano in the distance, Naples has a dramatic and slightly dangerous feel.  This is Europe’s most densely populated city.  Across frenetic streets, pedestrians dodge vespas like ducks in a shooting gallery. 

Naples has an infamous reputation for organized crime.  While it’s still a bane on Neapolitan society, it’s generally not a problem for tourists.  Our main concern is pickpockets.  In recent years, city leaders have worked hard to make the city safer, but you still need to be careful. 

OC near bay

There is a vitality and enthusiasm for life here that somehow seems unique to Neapolitan culture.  According to mythology, Naples was founded on the grave of a siren.  The sirens were sea nymphs who sang out to sailors to lure them into wrecking their ships against the shore. 

Siren statue

But it’s the art and architecture that lure modern travelers.  Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance…for art history lovers, Naples is bliss.

Cappella Sansevero

The Cappella Sansevero is amazing for the sheer abundance of Baroque decoration.  Elaborate and over-the-top, this was built as a burial place for a prominent Neapolitan family in the mid 18^th century.  It’s a fresco and marble extravaganza. 

Veiled Christ

The sculptures are remarkable, especially this clinging shroud on an alabaster figure of Christ. 

Modesty,Disillusion

Eerily lifelike figures seem to emerge from under transparent veils.  And nowhere else will you see an intricate fishing net carved from marble. 

Ceiling

Casting a heavenly spell over all, the frescoed ceiling beckons us to the gates of paradise.

OC Duomo

This is a city where religion and superstition are woven deeply into the fabric of life.

Duomo

The Gothic Cathedral stands on a spot that’s been occupied by religious buildings since ancient times.  It’s dedicated to San Gennaro, Naples’s patron saint.   It’s the site of a very mysterious Neapolitan ritual.

OC in front of Chapel

In the chapel, under lock and key, are two vials of San Gennaro’s dried blood.  Three times a year Neapolitans gather here to watch as the blood miraculously liquefies.  Legend holds that if it doesn’t liquefy, disaster will strike the city.  Scientists are at a loss to explain the strange phenomenon.

More churches

The Catholic influence here is almost palpable.  Everywhere you turn, churches stand as monuments to religious fervor.

OC, train station

When in Naples, there are two absolute must-sees: the National Archaeological Museum and the ruins of Pompeii.  We’re going to check out Pompeii first, and then head back to the museum to see some of the treasures retrieved from the ruins.

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Be sure to take the train that says Pompeii/Scavi, which means “ruins”.  If you take the Pompei train, you’ll end up in the modern city of Pompeii.

Pompeii, WS

Just 15 miles from Naples, Pompeii is a passport to ancient history.  Two thousand years ago, this Roman city was a busy commercial center and resort town with a population of around 20,000. 

OC

On August 24, 79 AD, the sky blackened, the air filled with poisonous clouds and terror struck the hearts of Pompeii’s citizens.  Mt. Vesuvius erupted, burying Pompeii under a mass of volcanic ash and mud.  Men and women, children and animals, were stopped suddenly in their tracks.

Forum

This is an entire ancient city frozen in time.  The vast ruins offer fascinating insights into the life of ancient Romans.   It’s as if their daily activities were preserved in a time capsule.  The Forum was the city’s central plaza.  Just imagine it glistening in the sunshine, filled with people shopping or listening to political speeches.

House of the Vettii

Some of the private homes have been partially restored.  This was wealthy merchant’s house.  The interior courtyard and gardens must have been magnificent.  The wall paintings and frescos are especially well preserved.

House of Tragic Poet

Here is a typical middle-class house.  A mosaic just inside the doorway warns: Cave canem - “beware of dog”. 

House of Faun

This is the House of the Dancing Faun.  It belonged to one of the wealthiest families in Pompeii.   It took up an entire city block.  It had four dining rooms, one for each season, and two gardens: a winter garden and this is the summer garden.

The house is named for the whimsical statue of a faun found in an indoor pond (the original is in the museum in Naples.)  When the building was excavated in the early 19th century, it was considered a major archaeological event because of the wealth of intact mosaics.  Researchers believe that this was home to relatives of Pompeii’s military ruler, General Silla.

Stepping stones

Because there were no underground sewers, the streets often filled with rainwater and sewage, and people used these raised stepping-stones as crosswalks. 

Mountain

Vesuvius is still an active volcano.  It last erupted in 1944, and locals live in fear of the day the mountain will once again vent its wrath on this countryside.

OC entering cafe

After walking around all those ancient ruins, I could use a cappuccino.  I wonder if there’s anyway to get coffee in this country? 

Naples’s oldest coffeehouse, Caffe Gambrinus, was the “in place” for Neapolitan artists and intellectuals of the last century

Caffe Gambrinus

The vaulted ceilings and frescos still emanate old world elegance. But my eyes are dazzled by the artful display of pastries and gelato. 

Museo Archeaologico Nazionale

Naples’s National Archaeological Museum is considered one of the most important in the world.  It’s a natural counterpart to Pompeii.

This fantastic collection contains works gathered from Pompeii and other cities devastated by Vesuvius, as well as from the ancient city of Rome.  It brings antiquity to life.

Painting of Battle of Issus

Remember the enormous House of the Faun at Pompeii?   This mosaic masterpiece was taken from there.  With such big house, they obviously needed a good-sized floor covering. The mosaic is 19 feet by 10 ½ feet.  A perfect complement to any living room.  It shows Alexander the Great leading his cavalry against the fleeing Persian soldiers. 

Blue vase

Some of the most touching pieces from Pompeii are the everyday items, such as spoons and mirrors.  This glass vase was found in a tomb in Pompeii.  It was used to hold wine, and you can see the intricate carving showing small cupids gathering grapes.

Farnese Bull

These statues are Roman copies of works by Greece’s great sculptors.  Many of them are the soul surviving record of masterpieces that otherwise would have been lost forever.  This astonishing sculpture, called the Farnese Bull, was carved from a single block of marble.

Santa Chiara

An easy walk from the museum, Naples’s historic quarter shelters small discoveries around each corner and across every piazza.

One of my favorite finds is the stately Santa Chiara.  The Gothic church was built in the early 14th century and holds several tombs of the Angevins, the Frenchmen who ruled Naples for 200 years before being tossed out by the Spanish.

OC

After Rome fell and the northern hoards overran the former empire, Europe spent many centuries reinventing itself.  The Italian peninsula became a conglomeration of city-states, finally at the mercy of larger and more powerful northern nations.  This country didn’t actually become a single nation until well into the 19^th century.

Cloisters

The best part of Santa Chiara is outside, in the Cloisters of the Clares.  This is quite possibly the most peaceful spot in the city.  Strolling the courtyard’s wisteria-lined walkways you’re transported back through the centuries, when these painted majolica tiles were love-letters to this small corner of tranquility.

Taxi ride

All it takes is a taxi ride to break the tranquil spell.  I’m beginning to wonder if Napoli actually means “last rites” in Italian.  I’ve finally discovered why the Italian people are so full of life.  It’s because, with the way they drive, life can end so quickly - so you’ve got to celebrate every waking moment.  My taxi driver certainly has embraced this philosophy.

We’re heading just out of town to check out one of the area’s most volatile sights.

Phlegrean fields, Solfatara

West of Naples, hot springs and sulfurous gases rise from an enormous, eerie landscape.  These are the Phlegrean Fields, or “fields of fire”.  This whole area floats freely on a mass of molten lava very close to the surface. 

The ancients were both frightened and fascinated by it.  They believed this to be the gateway to the underworld. 

Epic poets stood on these hillsides as they conjured images of hell.  As a matter of fact, I’m kind of frightened and fascinated by it.

Back in the good old days, when Imperial Rome reached its prime, the Phlegrean fields became a fashionable spot for vacation villas.  The Roman elite flocked to the posh spas to take in the views and ease their arthritis, which was a common affliction even back then.  You can still try out these natural saunas, which were named “Purgatory” and “Hell”.  This scalding one must be Hell!

Map

With Hades behind us, we’re off in search of a little bit of heaven.   Sorrento is just 30 miles south of Naples.

WS Sorrento

You’ve heard about it, you’ve read about it now here it is – Sorrento!  The town commands a stunning coastline laced with natural coves.  Dozens of 19^th century Romantic artists found inspiration in these idyllic surroundings. 

Street scenes

It’s touristy, but in Sorrento that’s not such a bad thing.  The town is clean and safe, and most of the clerks speak English.  For those who love to shop, there’s nowhere better on the coast.  Most appealing is the Old Town where pastel shops line the narrow stone streets.  Flowering vines wind over shady paths, and here you may taste some of the best gelato of your life.

[Ice cream sequence]

Here’s a tip: in most shops you pay for your ice cream first, then hand your ticket to the person scooping.

Sorrento nightlife

Sorrento comes alive on holidays, when the town draws Italians and visitors alike.  It’s a great opportunity for people-watching and sampling limoncello. 

 Rudy: You might think this is a grapefruit, but it’s not.  This is a grapefruit  This is a Sorrento lemon.  A big lemon.  And from big lemons come little limoncellos.

 Limoncello is a tart and dangerously enticing liqueur made with lemons plucked from the surrounding hillsides.

Capri

The island of Capri makes an easy day trip from Sorrento.  The ferry drops you on Capri’s busy Marina Grande.  From the marina you can hop on the funicular and you’ll soar 500 feet up the hill to the town of Capri.  It’s no secret that Capri is beautiful.  In fact, it seems like just about everyone’s been here.  Caesar Augustus vacationed on the island, Hans Christian Anderson spun tales about it, and Lenin even schooled revolutionaries here. 

Funicular

In the summer boats come and go constantly, emptying hordes of visitors onto the island.  It’s better to come in spring or fall when you avoid most of the tourist stampede.

As enchanting as Capri is, it’s only the beginning of southern Italy’s natural wonders.  We’re heading south along the scenic Amalfi coast.

Driving Amalfi Coast

As early as the 9^th century, the Amalfi became an Italian maritime republic, rivaling Venice and other ports for dominance of the sea.

Today the highway that runs along the coast is among the most beautiful and treacherous in the world.  Sheer cliffs and hairpin turns create the ultimate in white-knuckle driving. 

And it seems like Italy’s most reckless drivers are around every turn.   But oh what a ride!  You can rent a car or even hop on a local bus to take in the awe-inspiring views - inviting coves rimmed with bright fishing boats, and rocky cliffs carved like mythological shapes.

Pop-up over driving shot

Check out rental options before you leave for Italy.  Your travel agent can usually get you the best rate.

In car

If you have an extra day, be sure to check out the ruins of Paestum, about a two-hour drive from Sorrento.  It has some of the best Greek ruins outside of Greece.

Paestum

Six hundred years before Christ, Greeks colonized this site calling it the “City of Poseidon”.

OC

It later fell to the Romans, then other invaders.  But eventually they were all driven out by the fiercest enemy of all: the mosquito.  Swarms of the insects made this a very undesirable piece of real estate, and it sat abandoned for hundreds of years. 

Temple of Ceres

In the18^th century, a crew of road builders stumbled across the ruins in the middle of a forest.  They discovered three of the finest intact Greek temples in the world.

Basilica

The oldest predates the Parthenon in Athens by nearly a century.  Early archaeologists who first studied the temples misnamed them, but the old names stuck.

Temple of Poseidon

This so-called Temple of Poseidon was actually dedicated to Zeus’ wife Hera.  It’s a first-rate example of pure Doric architecture, the oldest of the classical Greek styles.   Even under scaffolding, the fluted columns and simple capitals are impressive. 

Small theater

Powerful city council members met in this open-air theatre to pass laws and elect magistrates

Swimming pool

The Greeks and Romans both had a passion for athletic competitions, such as swimming. The public pool featured a perilous-looking labyrinth for underwater laps.

Driving

The country roads leading out of Paestum offer local Italian specialties.

Stopping for snack

Don’t miss sampling mozzarella di bufala.  It’s cheese made of buffalo milk.  Molto bene. 

Driving

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The Amalfi coast highway runs approx. 43 miles from Sorrento to Salerno. 

Driving & towns

The Amalfi coast is dotted with sun-bleached towns that cling tenaciously to craggy cliffs.  The impossible terrain has inspired some of Italy’s most astounding feats of civil engineering.

Positano, WS and scenics

Our final stop is a cliffhanger of a town: Positano.  It’s thrillingly steep with determined houses that seem to cascade down the hillside to the sea.  Instead of streets, the town has a network of steep steps.  Positano was once part of the powerful Republic of the Amalfis.  Today its power comes mostly as a chic hangout for the rich and famous.  And who wouldn’t want to hang out here?  Novelist John Steinbeck wrote about it: “Positano bites deep.  It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone.”

He knew what he was talking about. 

Hillside

For a more ethereal perspective, you can take in the views from several trails in the hills high above

OC sitting on cliff at Sentiero degli Dei

This one is known as the “Pathway to the Gods”.   The gods must be happy with this place.  They’ve kept it unspoiled and perfect for thousands of centuries.  Thanks for joining us in Naples and the Amalfi Coast.  Ciao!