DK Travel : Naples & the Amalfi Coast

From one perspective, this area is an anomaly, at once one of the earth’s most beautiful and yet most accursed places. It has been the choice of the great and wealthy as their playground, while also being the scene of some of the greatest natural disasters and the grittiest human misery. Perhaps these irreconcilable twists of fate are at the root of the Neapolitans’ famously optimistic cynicism. The city of Naples itself is a vibrant urban setting, almost non-European in its intensity, while the beauty of the surrounding coast has been known to make grown men weep.

Positano

Positano is a beautiful town with a few challenges from a logistics perspective. The town itself is very small, but completely vertical - with only 1 road that snakes 1-way in and around town. Logistics are a challenge even for experienced travellers. Most people either come in on ferry, bus, or taxi. We decided to take the ferry from Naples. When we arrived in Positano, we discovered our hotel was straight up the hill about 275-300 steep, narrow steps in front of us. A daunting task with 2 40lb suitcases. So if you do decide to visit Positano - pack very light.
Positano to Vietri

A single road “of 1,000 turns” winds along this spectacular coast.
Postwar Naples

After the war, ugly apartment blocks throughout the region paved over what had been one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. Corruption was rife, and La Camorra (the local Mafia) gained unprecedented power. In 1980 an earthquake destroyed thousands of shoddy buildings.
Pozzuoli

Called Puteoli by the Romans, this now modest seaside town was a major player 2,000 years ago. It is rife with significant ruins, including the Serapeum , thought for centuries to be a temple of the Egyptian god Serapis but now known to have been one of the empire’s largest markets. Puteoli was the main imperial port and retained its importance even after the Port of Ostia, at the mouth of the Tiber, was upgraded by Emperor Trajan in the 2nd century.
Praiano

This little fishing village is perched on a ridge. Further along, you come to the Grotta dello Smeraldo (Emerald Cave). A lift takes you down to the boats to enter the grotto. The cave is also accessible by boat from Amalfi.
Presepi

The tradition of creating sculpted tableaux of Christ’s birth (presepi ) has risen to a high art in Naples ever since the 1700s. Sculptors create scenes that expand far beyond the central event and include features of everyday life – Pulcinella may be shown slapping the current mayor, for example.
Primo

This course usually means pasta or rice, but minestre and zuppe (soups) also appear in this category. Great primi to look for are spaghetti alle vongole veraci (with clams), pasta e fagioli (with beans), fettucine alla puttanesca (egg noodles with tomato, capers, black olives and red pepper) and risotto alla pescatora (rice with seafood).
Procida

This small island has several good beach options. One of the longest stretches from Chiaiolella Marina to Ciriaccio; called the Lido, it is the island’s most popular beach so expect crowds. From here a bridge leads to the nature reserve of Vivara, which has rocky access to the sea. To the northeast, Pozzo Vecchio also has a beach.
Procida

Smaller than Capri and Ischia and much less touristy, Procida attracts holiday-makers looking for tranquillity and cultural tradition. The island is flat with highly fertile soil, and is noted for its lemons, considered the best in the region. The island’s most original feature, however, is its unique architecture. The colourful houses along the Chiaiolella Port, Marina Corricella and Marina di Sancio Cattolico are known for their vaults – built as winter boat shelters – arches and external staircases.
Pulcinella

Cunning, perpetually hungry and rambunctious, Pulcinella (Little Chicken) is the symbol of Neapolitans and their streetwise way of life. His signature white pyjama-like outfit, peaked hat and hook-nosed mask go back to ancient Roman burlesque, in which a bawdy clown, Macchus, was one of the stock characters. He is the prototype of Punch and similar anarchic puppets around the world.