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In ancient times, this spot was part of the vast estate of the Roman general Lucullus. At the end of the 5th century an order of monks founded a monastery here, then the Normans built the first castle. It was modified by succeeding dynasties, achieving its present form in the 16th century. Legend has it that its name derives from a magic egg (uovo ) hidden inside, supposedly placed there by the Roman poet Virgil. The building is now used for cultural events.

This rather sombre fortress is a study in stylistic contrasts – in direct opposition to its bulky grey towers, the marble Triumphal Arch exudes the delicacy of the early Renaissance. Inside, the spartan blankness is relieved by the wondrously complex ceiling of the Barons’ Hall, while the fresco fragments and sculptures in the chapel juxtapose with the harsh reality of the dungeons. In addition there are fine collections of religious and secular artwork. Go up to the battlements to take in the panorama (see Castel Nuovo, Naples).

This port town has been known since ancient times for its thermal springs – the many different waters are each thought to be therapeutic in specific ways. As with its neighbours, its beauty has been compromised by poverty and developers in recent decades, but it is not without charm, particularly along the central promenade. Nearby, the ruins of aristocratic villas, Arianna and San Marco, offer glimpses into wealthy lifestyles of 2,000 years ago (see Herculaneum, Oplontis & Stabiae).

An 18th-century Neapolitan speciality, renowned castrati who sang at the San Carlo included Caffarelli (Gaetano Majorano), Farinelli (Carlo Broschi) and Gian Battista Velluti.

If there is one place that could be called the true museum of Naples, this is it. So varied are the collections and the architecture that all aspects of the city’s history and cultural output seem to be represented here. These include a large collection of Nativity scenes and figures, some of Naples’ most significant paintings and sculptures, views of the city painted in different eras, a decorative arts collection, and the exuberantly Baroque church, decorated by the best Neapolitan artists of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Although embraced by royalist Neapolitans, Unification resulted in the city’s marginalization when Rome was chosen as capital. Not long after, a cholera epidemic in 1884 also made it plain that Naples had problems. The Urban Renewal Plan remedied the overcrowding and poor sewage system to some extent.

Once a Roman quarry for tufa blocks, this cavern became a gruesome depository for the city’s dead during the cholera epidemic of 1884. Graves and tombs were emptied all over Naples and the skulls stacked here – some 40,000 in all, with the addition of still more during the cholera outbreak of 1974.

Most of the ancient city of Baia now lies underwater, due to the shifting of the coastline and slow seismic disturbances. What you can still make out just below the surface of the water, however, are remnants of the grandiose port and parts of various villas and temples (see Baia).

This Greek settlement dates from the 8th century BC and flourished into Roman times.