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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.

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.

This remarkable little town floats above the Amalfi Coast like a dream and has attracted its share of visionaries over the centuries, from artists to composers, to actors and philosophers. Notable visitors have included Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt, André Gide, D.H. Lawrence, Graham Greene and Gore Vidal, a current resident. Sumptuous palaces and their gardens, most now turned into exclusive hotels, recall Ravello’s heyday centuries ago as a major mercantile centre and a political force to be reckoned with. But any visitor will be content simply with the astounding panoramas along the coast, that seem to stir the poetic inclinations in everyone who comes here.

This 18th-century palace was built by the Bourbons. Neapolitan Baroque at its most refined, it is built around four courtyards and has 1,200 lavish rooms. Highlights include the Great Staircase and the Throne Room. The park has a number of huge fountains, decorated with statuary, culminating in the Grande Cascata, plummeting 78 m (255 ft).

The Vesuvian Villas were begun by King Charles III and Queen Maria in the 18th century. His Reggia (palace), designed by Antonio Medrano, was the first and greatest of the villas, the rest of which were built by other members of the Bourbon court. For the most part the villas are now dilapidated, but there are plans to save as many as possible.

Renowned in medieval times for its medical school, this city has been almost entirely ignored by tourism. All that may change, however, now that the historic centre has undergone a restoration. The Romanesque Duomo and its treasures are a reminder that Salerno was the capital of southern Italy in the 11th century.

This labyrinth of tunnels was built by the Romans for use as cisterns. It evolved into catacombs in the 5th century, when St Gaudiosus, a North African bishop and hermit, was interred here. You can see the remains of fresco and mosaic decorations.

Burials here date as far back as the 2nd century and the site was originally used by pagans as well as Christians. In the 5th century, the body of San Gennaro, Naples’ patron saint, was brought here, and the place became an important pilgrimage site. Frescoes and mosaics on the two levels of this vast layout attest to its importance over the centuries.