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Children are captivated by the Doll Hospital, both for the concept as well as for the array of dolls that are here to be “cured”. Adults, too, will find the collection fascinating, with some pieces qualifying as museum-quality treasures. The place is a shop as well, so your child won’t necessarily have to say goodbye to a new-found friend at the end of the visit.

Most evocative at dawn or sunset, when it is possible to imagine what the ancient city might have been like, these Greek temples and their verdant setting are a reminder of all that is loveliest in life. Spend the day here to explore these remains of one of history’s most evolved cultures.

These ancient Greek temples are among the most complete – and most evocative – to have survived into modern times, even taking into account those in Greece itself. Besides the beauty and majesty of these timeless structures, this site has offered up countless other treasures, the remains of the Greco-Roman city that thrived here for some 1,000 years. The wonderful on-site museum is the repository of many unique finds, including the only known Greek paintings to have survived the ages. Taken from a tomb found nearby, the frescoes include a depiction of a joyous banquet of lovers, and a renowned diver – possibly a metaphor for the Greek conception of the afterlife.

Arranged in terraces, this excavated area includes an ancient spa and a Temple of Diana. The spa complex comprises baths named after Venus and Mercury, the latter a large swimming pool once covered with a dome.

Occupying the summit of a large hill overlooking the sea, this park offers spectacular views on all sides. To the left, the Bay of Naples, Vesuvius and the Sorrentine Peninsula; to the right, the Bay of Pozzuoli and the Phlegrean Fields. Down below lies the little island of Nisida, formed from an ancient volcanic crater. The tomb of the epic poet Virgil is said to be here in the ruins of a columbarium (sepulchre) used by ancient Romans to house the ashes of the dead.

The first railway in the area was inaugurated by King Ferdinand II in 1839 and 150 years later the railway workshop was opened as a museum. It’s the largest of its kind in Europe and has impressive displays, including a magnificent reconstruction of the first royal train here and a line-up of later carriages, many of them lavishly gilded.

Certainly no archaeological find is more important than that of ancient Pompeii, where a culture was captured forever by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Not only can we see the streets, buildings, furnishings, art, tools, jewellery, and even the food and drink of the people who lived here, but plaster casts reveal the people themselves. From the ruling class down to slaves, we can see their last moments during those terrible few hours that doomed the city.

Known for decades as a playground for the rich and famous this is an astonishingly vertical town in shades of pink and other faded pastels. Only one street snakes its way down and up – the rest are stairs.

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.