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Amalfi is the largest and most historic town on its eponymous coastline. Between the 9th and 12th centuries the republic was at its height of mercantile power and the architecture still evokes that glory. The Duomo (cathedral) is glorious.

This little town exudes a quiet charm, with arcades and a maze of alley-stairways. Its church of San Salvatore de’ Bireto was where Amalfi’s doges received their investiture.

The fabled isle has had its detractors – it has been called “nothing more than a rocky cliff with over-priced cafés” – and, in ancient times, the notorious shenanigans of Tiberius gave it an enduring reputation as the ultimate in decadence, as did the party life here in the 1950s. Yet, if you choose to stay awhile, you will discover the real Capri beyond the hype – a world of traditional farm life, scenic hiking terrain and sparkling azure waters for swimming and boating. A place with undeniable allure for those who love the best of what life has to offer.

The main monument here is the 11th-century Badia della Santissima Trinità (Abbey of the Holy Trinity), housing paintings by De Matteis.

Home to the most active fishing fleet on the coast, this is also the only place to buy colatura di alici , a fish sauce that is a descendent of the ancient Roman one called garum .

The island of Ischia is surmounted by an extinct 788-m (2,585-ft) volcano, Monte Epomeo, and the many hot mineral springs here (some of them radioactive) have drawn cure- and pleasure-seekers to their soothing sources since ancient times. Green and rugged in appearance, the island also benefits from fine, long beaches. Like Capri, Ischia has had its share of famous residents – in the 19th century the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen wrote Peer Gynt during a stay here, while in the 20th century the English poet W.H. Auden and his homosexual circle scandalized the locals. The island was also the first place in the area to be colonized by the Greeks, in the 8th century BC.

Maiori boasts the coast’s longest beach, while Minori has the archaeological site, the Villa Romana (see Villa Romana, Minori).

This quiet village, close to the tip of the peninsula, has views of the tiny archipelago that was known as Le Sirenuse. It was considered to be the home of the mythical Sirens, whose song lured mariners to their deaths on the rocks.

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.