Napoli and Surrounds

[DonPolo]

I've got three days that I'd like to spend in the Napoli region which I've not visited before. I'll have just come from Mirrabella Eclano about an hour East of Napoli where there's a festival. Pompeii/Herculaneum should be on the agenda and maybe Amalfi.

I don't plan to rent a car, but it's an option.

Any suggestions as to a base? Naples for the experience or somewhere like Sorrento and day trip into Naples? There's clearly advantages one way or another.

 

[Ian Sutton]

Napoli a *very* different experience to Amalfi Coast / Sorrento.

If you love vibrant, somewhat edgy & intimate locations, which feel as 'real' as can be, then Napoli can be ideal.

We don't, so have focused on the Amalfi Coast (Ravello a few times, plus a couple of times between Amalfi and Pogerola). That area has stunning views, wonderful walking on the old criss-cross of mule paths and delivers relaxation.

As Pompeii / Herculaneum are in the plan, logistically Sorrento makes great sense, though it's not my favourite town on the coast (touristy and lacking the stunning views of the amalfi coast proper, but flatter might also be an appeal). The circumvesuviana train makes it easy to visit those locations yourself. It also has a frequent direct bus service to Amalfi.

 

[DonPolo]

Thanks Ian, while I do like the convenience of what some of the touristy spots have to offer, my best experiences have most often been almost accidentally falling into authentic happenings; staying a non touristy section of Venice and mixing with the locals, sharing a drink with a small champagne producer and his son in French for a couple of hours in Epernay after their winery had closed, getting lost in New Orleans and stumbling into a bar in a 'risky' part of town and enjoying the best gumbo in my life. So the convenience of Sorrento's proximity to Pompeii is tempting but the alternative in Naples is too!