12 Step Planet: Naples & Campania
12 steps to make the most of your time in the stunning islands of Italy. Plus, top travel news from around the world
Stuart Clark, 15 Jun 2010
How do I get there?
Aer Lingus fly Dublin-Naples direct on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout the summer. Fares start at €103 including tax, but to get that deal you need to book well in advance. Services after September 25 are less frequent. Alitalia, Lufthansa and British Airways will also get you there via another airport (or two!) for around the €250 mark.
When should I go?
With daytime temperatures rarely dipping below 14 degrees even in December, Naples is very much an all-year round destination.
But isn't it a crime blackspot?
Forget all this nonsense about it being a no-go area. Unless you’re planning to engage the local Camorra mafia in a turf war, Naples is no more dangerous than anywhere else in Italy and in parts is breathtakingly beautiful. It’s also the perfect base from which to explore the antiquities at Pompeii and Herculaneum, the upmarket resorts of Positano and Sorrento, fairytale villages like Nocelle and Agropoli, and the islands that dot the Bay of Naples.
What are the touristy things to do?
Take in the panoramic views from atop the star-shaped Castel Sant’Elmo; wonder at the artistry of our Roman forefathers in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale; and rub shoulders with the local smart set in the city’s Gucci-tastic Royal Naples enclave.
What about eating?
For the ultimate Neapolitan food experience head to Da Michele (Via Cesare Sersale 1. www.damichele.net), a defiantly old-fashioned pizzeria whose regulars are prepared to do that most un-Italian of things to get a table – queue.
There’s no menu, just a team of rushed off their feet waiters to ask whether you want a marinara or margherita – they don’t go in for any of this extra topping malarkey – which with a bottle of beer comes in at under a fiver.
If you enjoy the agony of choice, Taverna Ntretella (Salita S. Anna Di Palazzo 25) includes pasta e zucca (pasta with pumpkin); gnocchi alla Sorrentina (potato dumplings with tomato, basil & mozzarella); and sartù di riso (rice stuffed with chicken livers & sausage) among its comprehensive range of regional specialties.
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