Presided over by the magnificent, chaotic capital of the south, Napoli, Campania has everything the traveller could want. With the only true metropolis in the Mezzogiorno, Campania is also blessed with some of the country's most dramatic coastline, a sprinkling of magical islands and a rich heritage in ancient ruins. In the shadow of Vesuvio (Mt Vesuvius) lie the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, Roman cities buried by the volcano and so preserved for posterity.
There is plenty more for the classicist to explore, including the Campi Flegrei to the north, with its reminders of the world celebrated in the writings of Homer and Virgil and, in the south, the Greek temples of Paestum, among the best preserved in the world. The natural beauty of the Amalfi coast, farther south of Pompeii, and the islands in the Golfo di Napoli, particularly Capri. Inland is the grand palace of the Spanish Bourbons in Caserta, set in magnificent gardens and modelled on Versailles. Campania is alive with myth and legend. Napoli is the most densely populated area of Campania, although the city itself started life humbly; little touched by the eruption of 79 AD that wiped out Pompeii and neighbouring towns, Napoli also survived the fall of Roma and several Barbarian assaults. It was an independent city state ruled by dukes until southern Italy came under the sway of the Normans in the mid-12th century. The short-lived kingdom of the Normans, with its capital in Palermo, changed hands and dimensions regularly, but always comprised the bulk of southern Italy, including alla Campania. Under Spanish Bourbon rule in the 18th century, Napoli was one of the great capitals of Europe. Campanian cooking is simple, its greatest contribution to world cuisine is the pizza, and produces a great bright-yellow lemon liqueur (limoncello) that must be tasted.

Surface(Kmq): 13595
City: Napoli (NA), Avellino (AV); Benevento (BN); Caserta (CE); Salerno (SA).