Naples, Mount Vesuvius & Pompeii: Unveiling the Wonders of Southern Italy

Southern Italy is one of the most amazing places in the world. Even tough Milan is considered the capital of fashion, Southern part of the Apennine Peninsula is filled to the brim with incredible sights, architecture, and delicious food, it is a place made for tourism. When you think of the word “vacation,” it is probably a place that first comes to mind.

One of the best wonderful tours I have ever taken part in is the tour of Southern Italy. I wanted to share that experience with our readers, so today, I will list the things you must do while visiting Naples and the area around it.

Let’s start with the city of Naples itself. A beautiful city on the coast of Tyrrhenian Sea that radiates beauty and history taking you back into the golden era of medieval art.

When visiting Naples, there are some boxes to be checked if you want to enjoy the city to its fullest.

Naples

1. Take a walk on Piazza del Plebiscito

The main square in Naples represents a place where the crowds gather, and every manifestation and cultural event happens in the city. The square is nice, but the things that make it special are the stuff happening in it. It is a place where most of the town gathers whenever something is happening in the city.

2. Admire Galeria Umberto I

Galeria Umberto I is a place that looks like a lovechild of a shopping mall and Renaissance Italy. It is a beautiful building with marble floors and a glass roof with a beautiful glass dome filled with shops of luxury brands. It is among the most famous things Naples is known for.

3. Check out Castel dell’Ovo

This stunning castle got its name in an unusual way. It’s named The Egg Castle because the architect placed an egg in its foundation and said if the egg ever breaks the city of Naples will fall. I have no idea what happened to the egg, but Naples still stands today, so it must be okay. It is located in the city center and served as a first line of defense from enemy ships.

4. Eat the best pizza in the world

Naples is a place where pizza was created. It is also where you can try the best pizza in the world, and there is no argument. The place that left a great impression on me is Pizzeria Brandi, where the pizza Margherita was created as a tribute to Queen Margherita. It was, and still is, made with dough, tomato sauce from San Marzano Tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella, and fresh basil. The toppings on pizza represent the colors on the Italian flag, as tomatoes are red, mozzarella is white, and basil is green. Amazing, right?

5. Sleep in the tallest building in Naples

Hotel Ambassador is the tallest building in Naples, but not only Naples, it’s the tallest building in whole Southern Italy. It is 30 stories high, and the rooms at the very top have the best panoramic view of the city and the Gulf of Naples. The hotel is located within a mile of the city center, so you don’t need a car!

6. Watch S.C. Napoli play at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium

Diego Maradona is a cult in Naples. He was a soccer player who spent most of his career playing for the Neapolitan soccer club. He is also one of the best soccer players that have ever played the game. In Naples, Jesus Comes first but very close behind him. In the second spot, there is Maradona, although while the games were on, they would swap places. The Sao Paolo stadium, as it was formerly called, is an amazing place to feel the heart and soul of the Neapolitans since they live for soccer, or Calcio as they call it.

These are all great, but the best things in Naples are outside the city. Let me tell you a thing or two about them.

Mount Vesuvius

Naples is also known as a city underneath the Vesuvius. Mount Vesuvius is an active volcano that looks down on Naples. It is over 4,000 feet high, and its most destructive eruption was in AD 79, the same year as The Colosseum was finished. Vesuvius erupted many times after that, with the last eruption being in the 1940s, and even though it hasn’t erupted since, seismologists say that things could change in the brink of an eye and that if it erupts again, the whole of Europe will be doomed. Neapolitans have massive respect for this mountain, but they live in constant fear of it. Vesuvius has two craters, and the one that is possible to visit is the one that erupted in AD 79. You can get to the bottom of the mountain, but after that, you are on your own. The climb takes around 2 hours, and it’s very steep. There are benches at the side of the trail so you can rest, but stack up on water and some carbs since there aren’t any shops until you reach the summit. You can see a bit of the crater’s inside once you reach the top, but also the whole of Naples and its coast. Also, don’t try to jump the fence so you can pick some rocks as souvenirs. I almost got arrested. This is a must-visit spot while traveling to Southern Italy.

Pompeii

When Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, its eruption wasn’t a type you are familiar with. There were no lava fields sliding down the mountain, as you may see in Hawaii. The eruption was far more dangerous. The volcano spat out billions of tons of hot ash that went 20 miles in the air, turning day into night in minutes. Roman city of Pompeii is located in the fields beneath Vesuvius, and it took the biggest hit. Its population was deleted in seconds, and it was buried in hot ash that settled on top of it, covering the city completely and hiding it from the human eye for the next millennia.

The people of Pompeii weren’t just killed but rather petrified. Once you visit Pompeii, you will notice these poor people just frozen in rock and time in the position that they were in when the ash hit. It is a really creepy but also an unbelievable experience. You can see a mother holding a child in her arms, both petrified in stone, a man petrified while running away, and many others.

Even though the incident was horrible, the only upside is that the eruption completely preserved the city. There are aqueducts, water pipes, roads, baths, pools, and even drawings on the wall, which stayed intact for over two millennia. When you look at something that old, you can almost feel like you are there, in the city in its golden age.

The tour of Southern Italy is an unforgettable experience, and I recommend everyone to visit these places at least once in their lifetime as it is something that sticks with a person forever.