Southern Italy Part 1 – Naples, Pompeii, Vesuvius and Capri

A summer in Italy! In my childhood I was relatively often in Italy. Mostly we went there by car. That was always quite a long trip and on top of that, as a child I was constantly getting motion sickness during long car rides. 

So those were definitely not the most pleasant trips. However, we have always been in northern Italy, but this time I went to southern Italy. I have actually never been there before. 

But it was definitely worth a trip – and this time by plane!

This trip was also quite spontaneous. Quasi last minute we booked our flights and a hotel room in Naples. The suitcase was packed and the trip could start!

Arrived in Naples

Once we landed in Naples, we first took the bus for a short distance. This had then dropped us off directly at the central station of Naples and we could go in the direction of our hotel. 

To be honest: The place around the main station in Naples is really not the nicest. There is quite a lot of garbage in the area and generally there is not really a vacation atmosphere where you could feel comfortable. But train stations are very often not beautiful, but mostly just practical. I know that only too well in Germany.

But when we found our hotel and had a quick look at the rooms and checked in, we could finally head towards the center. 

And guess what we did first? Of course – ate pizza. Well, if there aren’t good pizzas in Italy, there probably aren’t anywhere.

Did you know that Pizza Margherita and Pizza Marinara even come from Naples? These are traditional Neapolitan pizzas and you can definitely taste it. 

Absolutely no comparison to the standard German pizzas. You can tell that just by looking at them: Pizza Margherita is baked here namely still quite traditionally with mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and basil. In addition, the dough is classically much fluffier and airier. I just love it!

By the way, Pizza Marinara is a very simple pizza and even vegan! It consists only of dough, tomato sauce, olive oil and some spices. 

Of course, we also tried them on our trip – and on the hand. For Italy it is relatively typical to be a pizza folded up on the hand.

Pompeii & Vesuvius

The next day we immediately went on our first day trip: To Pompeii! 

Pompeii was an ancient city and has been considered a World Heritage Site since 1997, after it was buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and rediscovered in 1748. Nowadays you can visit the excavations of the ancient city.

Through getyouguide.com we had already booked tickets in Germany for a day trip to Pompeii and Vesuvius. 

In the morning we started directly with the bus, which brought us first to the excavation site of Pompeii. After we had overcome the long queue at the ticket office, we could finally take a look at the ancient city. 

By the way, we visited the city on our own. But you can also book a guide. 

The excavation site is really very interesting and it is quite impressive to see it live. We certainly walked around there for a few hours and looked at everything in detail. Also, the place is quite winding, so you have to be careful not to get lost.

The only drawback: we were there in mid-July and it was incredibly hot that day. In addition, the excavation site hardly offered any shade. This is definitely something to consider if you want to make a day trip to Pompeii in the summer. Be sure to bring hats or other headgear to protect you from the sun. And of course, don’t forget to put on lotion and drink plenty of water!

On the same day we went to the volcano Vesuvius. This is located in close proximity to Pompeii. This makes it very suitable to visit both in one day. 

If you’re walking up Vesuvius, it’s definitely going to be a bit dustier and I would recommend good shoes – I unfortunately only had sandals with me. Climbing Vesuvius takes a while. 

But once you’ve reached the top, you’ll have a great view and can take a close look at the inside of the volcano. By the way, we had no fear that the volcano could erupt!

One Day in Capri

The next day we continued directly with a trip to the island of Capri, because there was of course no time to lose. From Naples, a trip to the island is perfect, because you can take the ferry directly to Capri. 

The ride takes just under an hour and the prices are also quite affordable. We bought our tickets directly on the spot in Naples.

Capri is really a beautiful island, probably one of my favorite so far. I love the atmosphere there! 

The island is quite small, but also quite beautiful. When you arrive on Capri, you can go up in a kind of gondola and have a beautiful viewpoint. There you can overlook the island and the sea. The perfect photo spot! 

Capri is also known for its delicious ice cream. If you are ever on site, then I recommend the “Gelateria Buonocore”, a very popular ice cream parlor on Capri, which even prepare their waffles fresh. The ice cream tastes just heavenly.

As beautiful as Capri is, it is unfortunately also expensive. We noticed that only too well, because we looked for a seat in one of the cafes during the day and were a little surprised afterwards when we got the bill. An Aperol Spritz for 12 euros, which one then treats himself rather only once in a while.

Capri also has a small beach, but more stone beach. I’m more of a fan of a sandy beach, unfortunately. Nevertheless, we rested here for a few hours and spontaneously sunbathed on our towels.

Conclusion of the Trip

Naples is really super suitable for touring many different places in Italy. It is close to several Italian islands and some other extraordinary places in Italy that you should definitely see. 

But our trip to Italy was not over yet! How it went on, you will learn in the next blogpost.