Things to do in South Of Naples
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Pizzeria Da Franco
More deli than pizzeria, with hams hanging from the ceiling and bottles of olive oil squeezed onto the shelves, this hugely popular place does the best pizza in town. Served on a metal tray with plastic cutlery, the house speciality comes with tomato, mozzarella, rocket and Parmesan. Expect queues most summer nights.
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La Stalla
Go up the grand staircase to the large, open-air terrace covered by bamboo awnings and flanked by an orchard of lemon and orange trees. Here a small army of waiters works tirelessly, serving pastas and pizzas, meats and fish. The pastas are fine but it's the wood-fired pizzas that stand out.
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Mondo Bio
Flying the banner for organic vegetarian food, this bright shop-cum-restaurant serves a limited range of meat-free dishes. The menu, chalked up outside, changes daily but might include zuppa di soia verde (soybean soup) and polpette di tofu (tofu balls).
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MAV
On the main street linking the ruins and the train station, child-friendly MAV is a new virtual-reality archaeology museum bringing the region’s ruins back to life through holograms and computer-generated video.
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Basilica di Santa Chiara
Vast, Gothic and cleverly deceptive, this mighty basilica is actually a 20th-century re-creation of Gagliardo Primario’s 14th-century original. Commissioned by Robert of Anjou for his wife Sancia di Maiorca, the hulking complex was built to house 200 monks and the tombs of the Angevin royal family. Dissed as a ‘stable’ by Robert’s ungrateful son Charles of Anjou, it received a luscious baroque makeover by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro, Gaetano Buonocore and Giovanni Del Gaizo four centuries later, before taking a direct hit during an Allied air raid on 4 August 1943. Features that survived the fire include part of a 14th-century fresco to the left of the main door and a chapel…
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Villa dei Misteri
On Via Consolare takes you out of the town through Porta Ercolano. Continue past Villa di Diomede, turn right, and you'll come to the Villa dei Misteri, one of the most complete structures left standing in Pompeii. The Dionysiac Frieze, the most important fresco still on site, spans the walls of the large dining room. One of the largest paintings from the ancient world, it depicts the initiation of a bride-to-be into the cult of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine.
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Santuario della Madonna del Rosario
Dominating modern Pompeii's centre, the Santuario della Madonna del Rosario was consecrated in 1891, some 15 years after the miracle that guaranteed its fame. In 1876 a young girl was cured of epilepsy after praying in front of the painting Virgin of the Rosary with Child, above the main altar. News spread rapidly and to this day the painting is the subject of popular devotion.
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President
Dripping chandeliers meet culinary brilliance at this charming restaurant in modern Pompeii. Here, local produce is celebrated in creations like aubergine millefoglie (flaky puff pastry) with Cetara anchovies, mozzarella filante (melted mozzarella) and grated tarallo (savoury almond biscuit). The degustation menus (€40 to €70) are a gourmand’s delight.
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Chiesa di San Francesco
One of Sorrento’s most beautiful spaces, the medieval cloisters of the Chiesa di San Francesco are well worth a look. A harmonious marriage of architectural styles – two sides are lined with 14th-century crossed arches, the other two with round arches supported by octagonal pillars – they are often used to host exhibitions and summer concerts.
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Casa del Fauno
Turn into Via Stabiana to see some of Pompeii's grandest houses. Turn left into Via della Fortuna for the Casa del Fauno, Pompeii's largest private house. Named after the small bronze statue in the impluvium (rain tank), it was here that early excavators found Pompeii's greatest mosaics, most of which are now in Naples' Museo Archeologico Nazionale.
reviewed
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Teatro Tasso
Head to Teatro Tasso for a good old sing-along. The southern Italian equivalent of a cockney music hall, it’s home to the Sorrento Musical (€28), a sentimental revue of Neapolitan classics such as ‘O Sole Mio’. The 75-minute performances start at 9.30pm every evening from Monday to Saturday from March to October.
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City Sightseeing Sorrento
City Sightseeing Sorrento runs a hop-on, hop-off bus tour of Sorrento and the surrounding area. Daily departures are at 9.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm from Piazza De Curtis (Circumvesuviana station). English-language commentaries are provided, and tickets, available on board, are valid for six hours.
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Ruins of Pompeii
Nothing piques human curiosity like a mass catastrophe and few beat the ruins of Pompeii. A once-thriving Roman town frozen in its 2000-year-old death throes and conserved under a sea of volcanic pumice, Pompeii (Pompei in Italian) is a stark reminder of the malign forces that lie deep inside Vesuvius.
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Bollicine
An unpretentious wine bar with a dark wooden interior and boxes of bottles littered around the place. The wine list includes all the big Italian names and a selection of local labels –the amiable bartender will happily advise you. There’s also a small menu of panini, bruschetta and a pasta dish or two.
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Duomo
On Corso Italia, the gleaming white facade of the Duomo gives no hint of its inner exuberance. Of particular note are the marblebishop’s throne and the beautiful wooden choir stalls. Outside, the triple-tiered bell tower rests on an archway into which three classical columns have been set.
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Da Emilia
One of a clutter of eateries along the Marina Grande seafront, Da Emilia is the archetypal family-run trattoria. It's welcoming and laid-back, and serves an uncomplicated menu of seafood classics - pasta with mussels and clams, fried squid and grilled fish. The food is delicious and the portions are huge.
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In Bufalito
A brilliant Slow Food mozzarella bar-restaurant. Head here for sterling local produce – think Sorrento-style cheese fondue, buffalo meat carpaccio and salsiccia (local sausage) with broccoli. There’s regular cheese tastings, along with photography and art exhibitions and occasional live music.
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Ristorante Il Buco
Hardly the hole its name suggests, this Michelin-starred restaurant is housed in a former monks’ wine cellar. The emphasis is on innovative regional cooking, so expect modern combos such as pasta with rock-fish sauce or treccia (local cheese) and prawns. Reservations recommended.
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Cathedral
The gleaming white facade of the cathedral gives no hint of the exuberance housed within. There's a particularly striking Crucifixion above the main altar. The triple-tiered bell tower rests on an archway into which three classical columns and a number of other fragments have been set.
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Terme Stabiane
On Via dell'Abbondanza, the Terme Stabiane is a typical 2nd-century-BC bath complex. Entering from the vestibule, bathers would stop off in the vaulted apodyterium (changing room) before passing through to the tepidarium (warm room) and caldarium (hot room).
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Cast
You'll almost certainly be approached by a guide outside the scavi ticket office. Authorised guides wear identification tags and belong to one of five cooperatives like Cast. The official price for a two-hour tour, whether you're alone or in a group, is around €100.
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Ristorante Sant'Antonio
Running the gamut from pizzas through pastas and risottos to meats, fish, salads and crepes, the menu here is the longest in town. If you don't fancy scrolling through the whole thing, the steak is excellent and the profiteroles come in a luxurious chocolate sauce.
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Lupanare
From the market follow Via degli Augustali until Vicolo del Lupanare. Halfway down this narrow alley is the Lupanare, the city's only dedicated brothel. A tiny two-storey building with five rooms on each floor, it's lined with some of Pompeii's raunchiest frescoes.
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Angelina Lauro
It might look like a college canteen, but this place hits the spot for a filling, inexpensive lunch. Grab a tray and choose from the daily selection of pastas, meats and vegetable side dishes. You can order à la carte too, but it’s pricier and not as good.
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Bagni Regina Giovanna
Bagni Regina Giovanna is a rocky beach set among the ruins of the Roman Villa Pollio Felix, and the best place for swimming near town. It is possible to walk there (follow Via Capo west for about 2km) but it's quicker to get the SITA bus for Massalubrense.
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