Campania

Pearl of the Amalfi Coast, vertiginous Positano is scandalously stunning, a picture-perfect composition of pastel-coloured houses tumbling down towards a deep indigo sea. This effortless beauty also informs its skinny, pedestrian streets, lined with chic boutiques for fussy Italian and foreign fashionistas. If fabulous food inspires you more than fine fabrics, swoon over superlative seafood at legendary La Cambusa. Just don’t forget Positano's less-famous neighbour, Praiano, a tranquil corner on this clamorous coast where locals, rather than tourists, fill the piazza benches and bars.

A once-thriving Roman town frozen for all time in its 2000-year-old death throes, the ruins of Pompeii are a haunting reminder of Mother Nature's merciless force and the fleeting nature of life itself. Wander Roman streets, the column-lined forum, the city brothel, the 5000-seat theatre and the richly frescoed Villa dei Misteri and ponder Pliny the Younger’s terrifying account of the tragedy: ‘Darkness came on again, again ashes, thick and heavy. We got up repeatedly to shake these off; otherwise we would have been buried and crushed by the weight.'

The charms of the Amalfi Coast stretch way beyond the glittering baubles of the coastal towns. Venture inland and you find meandering footpaths that, prior to 1840, were the only way people got around on dry land. Orange groves, pine trees, wild orchids and crumbling ruins flank the trails amid landscapes that shift and change according to the light and time of year. Yet one thing remains constant: the breathtaking coastal views. If you are seeking something suitably divine, succumb to the Sentiero degli Dei, the 'Path of the Gods'.

Capri’s craggy coast is studded with more than a dozen sea caves, most accessible and spectacular, but none as justifiably famous as the Grotta Azzurra (Blue Grotto). Charted since antiquity, the cave is rendered especially ethereal by its iridescent blue light. What's the secret, you ask? It's all in the refraction of sunlight through the water, reflected off shimmering white sand. The result is an electric-blue marvel that Walt Disney could only dream of. Accessing the cave is an experience in itself: on a little wooden rowboat complete with singing captain.

Lofty Ravello exudes a tantalising sense of beauty, idle luxury and the past, its illustrious legion of fans including Virginia Woolf and Truman Capote. Perched above the Amalfi Coast, the town bristles with sumptuous churches, palaces and villas. Among the latter is Villa Rufolo, its romantic gardens famously inspiring the German composer Richard Wagner. In commemoration, a summer festival of classical music is held on its terrace, a fabulous event best booked ahead. Lyrical connections aside, Ravello's setting is sublime, framed by lush countryside stippled with citrus and olive groves.

A treasure chest of ancient art and propaganda, Naples' Museo Archeologico Nazionale is one of the world's most important archaeological museums. It's here that you'll find the commanding Toro Farnese (Farnese Bull), the largest sculptural group to have survived from antiquity. The epic piece keeps fine company, from exquisitely detailed mosaics and glassware to vibrant frescoes that once adorned ancient villas. Of course, it just wouldn't be a Roman affair without a little debauchery, waiting for you in the museum's infamous Gabinetto Segreto (Secret Chamber).

It's just as well that Charles IV of Bourbon built big: his mother, Elisabetta Farnese, handed down one serious hoard of art and antiquities. The blue bloods may have gone but the collection remains – a sumptuous feast of commanding canvases and tapestries, elegant sculptures and dainty ceramics, with just a splash of contemporary paintings and installations. Museo di Capodimonte might be one of Italy's less-famous collections, but it's also one of its best, spanning over seven centuries of creativity and showcasing greats including Masaccio, Raphael, Caravaggio and Warhol.

Wind-swept and citrus-scented, tiny Procida serves up a slice of old-school southern-Italian appeal. Faded gelato-hued houses and fishing nets crowd its best-loved village, Marina della Corricella, made famous after its appearance in the classic Italian film Il Postino. Narrow lanes strung with washing beckon strollers to the backstreets, secret swimming spots make for summertime bliss, and a handful of crumbling historic sights add a quiet sense of mystery and melancholy. You may well eat some of the best fish of your trip here, caught fresh and best paired with the island's iconic insalata di limone (lemon salad).

Predating Rome's Colosseum by half a millennium, Paestum is an enduring testament to the power and influence of ancient Greece. To its Hellenic founders, this was Poseidonia, a thriving Mediterranean city. Today, it's one of Italy's most fascinating (and underrated) World-Heritage wonders, home to iconic Doric temples, extraordinarily well-preserved city walls, and a museum laden with precious archaeological finds. Among these is the fabled Tomba del tuffatore (Tomb of the Diver), a fresco as poignant now as it was when executed in the 5th century BC.

Guilty of destroying Pompeii and Herculaneum in AD 79, Mt Vesuvius looms over the Bay of Naples like a deceptively graceful beast. Though well behaved since 1944, it remains mainland Europe's only active volcano, soaring a lofty 1281m above three million Neapolitans. Its slopes are part of the Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio, a national park laced with bucolic nature trails. For the ultimate high, however, head to the summit, where you can peer into its eerily silent mouth and scan the land from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Apennine Mountains.