Italy - Naples, Sorrento, Pompeii & Amalfi Coast
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Introduction:
the region of Campania is south of Rome on the west coast of Italy.
Naples:
Napoli, the home of pizza
driest month is August, wettest is November & February
July & August are the sunniest & hottest months.
History of Naples:
~5thC BC, Greeks from Cumae established a new city nearby called Neapolis while the original city was named Palaepolis.
Neapolis was a leading commercial centre and its Greek language & customs survived even during the Roman Empire.
328BC: Naples defeated in war against Rome.
90BC: people of Campania become Roman citizens.
79AD, the eruption of Vesuvius destroyed neighbouring Pompeii
350-400AD, Christianity gaining acceptance
500AD, 1st parish church built, now San Giorgio Maggiore.
536AD, after the fall of the Roman Empire & a wave of invasions, the city came under Byzantine influence & went through a period of rebirth.
Norman invaders ruled southern Italy including Naples from 10thC to 1189AD to be succeeded by Angevin (French) and Aragonese (Spanish) dynasties when Naples became a capital.
1139: Neapolitans consign city to Roger II, Norman king of Sicily.
1165: Castel Capuano built.
1224: Frederick founds the University.
1266: Charles I of Anjou makes Naples the capital of the new Angevin kingdom.
1279: construction of Castel Nuovo begins.
1328-33: artist Giotto lived in Naples - see frescoes in Santa Maria di Donnaregina Vecchia
1421: Joan II, the last Angevin sovereign, names Alfonso V of Aragon her heir.
1496: threatened by France & Spain, the king cedes Naples to the French.
15th C was a golden era for Naples but then was succeeded two centuries of oppressive rule by Spain dominated by unjust taxation, the Inquisition, plague, overpopulation & the rebellion of Masaniello.
1503: Naples ceased to be an independent kingdom & becomes a colony of Spain, ruled by a viceroy.
1532-52: 1st modern town plan of Naples put into effect.
1536: Via Toledo opened;
1606-7: Caravaggio in Naples.
1631: eruption of Vesuvius
1647: Masaniello's uprising.
1656: plague kills 1/3rd population.
1688: earthquake damages most of old city.
in 1734, Charles III began the period of Bourbon hegemony which ruled most of the period until 1860. Under Bourbon rule, Naples became a grand and even sophisticated place for those who could afford luxury.
1738: excavations of Herculaneum begin
1806: Napoleon appoints his brother Joseph Bonaparte as king of Naples (until 1808 when replaced by Joachim Murat)
1839: 1st railway in Italy: Naples - Portici
1860: Garibaldi enters city, after plebiscite, Naples becomes part of the newly united Kingdom of Italy.
1884: cholera epidemic further declines the appeal of Naples as a tourist destination who preferred Pompeii or the temples of Paestum as their main attractions.
1940's: city severely damaged by bombardments in WWII was followed by indiscriminate building activity in the 50's & 60's.
top tourist attractions:
Castel Nuovo
Santa Chiara
Museo di Capodimonte
Certosa di San Martino
Mergellina
Castel dell'Ovo
Museo Archeologico Nazionale
Posillipo
Rome to Naples via:
train:
national train system - Leonardo Express train from Fiumicino Airport in Rome to Roma Termini (every 30min and takes 35min, costing € 9.50) then national train to Naples (takes 1.5-2.5hrs depending on train and costs € 22-40)
Naple's Central Station of Garibaldi Square is connected by underground passageways to the lines of the Circumvesuviana, which link directly Naples and Sorrento
air:
Rome airport to Capodichino Airport which is a 50min flight costing about € 200 one way via Alitalia, then bus or hire vehicle from Capodichino Airport direct to Sorrento
arrive in Naples Airport by early afternoon to manage to reach Sorrento easily. If you arrive in Naples very late you should consider traveling to Sorrento the day after.
Pompeii:
50km south of Naples on the coast of the Bay of Naples with Mt Vesuvius as a backdrop looking across the bay.
18km from Pompei.
The closest international and national airport to Sorrento is Capodichino Airport situated in Naples
The closest intercontinental airport is Malpensa Airport in Milan or Fiumicino Airport in Rome.
You can reach Naples by train. There are three main train stations in Naples: Central Station, Mergellina Station, and Campi Flegrei Station
You can reach Sorrento from Rome via either:
Rome to Naples (see under Naples)
Rome to Sorrento direct via bus:
departs Tiburtina Station, Rome every day (6 trips), taking 4 hours to reach Sorrento at Tasso Square.
You can reach Sorrento from Naples via either:
by boat (hydrofoils from Beverello Pier, Naples)
http://www.metrodelmare.com/ costing € 4.50 and takes ~1hr but only 2 trips a day in low season
by local trains or buses:
train (usually every 30min or so and takes ~68min via Pompeii) and bus info: http://www.vesuviana.it, map
links:
Russo Travel agency in Sorrento - day trip in buses such as the famous Amalfi coast drive (8hr return)
accommodation near Hilton Sorrento Palace conference centre:
4 stars:
Via S. Antonio; 10min walk from beach and town centre;
Corso Italia; near train station; 210Euro/n dbl;
Via Nastro Verde; courtesy bus to Hilton conference centre; 120-260Euro/n dbl;
Via degli Aranci; near train station and Piazza Tasso; 190Euro/n dbl;
historic mansion; Via Vittorio Veneto overlooking the beach. 240Euro/n dbl; 315Euro/n dbl for sea view;
3 stars:
Via Capo; 5min walk from Hilton; family-run; ~124Euro/n dbl;
Via Correale along the marina. from 70-110Euro/n dbl.
on the marina; 140Euro/n dbl seaview.
2 stars:
Via Parsano, very close to the Hilton 10min walk; 73Euro/n dbl;