Planning a Trip

Italy is an easy country to tour, and Campania is a tourist- and family-friendly destination, whatever your traveling style and needs. The bulk of your planning will be focused on prioritizing which destinations you'll visit and which you'll leave for your next Campanian vacation. Remember: The laidback dolce vita reigns here and you don't want to put too much on your plate -- unless it's the local food.

This relaxed culture has the unfortunate (for tourists) side effect that in certain seaside destinations -- in particular Capri and the Amalfi and Cilento coasts -- many low-end hotels and restaurants close for the entire winter (usually Nov-Mar), with the occasional exception for the Christmas and New Year's holidays. This is a mixed blessing, because you'll enjoy this splendid coast without the summer crowds, but your choices of accommodations and entertainment will be reduced.

Before You Leave Home: Tickets & Seats in Advance -- You absolutely need advance reservations for the Capodimonte Museum in Naples (the one museum in Campania where lines are always several hours long because of the many special exhibits) and for special guided tours of Pompeii, but you might want to make reservations for a number of other attractions and events as well. The best place to make reservations is Pierreci (tel. 063-9967050; www.pierreci.it), the official advance reservation service for a number of museums and events in Campania and in Italy. To get tickets for all kinds of events, the best Italy-based operators are TicketOne (tel. 023-92261 for an English-speaking operator; www.ticketone.it); and Viva Ticket (www.vivaticket.it). They have English-language websites where you can make reservations and purchase tickets. U.S.-based companies offering advance tickets for a variety of museums and events in Italy are convenient, but they are usually more expensive and cover only a small selection of monuments and events. The best of these is Culturalitaly.com (tel. 800/380-0014; fax 928/639-0388; www.culturalitaly.com), a Los Angeles-based company that offers seats and reservations for operatic performances in Naples, special guided tours in Pompeii, and even tickets to the famed Festival of Ravello. Most reservations carry a $10 fee, plus the cost of the event.