Introduction to Campania and the Amalfi Coast

Campania is in many ways Italy's most memorable and beautiful region. It forms a fertile crescent around the bays of Naples and Sorrento and stretches inland into a landscape of limestone rocks dotted with patches of fertile soil. The geological oddities of Campania include a smoldering and dangerous volcano (famous for having destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum), sulfurous springs that belch steam and smelly gases, and lakes that ancient myths refer to as the gateway to Hades. Its seaside highway is the most beautiful, and probably the most treacherous, in the world, combining danger at every hairpin turn with some of Italy's most reckless drivers. Despite this, Campania is a most captivating region, sought out by native Italians and visitors alike for its combination of earth, sea, and sky. Coupled with this are Europe's densest collection of ancient ruins, each celebrated by classical scholars as among the very best of its kind.

It was off the shores of Campania that Ulysses ordered his crew to tie him to the mast of his ship, ears unstopped, so that he alone would hear the songs of the sirens without throwing himself overboard to sample their pleasures. The ancient Romans dubbed the land "Campania Felix" (pleasant countryside) and constructed hundreds of villas there. In some ways, the beauty of Campania contributed to the decay of the Roman Empire, as emperors, their senators, and their courtiers spent more time pursuing its pleasures and abandoning the cares of Rome's administrative problems. Even today, seafront land here is so desirable that hoteliers have poured their life savings into buildings that are sometimes bizarrely cantilevered above rock-studded cliffs. Despite an abundance of such hotels, they tend to be profitably overbooked in summer.

Although residents of Campania sometimes stridently defend the cuisine, it's not the most renowned in Italy. The region's produce, however, is superb, its wine is heady, and its pizzas are memorable.

Today Campania typifies the conditions that northern Italians label "the problem of the south." Although the inequities are the most pronounced in Naples, the entire region, outside the resorts along the coast, has a lower standard of living and education and higher crime rates, plus less-developed standards of healthcare, than the more affluent north.

When the English say "see Naples and die," they mean the city and the bay, with majestic Vesuvius in the background. When the Germans use the expression, they mean the Amalfi Drive. Indeed, several motorists die each year on the dangerous coastal road, which is too narrow to accommodate the stream of summer traffic, especially the large tour buses that almost sideswipe one another as they try to pass. When driving along the coast, you sometimes find it difficult to concentrate on the road because of the view. The drive, remarked André Gide, "is so beautiful that nothing more beautiful can be seen on this earth." Those of you who've driven Highway 1 along the California coast will have some idea of what to expect on this gorgeous drive (but toss in terrible traffic and aggressive drivers, and make the scenery even more spectacular).

Sorrento and Amalfi are in the vanguard, with the widest range of facilities; Positano has more snob appeal and is popular with artists; Ravello is still the choice of the discriminating few who desire relative seclusion. The gorgeous island of Capri (accessible by ferry from Sorrento or Naples) was known to emperors before international travelers discovered it. But the popularity of the resort-studded Amalfi Coast is a more recent phenomenon. It was discovered by German officers during World War II, and then later by American and English servicemen (Positano was a British rest camp in the last months of the war). When the war was over, many of these servicemen returned, often bringing their families. In time, the fishing villages became major tourism centers, with hotels and restaurants in all price ranges.

In addition to the stunning scenery and the lovely seaside towns, there are some world-class sightseeing attractions -- the haunting ruins of Pompeii and the Greek temples of the ancient city of Paestum are among the highlights of all Italy.