Teatro di San Carlo is one of the most beautiful opera houses in Italy. Even if you're not an opera…read morefan, you should come for the quintessential Italian experience.

This is a must. period. While vacationing in Rome, I took a side trip to Naples and this was one of…read moremy must see sites. I wasn't here long, at all, but husband and I dropped in early afternoon to queue and buy tickets for a tour. We enjoyed it very much. If we had more time and stayed in the area, we would've tried to catch a show, but this was the next best thing and it was great. If you have time and can't catch a show, this is the next best thing. The tour guide was passionate and told us stories about the theater. There was plenty of time to take pictures as well.

We stopped here on our Culinary Secrets of Backstreet Street Naples tour but couldn't go inside…read more  The exterior looks great, and I imagine the same can be said about the interior as well.

Designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, the roof of this venue forms a sinuous wave melding…read moreseamlessly into the mountainside. This performing arts center opened in 2010, an example of the Niemeyer's trademark architectural approach, incorporating futuristic fluid curves that fit harmoniously into the existing landscape. The auditorium isn't large, seating only 400, however the tall, rounded window panes bring in the scenic feel, and the curved ceiling organically envelops the tiered seating and main floor/stage. Aside from music concerts, they host theater productions, conferences and on weekends movies for the local community. The rectangular cement terrace adjacent to the auditorium boasts stupendous views of the coastline below and mountains to the east. On a sunny April weekday in the late afternoon, this was a well-spent 10 minutes appreciating the breathtaking view paired with the modern architecture of auditorium.

While visiting Napoli during our Mediterranean cruise we made sure to visit Pompeii…read more U enter the park with your group & then u processed to walk around the entire area, this place is unreal to think this area was once inhabited by people seems so crazy. As u walk through the streets & ruins it feels almost unreal seeing how well preserved a lot of the structures & streets are is pretty cool. Seeing so much of this ancient city is fascinating, not a lot of the preserved bodies on display as I recall I think those are elsewhere, we saw 1-2 such an odd thing to see. The park is very well kept u can see Mount Vesuvius in the distance, this adds such an unreal factor, overall this was a very humbling & educational experience.

Since this is essentially a secondary listing for "Pompeii Ruins" on Yelp, just adding a few more…read morenotes here that I didn't include in my main review. Highlights for me were: 1) the Forum: on the south western side of the park, past the Temple of Venus which is fairly close to the entrance by Porta Marina. This was the main public square and socio-economic center for the city with many different government, religious and commercial buildings set around it. Some of the important ruins include the Basilica, the court of law and business center, and the Macellum, a covered food market and marketplace. Temples of Jupiter and Apollo served religious functions. 2) the bath houses: there are a few different locations Terme Stabiane, Terme del Foro, Terme Suburbane--though I went to the Forum location, was really impressed by how well laid out and preserved this building was. 3) thermopoliums: plural because around 80 different locations were found within Pompeii. These are the equivalent of street food vendors where the working class would procure hot food to go, since the majority of Pompeii's 10-35K residents at the time of its destruction in 79 AD didn't live in villas, rather in multistory buildings without kitchens, hence depended on these for sustenance. These L-shaped marble counters held terracotta jars of hot and cold food, such as stews, meats, and spiced wine. 4) "suburban" Villa di Diomede and Villa dei Misteri which require a separate fee of €8 payable in cash or card at the gate to that section of the park, if it's not already included in your particular combo ticket. These two villas underwent multiple restorations and haven't always been open to the public. Both are examples of larger, grand residences with more complex layouts, the latter housing famous colorful frescos depicting rituals related to an esoteric cult of Dionysus. 5) necropolises: a few different locations around the outskirts of the town, it was fascinating to see how ancient traditions of mausoleums carry into current conventions. 6) interesting signage: while I don't read Latin, from the translations I read about pertaining to some of the sites, they certainly got their point across. I chuckled at the mosaic with Latin phrase "Cave Canem" literally "beware of the dog" showing a snarling black dog, placed at the entrance of one of the domiciles. Side note there is restoration and excavation work ongoing at different sites within the park, so not every building is open to the public. Even some structures that were open within the past several months like the House of Menander and Lupanare di Pompei (Pompeii's brothel) were not open.

Exactly what you would expect of a theater in Napoli-grumpy staff, poor ventilation, dusty red…read morevelvet. Good acoustics. Stage looked like that of an old theatre but had an ugly metal barrier that felt very out of place at a seated venue. Box office people were really mean and made fun of my poor Italian grammar. The gig I saw here was fantastic and had great energy, which made up for the venue being less than lovely. Located near the main square (Plebiscito), which is also convenient, because by the end of a concert here you will be so overheated/dehydrated that you'll want to dump an Italian ice on your face.

Mid-sized theatre that's kind of pretty, but looks a bit dated without looking classic. The sound…read moreis superb, at least for a rock band... very thick and transparent. Excellent speaker placement, both aurally and visually. Everyone standing at the front of the stage had a great view. Most of the staff I interacted with here were pretty nice, especially the older guy at the cash register downstairs. And here's what I didn't like... Bad air conditioning. It was uncomfortably hot in the audience, even in the front row... I imagine it was much worse for people deeper in the crowd, surrounded by the body heat of other audience-members. And they don't take credit card... Or at least they weren't last night. The whole system to buy drinks was annoying to me... Go to the basement... Go to a cashier... Buy a ticket... Bring the ticket to the bar. But the cashier was really nice.

Many destinations along the Amalfi Coast stand out for their incredible panoramic views of the…read moremountains and Mediterranean Sea. In Ravello, there are two better-known villas touting scenic eye candy worth checking out (with many other more or lesser known viewpoints)--Villa Cimbrione and Villa Rufolo. The latter takes its name from the wealthy merchant family that built this domicile in the 13th century. In the 14th century, banquets were hosted here for King Robert II of Naples and other Norman royalty. It was even written up in a story by Italian Renaissance author Boccaccio in "Decameron," published in 1353. In 1851, Sir Francis Neville Reid, a Scottish botanist and philanthropist, visited the villa in a state of deterioration and neglect, purchased it and renovated what was remaining of the property and gardens. Famously German composer Richard Wagner visited in 1880 and was so inspired he remained in Ravello to complete the second act of "Parsifal," an opera that had been in work for two decades. Today this villa is a historic landmark and cultural center, hosting musical concerts, open to the public for €8 regular admission, €6 discounted, tickets available at the entrance. There is a Moorish-inspired smaller tower and a taller bell tower from which you can climb to the roof to take in the views from behind a glass barrier.* The staircase inside this bell tower stands out in its criss-crossing design for stairs going up and down--reminiscent of MC Escher's lithographs showing impossible perspectives. From terraces and gardens outdoors behind the villa you can also catch sight of the hillside and coastline. While I was there in April, the gardens were in transition, they had various signs posted that apologized for the bare appearance due to recent storms. To me they still looked nice and I appreciated that they were so conscientious with upkeep! Wandering around you can spend anywhere from 30 min to 1.5 hours here. It's conveniently located next to the main town piazza and close walking distance to local restaurants and businesses. For more info: https://www.ravello.com/attractions/villa-rufolo/ *and from which I tried very carefully to hold my phone above--and not plummet it into the hundreds of feet below--when taking videos.

Villa Rufolo was one of the main things I wanted to see during our visit to Ravello…read more We took a shuttle up to Ravello, but unfortunately, the shuttle was ridiculously late, which meant Villa Rufolo ended up being the main/only thing we had time for. Thankfully, it's a very easy stop to get to. From the bus/shuttle drop-off point, it's only a short walk. Located high above the Amalfi Coast, Villa Rufolo dates back to the 13th century and was built by the wealthy Rufolo family, one of Ravello's most influential families at the time. Today, it's one of Ravello's most popular attractions, largely because of that incredible combination of history, architecture, gardens and the incredible views. The villa sits high in the mountains overlooking the Amalfi Coast, and there are so many different vantage points throughout the property where you can stop and take in the scenery. There are so many postcard-worthy views of the coastline, mountains and sea below. I will say, I was expecting a little more in terms of flowers and blooms. I'm not sure if it was because we were visiting at the beginning of summer, but the gardens weren't quite as lush and colorful as I had imagined. There was also some construction happening of a stage during our visit that unfortunately obstructed the main viewpoint I had really been looking forward to seeing. I thought it was pretty unsightly and took away from the experience, but construction happens--and there's always *something* being worked. I also took a quick peek inside the villa itself. From what I was able to see, it was lovely, and you can step out onto the balcony that overlooks some of the gardens. Overall, Villa Rufolo is a relatively quick and easy visit, which makes it especially worthwhile if you're short on time in Ravello. I'm glad we made it here. The views alone are worth the stop, and the setting is truly spectacular.

One of the best experiences I've ever had. We had an archaeologist-led private tour and couldn't…read morehave asked for more. Amazing history, absolutely huge - I didn't understand the scale of Pompeii until we were there. Worth the trip to Napoli to visit Pompeii alone! Spectacular 10/10 highly recommend!!

The Scavi di Pompei is the English name for the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, which is an ancient…read morecity once buried by ash from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. It's one of the most remarkable sites in Italy for visiting, and I would suggest at least make it a half day trip or a minimum three hours visit here.