Piazza Tasso is a lovely square in Sorrento…read more Lucky to stumble across a local festival on our cruise ship tour to Sorrento and Pompeii. Our tour guide was not sure what they were celebrating. Take time to check out the beautiful baroque yellow church and everything Limoncello while you are in the neighborhood. The lemons in Sorrento are enormous and the geography reflects their impact. Limoncello granitas. Lemon pasta. Lemon biscotti. Lemons on everything from dish towels, baskets and bags to headbands. My sister-in-law even bought a pair of swim shorts that were covered with a large lemons in the pattern. Nice for a short stop while exploring Sorrento. Tip: There is a bathroom next to the church. It takes one euro each.

This is a great square in the center of Sorrento which have a bunch of great shops around it, great…read moreplaces to eat, and their Main Street which, for the most part, is closed to all car traffic except for security and business support. The smaller walking streets around it are pretty cool too for all kinds of things and souvenirs if they are desired. There are some great places for coffee too. The square can get pretty busy with cruise ships coming in and out of Naples and Sorrento so if you like it a little less crowded, get there early or in the off season.

Big square used for events to hold a lot of people. The architecture is simply lovely and detailed…read more I only walked outside of it. It sits on a large square for events if needed

Naple's most iconic square is framed by Prefettura di Napoli a government office on the north, on…read morethe south by Palazzo Salerno (Sede del Comando Territoriale Sud - currently military offices), by the royal palace on the east, and Basilica of San Francesco di Paola to the west. The last two are open for visitors and pretty quiet on an April evening. The port area and waterfront public park Giardini del Molosiglio are nearby within walking distance to the southeast. As magnificent and grand as these surrounding buildings and others nearby are, this piazza also very much a piece of the local cloth. Where school groups and tourists frequent during the day, is open space in the evening for kids riding bikes and playing soccer, for families taking walks with strollers and dogs. While I was there it was fun to see a group of students singing along to a couple musicians on a guitar and mic, a few kids flying kites, the sun setting to the west casting a warm glow onto the structures in the square. Fun facts: - named after a plebiscite (aka referendum or survey) which united Naples with the rest of Italy. - Joachim Murat, bro-in-law of Napoleon had planned to dedicate the square to the emperor though when the Bourbon rulers were restored to the throne plans changed. Hence today the two statues in from of the church are Bourbon kings Charles III and his son Ferdinand I. They also instructed the completion of the neoclassical basilica along this square. - there's a local game/tradition of attempting to cross the square blindfolded starting from the center of the main entrance of the royal palace with the goal of walking directly in the middle of the two statues. Legend is that it's an impossible feat, due to the irregular shape of the square, uneven cobblestones and slight slope. - the square became a parking lot in 1963 to deal with the overflow of cars in the city, then reconfigured back to pedestrian only in 1994.

Opulent, over the top, grandiose, extravagant... These…read morewords don't do justice to all I saw today. With 280+ acres this place is 5 stories tall and over: 1.48 MILLION SQ FT, 1200 rooms, 1000 fireplaces, 1700 windows!!! The backyard is just as lavish as the inside of the home; I've never seen a residence like this. As I write this I'm still at a loss for words at the sheer scale of the property. We spent 5 hours here and logged over 10 miles walked! If you have the chance it's worth doing, especially if you like history, architecture or just getting your steps in with unique things to see.

This is a stunning place with amazing grounds and gardens! Unfortunately, the inside was closed,…read morehowever, the gardens are lovely, and it's also nice to pay 10 Euros per person for a golf cart to take your party up and down the hill to see all the gardens without having to walk uphill in the heat.

POMPEII. Sprawling at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, this…read moreancient city's almost instantaneous downfall has for centuries become engrained in historical texts on western civilization. Archaeological excavations, groundbreaking discoveries, romantic idealizations, movie storylines have all lent to a heightened air of mystique surrounding this locale. Some logistical tips: I) Arriving from Naples: -- A) via public transit fastest is the local EAV commuter train Circumvesuviana from Porto Nolana, the 1st stop, or Napoli Centrale, the 2nd stop. Buy tickets the day of at the train station at ticket machines, for one way €3, round trip €6. A regular Trenitalia train is possible though these stop in the city center of modern Pompeii, east of the archaeological park, walkable in about 10 minutes to the eastern entrance though much less convenient. Check the schedule online; times don't always follow GMaps. I tried to get on the wrong train and the train platform staff directed me to the correct platform for a later departure. Trains get extremely crowded so don't expect seats for the 35 minute duration unless you get on at the first stop. --B) by bus, via a couple types of buses; both bus stops aren't the easiest to locate if taking it one-way. ----1) local EAV buses (#5000 and 5020) run from Napoli Centrale and other stops in Naples' vicinity to bus stop a block south of the Piazza Esedra/Piazza Porta Marina entrance on local route SS18 to the Pompeii Archeological Park. Tickets need to be purchased in advance on the app, at a bus/train station, or on the bus using exact change. They will not stop if full. ----2) by private bus: ie. Flixbus etc. I booked Flixbus online back to Naples since I heard about an EAV train workers strike the afternoon I visited, €15.95 one-way and departed directly on the side of the road (Via Villa dei Misteri) opposite the Scavi di Pompeii train station. What wasn't clear is that when you exit the park, it's via the Piazza Esedra exit so you have to walk back toward the other entrance. Also Flixbus uses affiliates so read your ticket carefully for alternative bus company names, bc you won't see a Flixbus logo. Trip took about 1.5 hours as they stopped multiple places but it was more comfortable than the train. --C) driving: probably the easiest though depends on where you're parking as the lot is very large and it can be up to a 10-12 minute walk to the Scavi di Pompeii entrance. 2) Tickets start at €20, booked in person or online by time slot. Definitely book in advance unless you have a museum pass of some sort (like a Naples Pass), then you can't book online and must queue at the ticket office which opens at 9am*. I arrived at 9:15-20am and waited for about 20min, with about 30ish people in front of me. There are bathrooms at the ticket office, one of a few locations on site. Headed straight into the park once procuring my ticket.** Tickets to the "suburban" Villa di Diomede and Villa dei Misteri are 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 combo ticket. It's not included in the regular Naples Pass access. Storage lockers are available for a fee. There's a bag size limit per their website but I did not see this being enforced. FINALLY...getting to the site itself. WOW. There is a lot to see. Barely doable in 4 hours at a brisk pace if you know where you're headed, though 5-6 hours be ideal and certainly you could spend a full day. An audio guide or tour guide is recommended though I bookmarked about two dozen individual sites on Gmaps in advance and used this the day of to guide my itinerary. Cell service can be spotty so download the map on your phone if you can. There are minimal bathroom and food/drink facilities on site, and you cannot leave and come back, so recommend bringing enough water and snacks. Reading various threads online, there's a lot of hyping up the size, I think a) bc there's a huge variety of visitors w/a range of travel experience and fitness, b) the streets are all large stone hewn blocks so it's harder than walking on a paved road. For sense of comparison, the site is about 1/5 the area of Central Park. With so many buildings to check out, I can see how exploring inside with crowds adds to the time it takes to get around. What's terrific is there are a lot of placards w/ info on individual dwellings or structures. Many have QR codes if you have decent reception. There are a couple formal museums, at the Palastre Grand and the Antiquarium. The two suburban villas north of the main site were a further walk though worth it imho, being restored relatively recently, the Villa dei Misteri with brilliantly colored frescos related to an esoteric cult of Dionysus. *Sneakily they don't mention this on the Naples Pass website or app...had to do some Reddit searches to figure this out. **20K visitor limit per day, 15K in 1st half, 5K 2nd half, but they never max out.

Great site to visit (been to many other ruins that were underwhelming)…read more Our tour guide was pretty good. He was funny but a bit hard to understand sometimes. This admission was part of a combo tour including a trip up the volcano plus lunch. The condition was rather impressive. Some buildings were in great shape. As your outside it is hard to imagine you would have been 20 some feet under ground (ash) a hundred years or more ago before they excavated. Plus they have unearthed only about 30% of the city. Many amazing relics & sad displays of humanity to see here. Worth the time to visit this ancient site.

Very imposing and impressive structure, not well known in the expat community. At the base on the…read moreeast side, there is some parking next to what I think is a monument commemorating the struggles associated with unification (but not sure). From this location you will be able to assess the scale of the design as you can climb into some of the arches closest to the ground. On the west side there is a local switch-back road that will lead you to the entrance to the top of the aqueduct. If you have a small car (A or B class) you can drive off the main road right up to the gate. There is a small olive grove where people have parked their cars and turned around. May be private property so be careful. The gate is normally opened and you can freely walk across the span. We did not as we had some items in the car that we did not want to leave. Great views of the valley in both direction from the to of the span. This is now on our list of sites to take visitors.

Lovely abbey located on the top of a peak in the Frosinone province. If you're looking to see…read morelesser known attractions on your trip to Italy perhaps put this on your list. The abbey has a long and storied history, amd in recent memory served as a major battleground in World War 2. The area serves as a memorial for the battle of monte cassino and there is a sombering polish cemetery nearby. The drive up to the abbey might make you a tad carsick with its hair pin turns but the view at the top is stunning. Also, prior to going check the hours online. We got there mid-morning on a thursday and didnt have time to explore more of the abbey because it closed at 12:30. The abbey does have a nice souvenir shop and it also has a museum which i didnt see because it had already closed.

Absolutely heavenly place. Give yourself some time to explore the monastery. There is great…read morebeauty and holiness throughout. I was blessed to ask to celebrate Vespers with the monks. I guess I was acting monkish today. I was deeply grateful.

Anfiteatro Romano is one of the most ancient Roman amphitheater of ancient Rome and a remarkable…read morehistorical importance. In fact, there are no underlying structures. It was good to learn the history and such a beautiful experience. In addition to the amphitheater in Avella you can also visit the Roman Tombs and the Norman castle.

Intriguing architectural facade for appreciation if you're in the neighborhood!…read more Commissioned by Nicola Moscati, marquis of Poppano in 1738, the Rococo design is attributed to Ferdinando Sanfelice, who connected two existing palazzo buildings with an imaginatively devised double staircase, also used in other buildings by the same architect. This was referred to as "falcon's wings" due to the curving arched outline of the ascending staircases on either side of an octagonal base. In the 19th century the lower apartments of the building were purchased by businessman Tommaso Atienza, nicknamed lo Spagnolo (the Spaniard), hence the building's current name. This is quick walk-by situation, neither the building nor stairs are open to the public. You can walk through the base of the stairs from one side to the other, both sides used as a parking lot currently as of April 2026.