12 of the best things to do in Campania

06.12.2024 - 08:31 / lonelyplanet.com

Dec 5, 2024 • 12 min read

Campania is Italy in a double espresso shot: hot, feisty, passionate, loud, intense and big-hearted. Whether you’re walking in the footsteps of toga-wearing Romans through ancient ruins, clambering up the volcanic crater of smoldering Mt Vesuvius, or feasting on pizza, Caravaggio and street art in Naples, this could well be the Italy of your wildest dreams. All the drama and decadence of Italian life is crammed into this southern region.

As you helter-skelter along the cinematically beautiful coastal roads of the Amalfi Coast, where cliffs drop to pastel-painted villages and the glittering blue Tyrrhenian Sea, and swim in the azure waters of Capri, you’ll gain a deep understanding of la dolce vita. After all, when life gives Campania lemons, it makes limoncello (lemon liqueur). 

Read on for our favorite things to do to get a real flavor of the region. 

Benvenuto (welcome) to the supermodel of the Italian islands. You’ve heard the hype and you can believe it. Off the west coast of the Sorrento Peninsula, Capri is off-the-charts beautiful. With roads rollercoasting down to the bluest-of-blue seas, steep cliffs punching above gold-sand bays, bougainvillea-swathed villas, and yacht harbors as polished as the mega-rich people frequenting them, this island is the classic Italian heart-stealer. 

You’ll find your own magic on these shores, but special moments are bound to include hiking or hopping into the chairlift to 589m-high (1932ft) Monte Solaro for mood-lifting views over the Bay of Naples, roaming through the flowery terraces of Giardini di Augusto in cinematically pretty Capri Town, and swimming among the ruins of a Roman villa at Bagni di Tiberio.

Planning tip: You can easily tack Capri on as a day trip from Naples or, quicker still, by hydrofoil from Sorrento, but you’ll wish you had spent the week. Come in the low season for fewer crowds and less excruciating prices. 

Everyone raves about Athens, but there are rich pickings in Campania, too. Top billing goes to Paestum, a staggering archaeological site harboring three of Europe’s best-preserved ancient Greek temples. Originally called Poseidonia, as an ode to the Greek god of the sea, Paestum was founded by Greek settlers in the 6th-century BCE and fell into Roman hands in 273 BCE.

Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, Paestum is a joy to explore on foot – and a less crowded alternative to Pompeii if you’re craving a shot of history. Go for a wander and rewind back 2500 years in time contemplating the soaring Doric columns of the temples, which include Tempio di Cerere, dedicated to goddess Athena, and the astonishingly well-preserved Tempio di Nettuno, honoring Neptune.

Planning tip: For a primer on history, dip into the museum, which