Rick Steves - Rick Steves Snapshot Naples & the Amalfi Coast: Including Pompeii

SNAPSHOT

Naples & the Amalfi Coast

This Snapshot guide, excerpted from my guidebook Rick Steves Italy,introduces you to Naples, Pompeii, and the Amalfi Coast. The gritty, historic port city of Naples is arguably Italys wildest urban jungle, with a uniquely vibrant street life. Enjoy a pizza in its birthplace, and explore the citys excellent Archaeological Museum. Then head into the countryside to unearth ancient history at Pompeii and Herculaneum, well-preserved Roman towns in the shadow of the steaming Mt. Vesuvius.

An hour to the south, Sorrento kicks off the gloriously scenic Amalfi Coast, where buses filled with white-knuckle tourists take turns squeezing along an impossibly narrow sea-view road. Relax in stylish Sorrento or hilly Positano, and side-trip to the glitzy Amalfi Town and Ravello, the ancient Greek temples at Paestum, or the jet-set isle of Capri, with its otherworldly Blue Grotto.

To help you have the best trip possible, Ive included the following topics in this book:

Planning Your Time,with advice on how to make the most of your limited time

Orientation,including tourist information (abbreviated as TI), tips on public transportation, local tour options, and helpful hints

Sightswith ratings:

Dont miss

Try hard to see

Worthwhile if you can make it

No ratingWorth knowing about

Sleepingand Eating,with good-value recommendations in every price range

Connections,with tips on trains, buses, and driving

Practicalities, near the end of this book, has information on money, staying connected, hotel reservations, transportation, and more, plus Italian survival phrases.

To travel smartly, read this little book in its entirety before you go. Its my hope that this guide will make your trip more meaningful and rewarding. Traveling like a temporary local, youll get the absolute most out of every mile, minute, and dollar.

Buon viaggio!

Napoli

If you like Italy as far south as Rome, go farther southit gets better. If Italy is getting on your nerves, stop at Rome.