Between the Tyrrhenian Sea, the central Apennines and the neighbouring regions Apulia and Basilicata lies the most populous region of southern Italy. Campania extends across 13,676 square kilometres, has a population of around 5.57 million and concentrates within a relatively small area five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, two gulfs, three inhabited volcanic zones and one of the densest cultural landscapes in Italy. Along the gulfs of Naples and Salerno lie the best-preserved ancient cities in Europe, some of the earliest Greek settlements in Italy and, in the Campi Flegrei, a living supervolcano.
Five provinces, 550 municipalities
The region comprises the Metropolitan City of Naples and four further provinces: Caserta in the north, Benevento and Avellino in the interior, and Salerno in the south. According to ISTAT data at Tuttitalia , Campania has a total of 550 municipalities and, with more than 400 inhabitants per square kilometre, is one of the most densely populated regions in Italy. The regional capital is Naples, with a population of around 905,000 . The topography ranges from the central Apennines across the volcanically shaped coastal plains to the limestone massifs of the Monti Lattari along the Amalfi Coast and the Cilento mountains in the south.
Naples: metropolis on the gulf
Naples stretches from the Vomero hill across Castel dell'Ovo and the historic centre to the port facilities at Molo Beverello. The centro storico is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is home to some of the most significant architectural monuments in southern Italy, including the Duomo, Castel Nuovo, the Palazzo Reale and the Teatro San Carlo. Running through the old town is the perfectly straight alley Spaccanapoli, which divides the historic core in two and passes along Via San Gregorio Armeno, renowned for its nativity scene workshops. Beneath the city, Napoli Sotterranea comprises an extensive network of Greek cisterns, Roman aqueducts and early modern tunnels. Along the gulf, the Lungomare offers views of Vesuvius. Neapolitan pizza has been recognised as an intangible UNESCO cultural heritage since 2017. From the harbour jetties, ferries and hydrofoils operate to Capri, Ischia, Procida, the Aeolian Islands and as far as Palermo.
Vesuvius, Pompeii and Herculaneum
Approximately twelve kilometres east of Naples rises Vesuvius, the only still-active volcano on the Italian mainland. Its eruption in 79 AD, documented by the Roman author Pliny the Younger in two letters to Tacitus, buried the Roman city of Pompeii under several metres of ash and engulfed Herculaneum beneath a pyroclastic flow. Both sites have been jointly protected since 1997, together with Torre Annunziata , as serial World Heritage Site number 829. Pompeii ranks among the most visited open-air museums in Italy, while Herculaneum, thanks to the remarkable preservation afforded by the volcanic deposits, retains even wooden door frames, furniture and, in the Villa dei Papiri , a library of carbonised papyrus scrolls. Vesuvius has been part of the national park of the same name since 1995, with 13 municipalities on its slopes. In the adjoining plain lies the ancient city of Acerra.
Campi Flegrei: Pozzuoli, Baiae, Cumae
To the west of Naples, the Phlegraean Fields represent an entirely different volcanic landscape: a caldera of around 150 square kilometres containing several craters, fumaroles and thermal springs. The phenomenon of bradyseism, the slow rising and sinking of the ground, has been documented here since antiquity. Pozzuoli, known in ancient times as Puteoli, was the most important trading port of the Roman Empire before the construction of Ostia. The Macellum, with its marble columns, still bears the traces of millennia of rising and falling sea levels.
From Pozzuoli ferries operate to Ischia and Procida. In Baiae lie the Roman imperial baths and a partly submerged villa landscape, accessible as an underwater park. Nearby lies the Lago d'Averno, regarded by the Romans as the entrance to the underworld. Cumae, founded in 740 BC, is considered the oldest Greek colony on the Italian mainland and home of the Sibyl. At its western edge rises the Monte Nuovo, which emerged from the ground within just a few days during an eruption in 1538. To the north-east, the Solfatara, an active crater, steams away.
Caserta, Benevento, Avellino
The inland areas beyond the volcanic zone are defined by three provincial capitals. In Caserta stands the Reggia di Caserta, a Baroque royal residence that King Charles III commissioned from 1752 to designs by Luigi Vanvitelli . With 1,200 rooms and a park three kilometres in length, it ranks as one of the most extensive palace complexes in Europe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The complex also includes the silk manufactory and model settlement of San Leucio, where Ferdinand IV introduced a utopian workers' order in the late 18th century, as well as the Acquedotto Carolino, a 38-kilometre aqueduct that continues to supply the complex to this day.
To the north lies Casertavecchia, the medieval predecessor town at an altitude of 400 metres. In the Campanian plain to the south-west stands the Roman amphitheatre Campano, one of the largest surviving examples in Italy. Benevento to the east is one of the oldest cities in the region, renowned for the Arch of Trajan from the 2nd century, the fortress Rocca dei Rettori and the liqueur Strega. Avellino, the centre of the Irpinia, is the heart of Campanian viticulture. Above the town, the pilgrimage church Santuario di Montevergine crowns the hillside at 1,270 metres above sea level.
The Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, Capri and Ischia
To the south of the Sorrento Peninsula, the Amalfi Coast stretches for around 40 kilometres along the Gulf of Salerno. The sheer coastline, with Positano, Furore, Amalfi, Atrani, Minori, Maiori, Cetara and Vietri sul Mare, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. The Strada Statale 163 Amalfitana links the villages along the hillsides. Between Agerola and Positano, the Sentiero degli Dei crosses the higher elevations. Ravello, perched above the coast, is home to the Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone two terraced garden estates overlooking the sea; Villa Rufolo inspired Richard Wagner in 1880 to create the Klingsor Garden in his Parsifal. At the south-western tip of the peninsula lies the marine protected area Punta Campanella. To the north lies the Gulf of Naples with its three inhabited islands: Capri with the Blue Grotto and the Faraglioni, Ischia as the largest island in the Gulf, with thermal springs, volcanic landscapes and six municipalities, and Procida, Italy's Capital of Culture in 2022. Ferries run from Naples and Pozzuoli year-round, and seasonally from Sorrento, Salerno and Amalfi. The south of the region is served by Salerno-Costa d'Amalfiairport.
Cuisine, Wine and Cilento
The Campanian kitchen has produced world-famous specialities. Pizza, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP from the buffalo herds of the plains of Caserta and Salerno, Sfogliatella from Naples, the rum-soaked Babà, the Pastiera napoletana at Easter, Pasta alla Genovese with onions braised for hours, Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, the Colatura di Alici from Cetara, and the Sorrento lemons IGP used for Limoncello are among the best-known representatives. In terms of wine, the DOCG wines of Irpinia take centre stage: Taurasi from the Aglianico grape, Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo.
These are complemented by the wines of the Campi Flegrei and the coastline, including the white Falanghina and the red Piedirosso. In the south of the region lies the national park Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998, together with the Certosa di Padula, the ruined city of Velia and the three Doric temples of Paestum dating from the 6th and 5th centuries BC. The temples are dedicated to Hera, Athena and, in all likelihood, Poseidon. The best time to visit is from April to June and from September to October. Travel from Rome is via the motorway A1 to Naples, from Bari via the A16, by train on the high-speed line Rome-Naples-Salerno, and by plane via Naples Capodichino airport.
