Southern Italy is beautiful with so many cities you can visit. Here are 5 of my favorite cities.
Small fact: all of these cities are listed in Patricia Schultz’s book, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die.
DISCLAIMER: These are my thoughts and opinions. There may be affiliate links on this page that I may earn commission from at no cost to you. Other than the MLA cited Newsweek article that featured Steinbeck’s quote, this article reflects my original thoughts and opinions.
The Patricia Schultz book, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die was a Christmas gift, and the cities I listed happen to be cities listed in her book, but these are my personal thoughts, and I am in no way endorsed by the author of the Schultz’s book or by the restaurants or resorts listed in this post.
1. Positano
Positano is one of those places that stay with you forever like a safe-kept memory locked away in a treasure box. I would move to Positano in two flutters of a heartbeat. There is something so beautiful about the sweet summer breeze, warm sand beneath your toes and there’s something special about being surrounded by history etched into rocky forested hills.
At Positano, I was felt mindful and truly present. In a world of social validation and news alerts and changes, I felt at peace, as if everything wrong that had ever happened to me was worth getting through to be there at that point in time. I don’t know if it was being awestruck by culture but my mind didn’t wander to the uncertain future, or the blemished past. I just felt alive.
The english graduate in me had to add this, but in a 1953 article in Harper’s Bazaar, John Steinbeck commented,“‘Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone,’” (Newsweek, para. 1).
2. Sorrento
This is one of my favorite cities in Southern Italy and the world! Sorrento was a resort during the Roman Empire era, and I could see why. This seaside town is small, quiet, and absolutely enchanting. I love the seaside cliffs, paved cobblestone, and how this town feels hidden and tucked away from the busy world.
A piece of paradise that seems to get overlooked by the neighboring Amalfi Coast towns.
3. Napoli
Napoli is one of the most iconic cities in Southern Italy, home of Mount Vesuvius and the ruins of Pompeii. It is the birthplace of pizza.
It is rugged and rough, but a sweet kind of wonderful. This citta is the birthplace of PIZZA…which is all it’s chalked up to be and more.
P.S. the espresso is magical.
The city does not look like Rome or Venice or Milan. You won’t see fresh, clean streets, full of touristy shops everywhere you go. You’ll stumble upon them in certain parts, but mostly, you’ll see a new side of Italy–full of graffiti, litter, and cobblestone alleyways–with a sprinkle of little gems.
Among the gems is La Pizzeria da Michele (thought to be the first pizzeria in Napoli and the word) which is in the movie Eat, Pray, Love and Pizzeria Donna Sofia.
You can go to the underground Sotteranea, walk along the harbor where Castel Nuovo stands, visit the Unesco Heritage Site, Pompei (in Italia, they spell it with only 1 “i”), or just stroll by historical structures–such as the Teatro San Carlo (one of the oldest opera houses) or Gran Caffe Gambrinus (where Ernest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde and Jean-Paul Sarte visited!), two wonderful places in Piazza Plebiscito.
4. Capri/Anacapri
If you can make it through the ferry from Napoli to Capri, then do it because the views are wonderful. Capri is an island off the coast of Southern Italy that is full of life, away from the mainland and totally freeing.
You can take a chair lift on Mount Solaro to the top of Anacapri for a view of the island, and there are several grottos around the island, though if the tides aren’t cooperating, you won’t be able to enter.
Capri is known for Grotta Azzurra (the Blue Grotto) but be forewarned, if there are many small boats in the harbor when you arrive to the docks, the grottos will be closed due to tides and weather conditions. They still sell tickets, but they will take you to the front of the grotto on the bigger boat, but that’s where the trip stops because there aren’t small boats to transfer to that can take you into the grotto.
Capri is worth going for the sights and the food.
It’s a party island so the mornings are sleepy and at night, the island comes to life. When you get the main square, the island transforms to a hub of touristy (but cool) shops and stores.
FUN SIDE NOTE: Many designer shops in Capri do exclusive products for Capri, so certain things you get here can’t be found in Milan or Roma shops.
5. Ischia
When we went to Ischia, we went to the resort Giardini Poseidon. There were several thermal pools of varying temperatures to jump into. Freezing cold next to hot pools. A Turkish bath with a steamy sauna. The Mediterranean sea 10 feet away. And amazing massages. At Giardini Poseidon, we had an incredible experience filled with mini adventures as each pool served a purpose.
Works Cited
“POSITANO – ITALY’S IDYLLIC GETAWAY LOVED BY JOHN STEINBECK.” Newsweek, 26 May 2015, www.newsweek.com/positano-italys-idyllic-getaway-loved-by-john-steinbeck-327770. Accessed 8 Sept. 2019.
