Italy Country Guide - Campania

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With Naples as its capital, Campania is home the world-renowned Amalfi Coast, the ancient tragic city of Pompeii, and the romantic Isle of Capri. It is also the birthplace of the pizza, spaghetti, and buffalo mozzarella.

Along the coast one of Europe's scariest road, will take you to Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Ravello and Vietri.. Or you can take the easy way out and travel there by ferry or hydrofoil, from the same docks that take you to Capri, the spa island of Ischia, and Procida, where the locals go for their holidays.

Few foreigners make it south of Salerno, but those who do can treat themselves to a classic Italian beach vacation: along the cape called Palinuro the water is cleaner and the beaches far nicer than anything on the Amalfi Coast. You can even take in some world-class culture by visiting Paestum to see the oldest, best-preserved and most beautiful Doric temple in existence today.

And if it's really the authentic Italy you're after, just head inland to the provinces of Avellino and Benevento, abandoned a century ago by so many who would go on to become Americans. Park your car in any village at all and you will receive a warm welcome. No matter what kind of blood runs in your veins, you are likely to be invited in for a sip of homemade wine and a look at the family album, including shots of faraway relatives in Buffalo or Melbourne.

Amphitheaters, triumphal arches, villas, bridges and tombs of the Roman Imperial Age are numerous and remarkable. The Paleolithic art is present in Naples and Nocera, while architectural specimens of the Longobard Age can be found in Capua and Benevento. Cathedrals in the Byzantine and Arab-Norman styles are numerous and outstanding. The Royal Palace of Caserta is the most striking expression of Baroque.

The region faces the Tyrrhenian Sea and includes one of the finest coastlines in Italy. The hinterland is essentially mountainous, with irregular massifs broken here and there by valleys and plains. In front of the Gulfs of Naples and Salerno, we can admire marvelous and enchanting islands: Capri, Ischia, Procida.

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