Amalfi Coast & Campania

Greek settlers first founded the settlement of Parthenope in the 8th century BC, and in the 6th century BC, further inland, Neapolis, the 'new city'. After a period as a Byzantine Duchy, Naples came under Norman rule in the 12th century. From 1282, it was the capital of the Kingdom of Naples, later of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, until the unification of Italy in 1861.Opened in 1737, the Teatro San Carlo is considered the oldest continuously operating opera house in the world.Among its vibrant traditions are the art of nativity scenes, with workshops lining Via San Gregorio Armeno, the veneration of the city's patron saint San Gennaro, and the art of the Neapolitan pizza maker, which UNESCO recognized as intangible cultural heritage in 2017.

From the 8th century BC, settlements of the Osci lay in the area of Pompeii; later, Greek influences arrived, and the Samnites ruled the city. After Sulla's siege in 89 BC, Pompeii became a Roman colony. An earthquake severely damaged the city in 62 AD, and many buildings were still being rebuilt when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. Estimates for the population at that time range from 10,000 to 20,000.Excavations began in 1748 under Roque Joaquín de Alcubierre, and in 1763, the city was definitively identified as Pompeii. Giuseppe Fiorelli, director of excavations from 1863, developed the method of casting plaster into the cavities left by victims' bodies in the ash. Excavations continue to this day, in recent years, notably in Regio V.Wall paintings, mosaics, and inscriptions make Pompeii one of the most important sources for daily life in Roman antiquity. Many originals are housed in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Sorrento was known as Surrentum in Roman times; the grid of the old town's alleys dates back to this period. In 1544, the poet Torquato Tasso was born here, and in 1558, Ottoman naval forces plundered the city.In the 18th and 19th centuries, many travelers visited Sorrento, including Goethe, Henrik Ibsen, Richard Wagner, and Friedrich Nietzsche. The song "Torna a Surriento", composed in 1894, carried the city's name to the world.A local craft tradition is the art of intarsia, where wooden inlays for furniture and caskets are produced. Examples can be seen in the Museo Correale.

Beneath the parish church, remains of a Roman villa were unearthed, destroyed during the Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD. In the Middle Ages, Positano was a port of the Maritime Republic of Amalfi. In the 19th century, the town became impoverished; after the unification of Italy, many residents emigrated, especially to America.From the 1950s, tourism grew; John Steinbeck's 1953 essay „Positano Bites Deep“ made the town internationally known.

Ravello was founded in the 5th century as a refuge from invasions and belonged to the Duchy of Amalfi from 839. In 1086, the town became an episcopal see. Merchant families like the Rufolo built palaces; Villa Rufolo still exhibits Moorish forms today. In 1137, Ravello was devastated by Pisa and subsequently lost its importance.In the 19th century, the Scotsman Francis Neville Reid had Villa Rufolo restored. In 1880, Richard Wagner visited the villa; its garden is considered the model for Klingsor's Magic Garden in his Parsifal. Later, American writer Gore Vidal, among others, lived here.Since 1953, the Ravello Festival has taken place, which began dedicated to Wagner and today encompasses music, dance, and art.