Naples

The straight street that splits the old Greek-Roman city runs past Piazza del Gesu, Santa Chiara, San Domenico Maggiore and the Sansevero Chapel with its Veiled Christ. The Naples food tour walks this axis, and the UNESCO-listed center is where the city's churches, palaces and street life sit side by side.

The street of nativity makers, where family workshops carve and paint presepe figures year round, from the Holy Family to footballers and politicians. It links the Decumano Maggiore to Spaccanapoli and is a natural stop on any walking tour. Buy small; the artisans ship larger pieces home.

Forty meters beneath the center, Napoli Sotterranea runs guided walks through Greek tuff quarries, the Roman aqueduct cisterns and the World War II air-raid shelters, plus the remains of the Greek-Roman theater. Tours in English leave hourly from 10 am to 6 pm, with no reservation needed for small groups. Not for the claustrophobic.

The MANN holds the finest finds from Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae: the mosaics, frescoes, bronzes and everyday objects that were removed from the sites for safekeeping. See it before or after Pompeii and the ruins make far more sense. It sits at the top of the historic center.

The Lungomare runs from Piazza del Plebiscito past Castel dell'Ovo on its islet to Mergellina, with Vesuvius across the water. It is Naples's evening walk, with pizzerias and bars along Via Partenope. Our boat days leave from the port a short stroll away, and the Royal Palace and Teatro San Carlo sit at its start.

Pompeii needs no introduction, but Oplontis at Torre Annunziata, between Naples and Pompeii, is the villa attributed to Poppaea, Nero's wife, with some of the best-preserved frescoes in Campania and almost no crowds. Our archaeologist-led tour from Naples pairs the two with the museum context. Oplontis is closed on Tuesdays.

The only active volcano on mainland Europe, and the reason Pompeii survived. The Great Cone path circles the crater rim with views over the bay, Capri and the Sorrento peninsula. Our Vesuvius tour includes the transfer up to the trailhead at 1,000 meters and the walk to the rim. Bring layers; it is windy at the top.

Procida is the smallest and most colorful island in the bay; Ischia the largest, with thermal springs and a castle on a rock. A boat tour from Naples to Amalfi shows Positano and Amalfi from the water, with swimming stops in coves you cannot reach by road. Both make a full 8-hour day out of Naples.