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Naples |
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Pompeii and Herculaneum |
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Royal Palace (Palazzo Reale), Caserta – In Star
Wars Episode I, the inside of Queen Amidala's palace is really the Royal
Palace at Caserta. The movie was filmed at Caserta for the interior shots
of the palace. This 18th century palace, built by Charles IV (Charles III
of Spain) rivals Versailles in size and luxury – it's bigger. |
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The gardens for the Royal Palace cover a large
area, with forests, ponds, waterfalls and fountains. Look for the castle
that was a playhouse for the princes. If the kids get tired running around
the gardens, hop on the mini-bus that circles the park. |
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Solfatara Volcano (Pozzuoli) – Solfatara Volcano
is a big wide shallow crater, with bubbling mud pools, steaming fumaroles
and yellow and red encrustations from the sulfur. Long a popular spot with
travelers, Solfatara was thought to be the entrance to hell by the Romans.
Famous as a spa since the middle ages, people came to the volcano for the
sulfurous waters. (All the bubbling pools and steam jets are fenced off.) |
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Cave of the Sibyl, Cuma – Cuma (or Cumae) conjures
up stories from Virgil's Aeneid. In the story, the Trojan Aeneas
is instructed by his dead father to stop at Cumae, where Aeneas consults
Sibyl, the oracle of Apollo, in her cave. Looking down the long gallery
in the cave, it's easy to imagine the mysterious Sibyl in the shadows. |
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From Pozzuoli, catch the ferry to island of Ischia,
or Sorrento at the other end of the bay, for a day trip. The port at
Pozzuoli has colorful fishing boatss. The beach at Torregaveta is a long
sandy beach and has good places to swim or the kids can build sand castles. |
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Island of Ischia – Take a scenic boat trip to
Ischia, the largest of the islands in the Bay of Naples. Spend the day relaxing
on the long sandy beaches (Maronti is the longest), or in the thermal
springs. Visit the dramatic Castello d'Ischia, a 14th century
castle in the Spanish style, perched on a rocky promontory overlooking the
sea. |
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Capri – It's a close hop from Naples over to the
island of Capri. Ride the hydrofoil (big hit with kids) or take the ferry. From the Marina Grande, you can take a boat to Blue Grotto,
or ride the funicular (tramway) up to the town of Capri. Walk out
of town for great views or take the local bus between Marina Grande, Capri
and Anacapri. |
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Amalfi Coast – The Amalfi Coast is famous for
its vertiginous cliffs and spectacular scenery. There are good swimming beaches sprinkled up and down the coast. Most charge a fee for access
to the beach. Visit the Emerald Grotto (Grotto dello Smeraldo) –
you take an elevator down to the cavern and a boat ride through the green
waters. Splurge on a submarine ride on the "Tritone" around Capri,
exploring the underwater scenery. |
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Paestum – Paestum is a little bit of ancient Greece
in Italy. Poseidonia was founded by the Greeks in the 6th century BC, later
the Romans called it Paestum. Today Paestum has three lovely Doric temple with fat cigar-shaped columns to run around and lots of open space.
Take a picnic. Paestum is also a beach resort – so spend some
time relaxing at the seaside. |
