Rome Naples Capri Amalfiana 7 days

Visit the "Eternal City", the city of Romulus, Pasolini, of Julius Caesar.

Impulsive, chaotic and untamed, the queen of the Italian South loves opera and football with a passion; she exorcises the explosive threat of Vesuvius with religious festivals and amulets, hanging out laundry above the open-air fish markets, and is like no other city in Italy in terms of authenticity.

With its whitewashed stone buildings and tiny, car-free streets, Capri Town feels more film set than real life. A diminutive model of upmarket Mediterranean chic, it’s a pristine mix of luxury hotels, expensive bars, fancy restaurants and designer boutiques. In summer the centre swells with crowds of camera-wielding day trippers and gangs of the glossy rich, but don't be put off from exploring the atmospheric and ancient side streets, where the crowds quickly thin. And the walk west out of town to Villa Jovis shouldn't be missed.

It is hard to grasp that pretty little Amalfi, with its sun-filled piazzas and small beach, was once a maritime superpower with a population of more than 70,000. For one thing, it’s not a big place – you can easily walk from one end to the other in about 20 minutes. For another, there are very few historical buildings of note. The explanation is chilling: most of the old city, and its populace, simply slid into the sea during an earthquake in 1343.

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