There are many ways and reasons to explore Italy. However, this route is not so well known and is full of surprises and beauty. In addition to volcanoes – Vesuvius, Stromboli, and Etna, which remain active – there is also Vulcano itself, or the Aeolian Archipelago that dots the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Along the way, you will pass the Amalfi Coast, possibly the most beautiful in Europe, visit Capri, and make your way to Sicily. The journey can be done in many ways, by land, sea, or air, and you only need to choose the most suitable option. By land, it’s best done on a motorcycle, renting a Vespa, in true Italian style, for instance, from Vespa Enjoy in Naples. This is the ideal way to navigate the winding Italian roads and chaotic traffic. By air, you can book a hot air balloon ride, such as with Yumping, departing from Salerno, offering views of, among other things, the majestic temples of Paestum. There are also opportunities to fly over Mount Etna in a hot air balloon.

However, the best option by far is by sea, choosing a cruise that sails the calm waters of the Mediterranean, such as one offered by CroisiEurope, with ships that hold only 140 passengers, allowing you to get close to volcanoes on islands like Stromboli, and also Lipari, Vulcano, and the other Aeolian Islands. You’ll cross the Strait of Messina to approach Etna in Sicily, enjoy the Amalfi Coast from its best vantage point, or detox in Capri from the chaos of Naples, all while avoiding the hassle of packing and unpacking, with everything included on board: magnificent French cuisine, drinks with meals and at the bar, and excursions on land when necessary.

The best option might be the one offered by CroisiEurope. This cruise, departing and returning to Naples, takes you to worlds of historical and cultural wonders with every stop, exploring the ancient ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, victims of the fury of Vesuvius, and wandering through the picturesque streets of the historic centre of Naples. You will experience an exceptional journey through the Aeolian Islands, a volcanic archipelago that is a UNESCO World Heritage site, where you can admire the impressive landscapes of the islands and coastlines, and view an active volcano like Stromboli up close, watching its permanent glow and occasional eruptions in the dark. You’ll also get a close-up view of the constant fumaroles of Mount Etna in Sicily and, of course, enjoy the genuine charm of the Calabrian town of Tropea, perched on a cliff over the sea, as well as the splendour of the Amalfi Coast, with Salerno, Positano, Ravello, and Amalfi as the main players.

Under The Shadow Of Vesuvius

The route begins, naturally, in Naples, but there’s no need to linger too long in the city. It’s rather dirty and chaotic. It’s worth walking through its crowded streets, daring to enter the popular Quartieri Spagnoli, where clothes are still hung between the houses, and finding a spot to explore its palaces with their delightfully decadent air, the museums filled with treasures, the majestic boulevards despite the litter on their pavements, the Baroque splendour of the San Carlo theatre, the grandeur of its castles, especially Castel dell’Ovo, the mystery of its catacombs and underground passages, and the majestic Vesuvius in the distance overseeing it all.

The Galleria Umberto I is a must-see, as beautiful as Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, located just opposite the San Carlo theatre, the oldest continuously active opera house in the world, inaugurated in 1737, decades before La Scala in Milan and the Teatro La Fenice in Venice. Among the museums, the Museum and Royal Palace of Capodimonte stand out. Created in 1738 by Charles of Bourbon when these lands were Spanish, it houses part of the Farnese collection inherited from his mother, with masterpieces by Titian, Botticelli, Raphael, Bruegel the Elder, Andrea del Sarto, Ribera, Goya, Vasari, and the extraordinary Flagellation of Christ by Caravaggio. The other part of the Farnese collection, along with Roman and Greek sculptures, is housed in the spectacular National Archaeological Museum, one of the most important in the world due to the quality and quantity of its exhibits. It was also established by the Bourbons, and within it, you can admire mosaics, frescoes, and statues from the nearby cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii – small marvels that survived the destructive force of Vesuvius.

To mingle with the locals outside the small trattorias and osterias (nothing like restaurants, as they are called in Italy), where you can enjoy a Pizza Margherita, created in honour of Queen Margherita of Savoy, or Spaghetti alla Puttanesca (which, as the name suggests, were quickly prepared in brothels between clients), and if you’re lucky, drink the rare Lacryma Christi, which uses a variety of grapes found only on the slopes of Vesuvius. Head to the massive Piazza del Plebiscito, where you’ll find the Royal Palace and the Biblioteca Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III, or stroll along Spaccanapoli, in the heart of the historic centre, which divides Naples into two parts and is a UNESCO World Heritage site, home to some of the best monuments and churches in the city.

A Break In The Voluptuous Capri

Before venturing into the sulphurous clouds of the volcanoes and the effects they caused, it’s worth escaping the chaos of Naples for a brief moment of relaxation on the voluptuous island of Capri, less than an hour by boat from Naples. Capri is perfect to explore on foot, wandering among the ruins of villas once owned by Roman emperors and ancient residences of all those who fell in love with the island between the 19th and 20th centuries. Its rugged geology offers countless viewpoints over the sea below, where it dances among caves like the incredible Blue Grotto, and the grand Faraglioni rising from the water. There’s so much to see and enjoy in Capri, but few take the time to head up to Anacapri, the highest part of the island, to see why this place captivated Roman emperors, magnates, and many writers and poets. One of the most famous was Swedish doctor and writer Axel Munthe, who built Villa San Michele (the story of its creation is his main literary work), where he kept statues and relics from Roman times that Munthe found while excavating archaeological sites, not always legally. In addition to his extraordinary collection, he also created a beautiful garden with many of the more than 850 plant species found on the island.

Discovering History Among Ruins

The route of the volcanoes must naturally start with Vesuvius, famous for the destruction it caused in 79 AD, and still considered one of the most dangerous in the world as it remains active, with nearly forty eruptions under its belt, the most recent only 80 years ago, destroying much of the town of San Sebastiano. While the exact date of the eruption is uncertain (24th August – or 24th October, according to most experts), it is thought to have coincided, by chance, with the Vulcanalia, the festival of the Roman God of fire, who must have been angered, as the eruption column, according to experts, reached over 32,000 metres in height and the ash cloud reached a temperature of 850 °C. This ash preserved Pompeii for 1,600 years, covering it with six metres, until, during works to excavate an underground tunnel, some Pompeian frescoes with sexual content were discovered, but due to the medieval rejection of such depictions, they were buried once again. Pompeii was rediscovered in 1748 during the reign of King Charles VII of Naples, more famously known as Charles III of Spain, when excavations were started by the Spanish engineer Roque Joaquín de Alcubierre, born in Zaragoza.

The remains that have been uncovered in Pompeii, and to a lesser extent in Herculaneum, which suffered less, allow us to see what daily life was like in a provincial town of the Roman Empire. In other cities, as they evolved, buildings were constructed over them, but Pompeii remains unchanged. Thus, historians and tourists (entry is limited to 20,000 per day) can admire its numerous frescoes, including some erotic ones found in the brothel, though the best ones are in the Naples Archaeological Museum. In Pompeii and Herculaneum, one can better understand Roman life from two thousand years ago than at the Forum or the Colosseum in Rome. Pompeii has been a source of inspiration for many writers who, like other illustrious travellers, made the ‘Grand Tour’ in the 19th century, expressing their fascination in works by Goethe, Dickens, Stendhal, Galdós, and Blasco Ibáñez.

The Most Beautiful Coast Of Europe

Talking about the Amalfi Coast means exhausting all the good adjectives. In 1878, the Italian Renato Fucini wrote that “for the Amalfians, the Day of Judgement would be just like any other, as they lived in paradise.” The purple of the bougainvilleas and the green and yellow of the lemon trees seem to seek a colour contrast with the deep blue of the Tyrrhenian Sea, and the land that hosts them appears to want to penetrate those waters, like a balcony over the sea, embracing coastal villages and majestic villas. UNESCO declared the Amalfi Coast a World Heritage site in 1997 “for its beauty, natural biodiversity, and the architectural and artistic works that unfold there.” It is not easy to take in all of this at first sight, as the winding road that traces the entire length of the Amalfi Coast, aptly named Nastro Azzuro (Blue Ribbon), and which locals call the Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods), barely offers open viewpoints for spectacular views.

The few that exist are always filled with cars and early-rising tourists.

You must take it easy and, in addition to admiring the panoramas from the steep cliffs above the water, and seeing its tiny bays and terraces planted with vines, olives, and citrus trees, you need to stroll through the narrow and steep streets of each village and sit down to enjoy the views at some small terrace while sipping a cappuccino, a beer, or, most fittingly, a limoncello.

We love Salerno, the largest town on the coast, located just 30 km from the ruins of Pompeii, a former retreat for intellectuals and artists, with its delightful seafront, the medieval Arechi Castle, whose main merit lies in the views it offers of the city and its bay, and a green park with attractive natural paths, immersed in Mediterranean vegetation. In the historic centre, many medieval buildings share space with shops, trattorias, and truly Italian cafés, though crowded with tourists. This is a good place to hire one of the boats that set off to various Amalfi Coast spots or that allow you to admire the privileged coast from the sea.

A Haven For Artists

But to escape the crowds, it’s best to head to the charming fishing village of Cetara, whose name in Latin comes from almadraba. This is the ideal place to taste the tuna caught along this coast, prepared in various dishes, accompanied by colatura di alici, a traditional anchovy sauce with ancient origins. In contrast is nearby Ravello, perched atop cliffs, facing the sea and surrounded by sumptuous mansions and magnificent gardens with viewpoints. Composer Richard Wagner was one of its most devoted visitors, and it is said that he set his opera Parsifal here. Every summer, a classical music festival is held, partly dedicated to the German composer. Tenor Enrico Caruso was also a frequent visitor, and one of the best hotels here bears his name. He wasn’t the only one to fall in love with Ravello. Writers and artists like Virginia Woolf, Paul Valéry, Graham Greene, Joan Miró, André Gide, Tennessee Williams, Rafael Alberti, and Gore Vidal also spent time here.

Naturally, Amalfi deserves a stop on the way, not only because it lends its name to the entire coast, but also for its historical importance. Although today it has only 4,000 inhabitants and several thousand visitors at any time of year, in the 9th century it was one of the four independent republics of Italy, alongside Pisa, Genoa, and Venice, with 70,000 inhabitants. Just a step from the sea lies the artistic Piazza del Duomo, from which a grand staircase ascends to the polychrome facade of the Cathedral of St. Andrew, with its golden portico, the Cloister of Paradise, and a bell tower dating back to 1200.

As in all the cities and villages of the Amalfi Coast, the essential thing is to stroll through its narrow streets that almost touch each other, enjoy the bustle of the terraces, succumb to the temptation of its ice cream shops with a thousand flavours, visit the limoncello stores (which now also make versions with mandarin, orange, peach, grapefruit… and even chocolate) offering all the flavours of southern Italy, and bask in a sun that seems to fall from an immensely blue sky. And for a break, choose one of the many trattorias on Via Lorenzo and discover the town’s signature dishes: scialatielli (a type of pasta similar to spaghetti but wider and shorter) with seafood or tagliolini al limone amalfitano.

The Power Of Stromboli

But this route is about volcanoes, though the Amalfi Coast certainly deserves a brief detour. It is located between the three most important and active volcanoes in Europe: Vesuvius to the north, Etna in the south, in Sicily, and almost directly opposite, Stromboli, perhaps the most beautiful to behold, located in the heart of the Aeolian Islands, which witnessed Homer’s Odyssey and is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, where Greek mythology placed the residence of the god of winds, Aeolus (hence the name of the archipelago), and the forge of Vulcan. Its sight is overwhelming in the middle of the sea, especially at sunset or at night when its summit – or rather, its three summits – glow with red lava, and almost like clockwork, every 20 minutes, it erupts, sending lava down the Sciara del Fuoco to the sea. Perhaps that’s why it is known as the lighthouse of the Tyrrhenian Sea. It’s a unique spectacle from a boat on the water.

Though there are sometimes intense eruptions (the last alert was in July 2024), generally, its flames only produce ash that covers the tables of the terraces while the few tourists who come nearby continue drinking. Very close by is a small island, Strombolicchio, which an ancient legend claims is the plug of Stromboli thrown into the sea, while geologists consider it part of the chimney of a volcano, shattered by the battering of the waves and wind. It is a vertical outcrop capped with a small white lighthouse, now without a keeper, accessible by climbing 200 steps. Jules Verne was inspired by it for his immortal work Journey to the Centre of the Earth, in which the protagonists are ejected with their raft from the earth’s core, emerging through the opening of Stromboli after the adventure that began in Iceland.

Etna: A Separate…
And Final Chapter

No volcano route would be complete without Etna, even if it requires crossing the Strait of Messina to reach Sicily. Amid a great variety of geological and landscape features, from volcanic desert zones to dense, green forests, stands the majestic Etna, or Muncibbeddu in Sicilian. A symbol of Sicily to the world, it is the largest active volcano in Europe, and one of the highest, with its summit over 3,400m, and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2013.

The landscape surrounding it is a marvel: from the coastal strip with views of the Ionian Sea to the countryside with citrus orchards and vineyards, passing through dense chestnut and oak forests to the barren nature near the summit. Its ashes, craters, caves, lava flows, and the depression of the Valle del Bove make it a privileged destination, an important cultural landscape, and a strategic research centre with a long history of influence in volcanology, geology, and other Earth sciences. The Etna Nature Reserve and the volcano can be explored along numerous natural trails, perfect for enjoying an unforgettable panorama.

A very special view of the volcano is from Taormina, a natural terrace over the sea, the most elegant city in Sicily and the pearl of the Ionian Sea. Isola Bella is the symbol of Taormina, a picturesque and evocative islet, a nature and archaeological reserve, where a villa stands surrounded by tiny coves bathed by the ebb and flow of the waves, competing with Piazza IX Aprile, a panoramic terrace with views of the bay. Filled with outdoor cafés, the square is the perfect spot to enjoy a pistachio ice cream, the local specialty, be amazed by the beauty of the city, and gaze at Mount Etna in the distance.

But without a doubt, the jewel of the city is the Greek Theatre of Taormina, built on a slope facing west. Visitors who come to admire its ruins with the sun setting between the arches of the stage with Etna in the background, or to witness a play during the summer festivals, will enjoy the best backdrop Italy can offer: the summit of Etna, even snowy in summer, always smoking, which watches over and warns both actors and the audience that it never sleeps.