Italy's third-largest city thrives on the chaos that prevails amid its busy streets. This is the place where pizza was invented, and its restaurants continue to serve some of Italy's finest cuisine.

Sheltered by the Bay of Naples and dominated by the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, Naples is imbued with the best of nature's bounty. The city is somewhat schizophrenic in its juxtaposition of superb museums, Renaissance and Baroque churches alongside crumbling tenement blocks and squalor. Noisy markets sell a collection of items, from high-quality fresh produce to fake designer goods. Roads are characteristically hectic with gung-ho moped drivers weaving wildly through the streets and frustrating traffic jams clogging the city's arteries. Despite these less refined elements, Naples is a fascinating destination and a great base from which to explore the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii and Herculaneum.

The city's transport hub is located around the immense Piazza Garibaldi, on the east side of Naples. The area's growing African population has imbued the streets with the flavours of its immigrants. Southwest from here is the Piazza Bovio, and branching to the left of it, the Piazza Municipio and nearby Piazza del Plebiscito. On the watery edges are the Molo Beverollo and the Stazione Marittima, the point of departure for ferries. From the reaches of Spaccanapoli one can explore the historic part of Naples with its numerous palaces and churches.

Museo Archeologico Nazionale

Address: Piazza Museo Nazionale 18-19 Naples

Admission: EUR6.50. Concessions are available Open on Mondays, and Wednesdays to Sundays from 9am to 7.30pm. Closed on Tuesdays and on New Year's Day, 1 May and Christmas Day

Telephone: +39 081 292 823

Duomo San Gennaro

Address: Via del Duomo 147 Naples

Admission: Cathedral: Free; Archaeological site: EUR3 Open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 12.30pm, and 4.30pm to 7pm; Sundays from 8am to 1.30pm and 5pm to 7.30pm. The archeological area is open on weekdays from 9am to 12pm and 4.30pm to 7pm. On festivals and the days before festivals the site is open from 9am to 12.30pm.

Telephone: +39 081 449 097

Museo e Gallerie di Capodimonte

Address: Via Milano 2, Capodimonte Park Naples

Admission: EUR7.50 Open Tuesday to Sunday from 8.30am to 7.30pm

Telephone: +39 81 749 9111

Pompeii

Address: Naples

Admission: EUR11 to visit Pompeii only. Access to five neighbouring sites is EUR20 (valid for 3 days). Concessions are available Open from 8.30am to 7.30pm (April to October), and from 8.30am to 5pm (November to March)

Paestum

Address: Campania region, southern Italy Naples

Admission: Museum EUR4 (EUR6.50 including the site) Museum daily 9am to 7pm (closed first and third Monday each month)

Capri

Address: Naples

Telephone: +39 081 837 5308.

Sassi de Matera

Address: Naples

Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra)

Address: Naples

The Miracle of the Blood

Where: ,Naples

When: 19 September 2012