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.

Sheltering on the Bay of Naples and dominated by the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, Naples is naturally 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 food 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 its 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 and favours 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 EUR3.25 Wednesday to Monday, 9am to 8pm.

Telephone: (081) 440 166

This world-class museum houses the Farnese collection of antiquities from Lazio and Campania and the incredible treasures of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Notable among these collections are the Farnese Hercules and the Farnese Bull, the largest known ancient sculpture. On the mezzanine level is the Alexander Mosaic and at the furthest end of the mezzanine floor is the Secret Room (Gabinetto Segreto). The fascinating collection contained here showcases the erotic material found in the brothels, baths, houses and taverns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The top section of the museum houses the Campanian wall paintings, well preserved creations attesting to a mysterious past world. These are supported by a range of artefacts in the form of glass, silver, ceramics, rope and even foodstuffs surviving from the Campanian cities.

Duomo San Gennaro

Address: Via del Duomo 147 Naples

Admission: Cathedral: free; archaeological site: EUR3 Monday to Friday between 9am and 12pm and 4.30pm to 7pm

Telephone: 081 449 097

The Chapel of San Gennaro is accessed from the south aisle of the Cathedral of Naples and this 13th-century Gothic building is dedicated to the patron saint of the city. Tradition tells the story of how two phials of San Gennaro's blood liquefied in the bishop's hand after his martyred body was transported to the church. Legend has it that disaster will strike if the blood fails to liquefy on specific festival days - the first Saturday in May, on September 19 and December 16. The liquefaction ceremony takes place during a special Mass in full view of the congregation. The first chapel on the right on entry into the cathedral is dedicated to San Gennaro and holds the famous phials of blood and a silver reliquary containing his skull. Beneath the Duomo are the excavations of well-preserved Greek and Roman roads that stretch beneath the modern city. Special tours of the excavations can be arranged.

Museo e Gallerie di Capodimonte

Address: Via Milano 2, Capodimonte Park Naples

Admission: EUR8 Tuesday to Sundays 8.30am to 7.30pm

Telephone: (081) 749 9111

The museum occupies a restored 18th century palace perched on the city's hills and its artworks are arranged by collections and not chronology. The Farnese and Bourbon rulers amassed impressive collections of Renaissance paintings and Flemish masterpieces that can be viewed along with other great works. Notable amongst these are Masaccio's Crucifixion, Filipino Lippi's Annunciation and Saints, Raphael's Leo X, Bellini's Transfiguration, Michelangelo's Three Soldiers and Breughel's The Allegory of the Blind.

Pompeii

Address: Naples

Admission: EUR11, concessions EUR5.50 Daily 8.30am to 7.30pm (April to October), 8.30am to 5pm (November to March)

Mount Vesuvius' fiery temper erupted in the volcanic lava that buried the Roman city of Pompeii. The most evocative testimony to its victims is the 'frozen people', plaster casts of the victims' whose anguished contortions and facial expressions reveal the horror of their untimely deaths. Excavation of Pompeii is an ongoing process and every decade has brought to light new finds that provide insight into daily Roman life. A comprehensive tour of Pompeii's attractions will take approximately five hours. Guided tours are available but are pricier alternatives to doing it alone. There is an informative 'How to Visit Pompeii' guidebook for sale outside all the site entrances.

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)

The well-preserved Greek temples of Paestum are the best of their kind in the world, rivalling those of Sicily and Athens. The city was founded by its Greek colonists in the 7th century BC and later fell under Roman rule until it was no longer commercially viable and its inhabitants finally left for greener pastures. The north-south axis of the city is marked by the paved Via Sacra and most guided tours begin at its southern end. A guide to the excavations and Archaeological Museum can be bought at any of the roadside shops. Notable amongst the remains are three Doric temples, the best preserved in the world. Built without the use of cement or mortar these remarkable structures comprise the basilica, Temple of Poseidon and Temple of Ceres. Heading north along Via Sacra will take one to the Roman Forum gymnasium and amphitheatre. Paestum's museum contains a fascinating collection of pottery and paintings found in the tombs of the area.

Capri

Address: Naples

Telephone: 081 837 5308.

Capri's beauty captured the imagination of the Roman Emperor Augustus in 29 BC and continues to draw admiring crowds to its picturesque banks. Ferries and hydrofoils transport travellers from Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Naples to its embarkation point at Marina Grande. From here a funicular runs to the town's Piazza Umberto. The island's main attraction is the Blue Grotto. The cave is illuminated by a fantastic neon blue, created through the interplay of light and water. The ruins of Villa Tiberio can be explored through a 45-minute trek up the hill. Legend has it that Tiberius tossed those unfortunate enough to anger him off the precipice; walking down is luckily an option nowadays. On the descent along the path one can take a short detour to the Arco Naturale. The weathered stone arch on the island's eastern cliffs provides the perfect perspective from which to contemplate the vista that stretches to Paestum. Another interesting villa to explore is the Villa San Michele (in Anacapri), the magnum opus of Swedish author and physician Axel Munthe. Henry James described it as 'the most fantastic beauty, poetry, and inutility that I have ever seen clustered together.' It is open in summer between 9am and 6pm, and winter 10am to 3pm. Still in Anacapri, take the 12-minute chairlift to the summit of Monte Solaro to experience the breathtaking views stretching to the distant Apennines and Calabria mountains.