Naples Route

About the destination: Naples is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 967,069 within the city's administrative limits as of 2017. Its province-level municipality is the third-most populous metropolitan city in Italy with a population of 3,115,320 residents, and its metropolitan area (that stretches beyond the boundaries of the Metropolitan City of Naples) is the second-most populous metropolitan area in Italy and the 7th-most populous urban area in the European Union. First settled by Greeks in the first millennium BC, Naples is one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban areas in the world. In the ninth century BC, a colony known as Parthenope or Παρθενόπη was established on the Island of Megaride. In the 6th century BC, it was refounded as Neápolis. The city was an important part of Magna Graecia, played a major role in the merging of Greek and Roman society, and was a significant cultural centre under the Romans. It served as the capital of the Duchy of Naples (661–1139), then of the Kingdom of Naples (1282–1816), and finally of the Two Sicilies until the unification of Italy in 1861. Naples is also considered a capital of the Baroque, beginning with the artist Caravaggio's career in the 17th century, and the artistic revolution he inspired. Due to poverty and lack of opportunity, waves of Italians emigrated from Naples in the late 19th and early 20th century, with most going to the United States, where they settled in industrial cities. Between 1925 and 1936, Naples was expanded and upgraded by Benito Mussolini's government. During the later years of World War II, it sustained severe damage from Allied bombing as they invaded the peninsula. The city received extensive post-1945 reconstruction work. Since the late 20th century, Naples has had significant economic growth, helped by the construction of the Centro Direzionale business district and an advanced transportation network, which includes the Alta Velocità high-speed rail link to Rome and Salerno and an expanded subway network. Naples is the third-largest urban economy in Italy, after Milan and Rome. The Port of Naples is one of the most important in Europe. In addition to commercial activities, it is home to the Allied Joint Force Command Naples, the NATO body that oversees North Africa, the Sahel and Middle East. Naples' historic city centre is the largest in Europe and has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A wide range of culturally and historically significant sites are nearby, including the Palace of Caserta and the Roman ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Naples is also known for its natural beauties, such as Posillipo, Phlegraean Fields, Nisida, and Vesuvius. Neapolitan cuisine is noted for its association with pizza, which originated in the city, as well as numerous other local dishes. Naples' restaurants have earned the most stars from the Michelin Guide of any Italian city. The best-known sports team in Naples is the Serie A club S.S.C. Napoli, two-time Italian champions who play football at the San Paolo Stadium in the southwest of the city, in the Fuorigrotta quarter.

About the destination: Vietri sul Mare is a town and comune in the province of Salerno, in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated just west of Salerno, separated from the Port of Salerno by only a harbour wall. The town is known for its polychrome ceramics, a tradition since at least the 15th century, and is considered to be the gateway to the Amalfi Coast. (Note: The text is already in English. The Irish English dialect does not significantly differ in vocabulary or grammar from other English dialects for this particular text.)

About the destination: For centuries, the irresistible charm of Ravello's grand villas and cliff edge gardens have been drawing the world's most renowned artists to the tiny town perched high above the bay of Maiori: musicians such as Wagner, Grieg, Rostropovich, Toscanini, Bernstein; painters like Escher, Turner and Mirò; and writers of the calibre of D.H. Lawrence, Forster and Virginia Woolf all spent time here. Now, a well established cultural hotspot, today Ravello hosts high profile events such as the Ravello Festival and the Chamber Music Festival, which is organised by the Ravello Concert Society. Wonderfully aristocratic, devastatingly beautiful, Ravello patiently awaits the traveller who, from the Amalfi Coast's seaside fishing villages decides to make his way up to the town, perched on a great spur of rock, some 350meters above the sea. Constructed on the site of a settlement believed to have been built by a Roman colony fleeing from the barbarian invasions; in the 9th century Ravello became the elected refuge of a group of noble families from Amalfi, who had rebelled against the authority of the Doge.