Naples is such a great base for exploring the area close by, as well as the city itself.  The tragedy is that much of the public realm of the city is in terrible condition, poorly maintained and a great deal of senseless vandalism.  The city could easily rival some of the great cities to its north, as it has countless beautiful baroque buildings, former palaces, fine churches and pleasant piazzas.  Some of the gems include the Naples Galleria, which rivals those of Milan and Rome, Piazza Dante and the San Carlos Opera House.

One of the highlights that we wanted to explore further was the famous Archaeological Museum of Naples, where we had paid a very brief visit a number of years ago.  Another was a Roman villa we knew of but never had the time to visit.  When we needed a break from the frantic city, we simply hopped on a ferry and headed across to Procida, one of the smaller islands in the Bay.  What a delight that was!

The Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli is truly vast.  Even its main façade doesn’t really give an indication as to its size, since much of it extends from the rear of the main entrance and arranged around several large inner courtyards.  It’s very well laid out, well-lit and displays are beautifully presented.  We ended up spending around 7 hours there—which we certainly had not intended to do—and it’s easy to understand why it is regarded as one of the world’s top archaeological museums.  Luckily, there is a very pleasant café on the ground floor for much-needed sustenance!

The building was originally built as a cavalry barracks in 1585, and from 1616 to 1777 it was the seat of the University of Naples.  During the 19^th century, it became a museum and underwent numerous changes to the main structure.

It goes without saying that there is a focus on ancient Rome, since its collections include artefacts from nearby Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae, Cumae and all the other ancient sites in the region.  There are also extensive collections from Greek and Renaissance times.  A large proportion of the classical sculpture collection comes from the famous Farnese Marbles, which include Roman copies of classical Greek sculpture, which are in many cases, the only surviving indications of what lost works by ancient Greek masters would’ve looked like.

Some examples of these being the Farnese Hercules, Atlas, Bull, Artemis and the Aphrodite Kallipygos.  Another set of Roman sculptures (again, mainly copies of original Greek works) that once stood in the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, and were unearthed in the 16^th century during excavations of the Baths.

The Museum is in the Centro Storico (historic centre) of Naples and has its own metro stop, Museo.   There’s a 20 Euro entrance fee, which is good value, considering the sheer size of the place and quality of the collections on display.  Entry is free on the first Sunday of the month.  However, on free days there’s no guarantee that every part of the museum will be open, for some odd reason.

Naples transport system is very good, particularly the metro-although for some unfathomable reason, it closes down relatively early in the evenings.  We realised that we could easily get to Oplontis, in the town of Terre Annunziata, just south of the city, by taking the Circumvesuviana Naples-Pompeii-Sorrento train or Line 10541.  The train departs every 20 mins. from Napoli Piazza Garibaldi station to Torre Annunziata, and the journey only takes about 25 mins.  It’s just a few minutes’ walk down from the station to the entrance to the villa in via dei Sepolcri.

The archaeological site at Oplontis comprises two Roman villas.  The first villa was discovered in 1593-1600.  The best-known is Villa A, the so-called Villa Poppaea.  Poppaea, also known as Ollia, was the second wife of the emperor Nero.  She met a sad end, brutally assaulted by Nero, who not only killed her but their unborn child.  The large villa has been attributed to Poppaea, or her family, on the basis of an inscription bearing the name of a freedman of Poppaea’s found on an amphora unearthed during archaeological works.

It’s thought that the villa had probably been mostly empty at the time of the eruption of Vesuvius, owing to work in progress required following damage caused from earlier seismic activity, which resulted in the removal or serious damage done to many architectural features and decorative elements.

The grandiose villa has a large atrium with magnificent frescoes and paintings and richly decorated rooms including living and dining areas, all lit by windows opening onto the garden which had views of the sea.  The villa also had private thermal baths heated from the kitchen, which were later turned into the living room.  The slave quarters were on the eastern side, built around a peristyle with storage rooms and bedrooms for the servants and slaves, facing onto a central fountain.  In the corner of the peristyle an underground tunnel had run under the villa up to a cryptoporticus, or covered passageway, that provided a cool, shaded space that led, via numerous terraces, down to the ancient sea shore 14m below.

In the 1^st century CE, the villa was expanded to include apartments for guests, and small winter gardens filled with potted plants and exotic flowers, as well as a huge 61m x 17m swimming pool.  By 1993, 13 gardens had been discovered.  Some 40 marble sculptures of extraordinary beauty were found, and many of them had served as fountains.

The town of Oplontis was buried in ash during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.  It was once a blue-ribbon seafront suburb under the administrative control of Pompeii.  Only two of its residences have been unearthed.  These two luxurious villas were discovered during the construction of an aqueduct to feed the mills and pasta factories at Torre Annunziata around 1880.

There are a number of very popular islands in the Bay of Naples, such as Capri and Ischia, that are great destinations for a few days, and one we passed on the ferry back from Ischia was Procida, one of the Phlegraean Islands.  This small island is very accessible from either Naples or Pozzuoli, and there are 2 ferry companies that stop there en route to or from Ischia, with the journey taking between 30 mins. and 1 hr., depending on the vessel.

Procida is located between Capo Miseno on the mainland and the island of Ischia.  It’s small, less than 4.10 sq kms.  It has a dramatic, jagged coastline, about 16 kms.  It was created by the eruption of 4 volcanoes, all now dormant and submerged.  Some Mycenaean Greek objects from the 16^th – 15^th centuries BCE have been found on the island, although the first historically attested Greek settlers arrived from the Aegean to Procida during the 8^th century BCE, followed by other Greeks of Magna Graecia coming over from nearby Cumae on the mainland.  The island is mentioned by the Roman satirist, Juvenal, as a barren place, although Procida became a renowned resort for wealthy patrician Romans.

The island remained under the jurisdiction of the Duke of Naples after the Byzantine reconquest in the Gothic Wars.  There was continual devastation first by the Vandals and Goths, and later by the Saracens, which pushed the population into a typical Medieval fortified village.  Most of the formidable fortress walls built in the 15^th century are still intact.  Watchtowers overlooking the sea were built, and with the Norman conquest of Southern Italy, Procida experienced feudal dominion, under the control of the Da Procida family.  The island passed back and forth between Spain and the Angevin dynasty who reigned over Naples.  Pirate raids were frequent, one notably in 1534 was led by the notorious Turkish admiral, Barbarossa.  The island endured several episodes of devastation during the Napoleonic Wars, and in 1860, after the fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the island became part of the newly formed Kingdom of Italy.

During the 20^th century, the island was the setting of several novels and as a film set for numerous films including a favourite of ours, ‘Il Postino’ (The Postman), ‘The Talented Mr Ripley’ and several scenes in ‘Cleopatra’ starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.  In 2013, the Procida Film Festival was launched, designed to feature films by young directors and writers.  There are a number of religious festivals throughout the year when locals don traditional dress and dance to traditional music.  Procida was chosen as an Italian Capital of Culture in 2022, being the first Italian island to do so.  As a result of the many cultural events, the local artisan crafts have thrived in local workshops and studios, featuring the traditions of the Mediterranean islands.

This small island is picture postcard pretty, with pastel-coloured houses and shops lining the waterfront and up the steep hills that cascade down to the sea, where fishing boats bob up and down along the marina, and where the ferries come and go in and out of the harbour.

It’s easy to while away a few hours exploring the maze of narrow, winding streets enlivened with pink bougainvillea and white jasmine.  Take a walk up the steep, narrow little streets to the highest point on the island, Terra Murata, where you will come to a fortress right at the edge of a cliff and the Abbazia di San Michele Arcangelo.

This originated as a Benedictine abbey in the 11^th century, before the monks were forced to abandon it several hundred years later after frequent attacks by Saracen pirates.  Rebuilt a couple times, its current architecture dates back to the 1500, it is richly decorated and now one of the most prestigious churches in southern Italy.

Back down by the marina, join the numerous people taking leisurely strolls along the waterfront, along the black sand beaches or relaxing in one of the many family-run cafes, enjoying a local gelato or some freshly caught seafood.  This island is such a delight to discover and relax while enjoying a respite from busy Naples and its many sights and treasures.