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Naples is the gateway to Pompeii, Vesuvius and the Amalfi Coast, but the city itself rewards a full day before you head south. The Spanish Quarters (Quartieri Spagnoli) are the dense grid of 16th-century lanes north of Via Toledo, with laundry strung between balconies, Maradona murals on every other wall and the tightest pizza-by-the-slice scene in Italy. The Sansevero Chapel houses the Veiled Christ, an 18th-century marble carving of unmatched technical skill. The Cappella di Pio Monte della Misericordia holds Caravaggio's Seven Acts of Mercy. The Naples National Archaeological Museum holds the Farnese Hercules and the bulk of the Pompeii frescoes that were lifted from the site for preservation.

Pompeii is the easiest day trip and the canonical one: 35 minutes by Circumvesuviana train from Napoli Garibaldi for a 165-acre Roman city frozen at 79 AD. A half-day covers the main forum, the amphitheatre and the macellum food market. A full day with a guide adds the Villa of the Mysteries (intact ritual frescoes), the Garden of the Fugitives (plaster casts of ash victims) and the Lupanare brothel. Naples guided day trips bundle Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius, with the crater hike adding a 30-minute walking trail from the 1,000m parking lot. Vesuvius National Park caps daily visitors via a timed-entry ticket.