This 3-day Campania itinerary is one of Italy's most rewarding short-trip structures: the ancient city (Naples), the frozen city (Pompeii), and the coastal city (Sorrento) in a logical geographic circuit that requires no backtracking.
Plan my Italy trip →Three days covers the essential Campania circuit: Naples as a city (1.5 days), Pompeii by Circumvesuviana train (half day), and the Sorrento Peninsula as the coastal gateway (half day, or as a base for the Amalfi Coast continuation). The geographic logic is clean — all three are connected by the same Circumvesuviana railway line, requiring no car and no backtracking. This is one of Italy's most rewarding 3-day structures.
Day 1 — Naples (arrive by noon): Check in (best areas: Centro Storico or Chiaia). Afternoon: walk the Spaccanapoli (the long straight street — Via Benedetto Croce / Via San Biagio dei Librai — bisecting the ancient Greek grid, lined with baroque churches, small artisan shops, street shrines). Evening: pizza at Di Matteo or Sorbillo on Via dei Tribunali (the Decumano Maggiore, parallel to Spaccanapoli). Day 2 — Naples (full day): Morning: Museo Archeologico Nazionale (book via campaniaartecard.it — the Alexander Mosaic from Pompeii, the Farnese Hercules, the Secret Cabinet). Afternoon: Quartieri Spagnoli walk (the dense residential grid west of Spaccanapoli, authentic Neapolitan street life), then funicular to Castel Sant'Elmo (panoramic views, free with ArteCard) and Certosa di San Martino. Evening: seafood dinner in the Marechiaro/Posillipo area or fried fish at a friggitoria in the Centro. Day 3 — Pompeii + Sorrento: 8:30am Circumvesuviana from Napoli Porta Nolana to Pompei Scavi (35 min). 3 hours at Pompeii. Return to Sorrento by Circumvesuviana (30 min from Pompeii). Late afternoon in Sorrento (cliff walk, limoncello, the Valley of the Mills). Evening train back to Naples, or stay in Sorrento as base for Day 4 Amalfi Coast extension.
Spaccanapoli literally means "Naples splitter" — the street (actually a sequence of connected streets changing name every few blocks: Via Benedetto Croce, Via San Biagio dei Librai, Via Vicaria Vecchia) that runs arrow-straight for 2km through the historic center, following the line of the ancient Greek decumanus (east-west street) laid out in the 5th century BC. This is the oldest continuously inhabited urban street in the western world. Visible from the Castel Sant'Elmo hill above, the arrow-straight line through the baroque city is extraordinary — a Greek plan beneath 2,500 years of building. Walking it end to end takes 30 minutes without stopping; properly, with detours into the side streets and into the churches (many baroque churches along Spaccanapoli are free and extraordinarily decorated), it takes 2-3 hours. The density of small artisan shops (Christmas nativity scene (presepe) carvers, bookbinders, tailors, espresso machine repairers) makes Spaccanapoli the most intact example of pre-industrial craft urbanism in Italy.
Neapolitan pizza has a specific, legally protected tradition. The Verace Pizza Napoletana (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, founded 1984) defines the requirements: 00 flour dough made with specific hydration and proofing times, San Marzano tomatoes (grown in the volcanic soil of the Sarno plain south of Vesuvius), fior di latte or mozzarella di bufala, cooked in a wood-fired dome oven at 485°C for 60-90 seconds. The high temperature is essential — it chars the outer edge (cornicione) while leaving the center soft. The result is a pizza that cannot be replicated in a conventional oven. Tomatoes were added to Neapolitan flatbread in the early 18th century (they were widely believed to be poisonous in Europe until the poor of Naples, who had little else to eat, proved otherwise with their survival). The margherita pizza specifically was created in 1889 by pizzaiuolo Raffaele Esposito for Queen Margherita of Savoy, who visited Naples during a cholera epidemic — the patriotic colors (red tomato, white mozzarella, green basil) were his tribute.
Naples has a significant safety reputation that is partially deserved and substantially exaggerated. The reality: violent crime targeting tourists is extremely rare. The genuine risks are: bag snatching from mopeds (a Naples-specific tactic — carry bags on the side away from the road, or in front), pickpocketing in crowded areas (the Spaccanapoli, near the central station), and unlicensed taxi overcharging at the airport. The street energy of Naples — chaotic, loud, intensely alive — is interpreted as threatening by visitors accustomed to the managed tourist experience of Rome or Florence. It isn't threatening; it's the most intensely functional street culture in Italy. The Quartieri Spagnoli, which looks alarming on first approach, is a working residential neighborhood where grandmothers hang laundry six floors above and children play football in the narrow alleys. Walking it at noon is entirely safe; late at night it warrants the same awareness as any dense urban area.
Three main options for Naples accommodation: Centro Storico (the Greek-grid historic center, Spaccanapoli area) — most atmospheric, closest to the Archaeological Museum and main baroque churches, some street noise and parking chaos but thoroughly walkable. Chiaia (the upscale waterfront neighborhood west of the center, elegant pedestrian shopping streets, quieter) — better for people who want a calmer base with excellent restaurants, slightly less central for the main sites. Vomero (the hilltop residential district, connected by funicular) — quiet, beautiful views, best for people who want to escape the Centro energy. For a 3-day city-focused visit: Centro Storico. For families or those who want a calmer base: Chiaia. The Circumvesuviana for Pompeii and Sorrento departs from Napoli Porta Nolana/Garibaldi, which is walkable from Centro Storico (15-20 min) or accessible by metro from other neighborhoods.
The great Naples pizza debate has no wrong answer, only preference. L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele (Via Cesare Sersale 1) serves only two pizzas: marinara and margherita. Founded 1870, still family-run. Julia Roberts ate here for Eat Pray Love. The queue at peak lunch is 30-45 minutes and worth it — the simplicity of the product is a philosophical statement about what pizza should be. Sorbillo (Via dei Tribunali 32) is larger, busier, and has a cult following for its margherita with bufala. Also has a serious queue. Di Matteo (Via dei Tribunali 94) is favored by locals over tourists, serves excellent pizza fritta (fried pizza, a Naples alternative tradition) alongside the baked version. The verdict: all three are extraordinary. Da Michele is the most controlled experience (only 2 pizzas, extreme focus). Sorbillo is the most celebrated contemporary pizzeria. Di Matteo is the most local-feeling of the three.
The principle applies across all Italian destinations: book timed-entry tickets for every major attraction before departure. For Rome: Colosseum at coopculture.it (1-2 weeks ahead), Vatican Museums at tickets.museivaticani.va (2-4 weeks), Borghese Gallery at galleriaborghese.it (mandatory, 3 weeks+). For Florence: Uffizi at uffizi.it (2-3 weeks), Accademia at b-ticket.com (2 weeks), Brancacci Chapel at museicivicifiorentini.comune.fi.it (1 week). For Naples area: Pompeii at ticketone.it (1 week), Herculaneum same. For Cinque Terre: the trails require the Cinque Terre Card (no advance booking but carry cash for on-arrival purchase). For any major opera performance in Verona: arena.it opens months ahead. The pattern: Italy rewards advance organization. Every booked ticket eliminates a queue. Every confirmed restaurant reservation avoids a disappointing walk-up experience at 9pm when the good places are full.
Italy's high-speed rail (Frecciarossa and Italo) connects Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice, Turin, Bologna, and Naples in journey times of 1-3 hours. This network is the backbone of any serious Italy itinerary. Key connections: Rome-Florence (1h30, every 30 min, from €19 advance), Florence-Milan (1h40-2h, from €25 advance), Rome-Naples (1h10, from €19 advance), Milan-Venice (2h20, from €29 advance). Regional trains connect to all secondary destinations from these hubs. Book intercity Frecciarossa/Italo segments 4-6 weeks ahead for the cheapest fares (Economy fares are non-refundable but dramatically cheaper than walk-up). Buy regional train segments at the station or on the Trenitalia app without advance booking — regional trains don't require reservation and the prices are fixed. The single most efficient Italy itinerary structure: fly into one city, take trains through Italy's heritage circuit, fly out from a different city.
Standard travel insurance for Italy should cover: medical expenses (the EHIC/GHIC card covers EU/UK citizens for public healthcare costs, but private hospitals and medical evacuation are not covered), trip cancellation (pre-booked non-refundable tickets and hotels benefit from cancellation cover), and luggage and personal effects. Specific Italy considerations: the advance-booked museum and Frecciarossa tickets that are non-refundable represent real financial exposure if your plans change — cancellation cover for these is valuable. Italy's weather occasionally disrupts Cinque Terre trails (flooding, closures) and Dolomite access (mountain weather) — "natural event" cancellation cover applies. Medical: Italy's public healthcare is good; the specific risk is dental emergencies (always expensive everywhere) and getting sick in a way that requires private clinic access, which travel insurance medical cover addresses.
Stay longer in fewer places. The most rewarding Italy trips are built around depth rather than breadth. A traveler who spends 4 nights in Naples understands the city's energy, discovers the restaurant where the owners know her name by the third visit, walks the Spaccanapoli at 7am before the crowds, and takes the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii in her own time. A traveler who spends 1 night in Naples has seen a hotel lobby and a pizza. The same principle applies everywhere. Florence reveals itself in layers — the first day is Uffizi and Duomo; the second is the Bargello and Oltrarno; the third is the hills above Fiesole and the early morning at San Miniato. Each layer is less obvious and more rewarding. Italy is not a country that yields to rushing. The architecture, the food, the conversation, the light — all require patience to receive properly.
Luggage on Italian trains: all Frecciarossa and regional trains allow bags in overhead racks and the vestibule areas. There is no luggage size enforcement on standard trains. The practical challenge: moving between cities with large suitcases on packed August Frecciarossa trains requires some assertiveness. Solutions: book luggage storage at intermediate stations (deposito bagagli — available at all major stations, approximately €6-8 per bag per day), or use luggage shipping services (SpedireLaValigia.it, BagBnB at major cities) that transport your bags between hotels for €25-40 per bag. The most travel-flexible approach: travel with carry-on only (maximum 55×35×25cm for Ryanair; larger for full-service carriers) and buy or mail anything you acquire. The freedom to move between stations, hop on trains, and walk through Italian cities without dragging large bags is worth the constraint on wardrobe choices.
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