Secret Campania: 10 Places That Aren't Naples, Positano or Capri

Campania is one of Italy's most crowded regions, thanks to its sea: Amalfi, Positano, Capri, Sorrento. Yet 70% of the region is inland and overlooked: Irpinia, Sannio, Cilento, the upper Casertano. Here are ten quieter places.

1. The Wild Cilento

The Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park (UNESCO) is Italy's second-largest park. On the coast, Palinuro, Marina di Camerota (with sea caves and trails), Castellabate (a medieval village). Inland: Roscigno Vecchia (an abandoned village), the Pertosa Caves.

2. Paestum Without the Crowds

The Doric temples of Paestum (6th–5th century BC) are among the best preserved in the world. In the early morning and late afternoon the crowds withdraw. The Archaeological Museum keeps the "Tomb of the Diver," the rarest Greek fresco in the West. A combined ticket includes Velia.

3. Inland Irpinia

Irpinia is mountain Campania, and largely overlooked. Villages such as Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, Nusco, Rocca San Felice (with the Mefite, an open-air sulphur spring), Zungoli. Wine country (Taurasi, Fiano di Avellino, Greco di Tufo), chestnuts, truffle.

4. The Phlegraean Fields

The Campi Flegrei, west of Naples, are an active supervolcano with fumaroles, crater lakes (Lake Averno, Lake Fusaro), Pozzuoli with the Rione Terra, and submerged Baia (an underwater archaeological park). Less famous than Pompeii, no less dense with history.

5. The Sannio: Benevento and the Sannio Falangina

Benevento, the provincial capital, has the Arch of Trajan (one of the finest of the Roman Empire), Santa Sofia (a UNESCO Longobard site) and the Ponte Leproso. Nearby: Sant'Agata dei Goti, a village perched on a tuff spur — among the most photogenic in the south.

6. The Quieter Amalfi Coast

Not just Positano and Ravello. Furore with its fjord, Praiano more peaceful than Positano, the Sentiero degli Dei (a trek above the coast), and the Monti Lattari with Punta Campanella. Choose April or October and you can still breathe.

7. Procida

Procida, smallest of the Phlegraean islands, was Italian Capital of Culture in 2022. Chiaiolella, Terra Murata (an abandoned village that has been reinhabited). Less touristy than Ischia and Capri, and affordable. Ferries from Naples and Pozzuoli.

Instead of Capri: Procida →

8. The Royal Palace of Caserta Without the Crowds

The Reggia di Caserta (UNESCO) is larger than Versailles. The crowds cluster in the royal apartments; the royal park of 120 hectares, with its Grand Cascade and English Garden, can be toured by bicycle in relative quiet. Pair it with the Belvedere of San Leucio (a Bourbon silk colony).

9. The Vallo di Diano and Padula

In the Vallo di Diano, in the south of Campania, the Certosa di Padula (UNESCO, among the largest charterhouses in Europe) is one of the most imposing monastic complexes on earth. A vast cloister with 84 columns and a frescoed refectory. No queues.

10. The Cilento Coast Toward Palinuro

The Cilento coast between Agropoli and Sapri offers almost pristine beaches: Cala del Cefalo, the Buon Dormire at Palinuro, the Marinella di Camerota. The Cilento (especially Pioppi and Acciaroli) was the birthplace of Ancel Keys' studies on the Mediterranean Diet, recognised as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.

When Should I Go?

April–June and September to mid-October. Summer: Amalfi is unbearable, the Cilento manageable. Winter: the interior falls silent, the coast lies dormant.

How to Plan It

Weekend: Naples + Phlegraean Fields + Procida, or Paestum + Cilento. A full week: Naples (two days) + the Amalfi Coast in low season + the Cilento (Palinuro) + the Royal Palace of Caserta.

See Also

Secret Naples and its neighbourhoods like Sanità and Quartieri Spagnoli are part of this tour, too.