In the boisterous and colorful frame of the Bay of Naples a delightful journey to discover the true heart of southern Italy. We travel through its volcanic past that has shaped the history, culture as well as the economy of the region in the past and present. Inhabited since the X century B.C., Naples appears at all time as a place of myth, extolled for the beauty of its bay, the mildness of the climate and the violence of the natural scenery.
The second half of the tour lets us discover one of Italy's most beautiful islands, Ischia. From our base in a wonderful hotel in a gorgeous setting, we explore its volcanic landscape, volcanic hot springs, and of course beaches.
Last but not least, the culinary experience during our tour in the heart of Italy can hardly be matched and will certainly likely stand out as a highlight; one you will remember for a long time. You might get addicted to such delightful Mediterranean traditions... Fresh sea food and tasty local vegetables form the basis of its world-renowned, delicious cuisine.
All historically active volcanoes of the Bay of Naples
Excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum
Easy to moderate hiking
Wonderful volcanic beaches
Relaxing boat trips and spas
Delicious Southern Italian food
Certified archaeological guide fluent in German, English, Italian (Florian)
Competent volcanologist guide from our team
8 days itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Naples Arrival in the city of Naples and your hotel in the historic center of Naples. The group meets in the evening for a welcome dinner in a typical restaurant in the lively city center.
Day 2: Vesuvius volcano, wine tasting and Herculaneum Morning visit of Vesuvius with short hike around the famous volcano´s crater and walk in the Valle dell'Inferno, lunch and wine-tasting at one of the excellent vineyards on Vesuvius´s lower slopes, and afternoon - evening visit of the excavated Roman city of Herculaneum.
Day 3: Pompeii Morning visit of the excavated city of Pompeii (3-4 hours), arguably one of the most important archeological sites in the world. Lunch in a secluded restaurant serving delicious meals based on ancient recipes. In the afternoon visit the superb museum of the Antiquario di Boscoreale before returning to Naples in the late afternoon.
Day 4: Campi Flegrei (Phlegrean Fields) and Pozzuoli Day trip to explore the volcanoes of the Campi Flegrei (Phlegrean fields): the Solfatara, Monte Nuovo, Lago di Averna and Pozzuoli, ending at the famous Cape Miseno view point before enjoying dinner at a nice beach restaurant.
Day 5: Private boat tour along Posillipo coast and transfer to Ischia Island Spectacular private boat tour along the impressive Posillipo and Pozzuoli coasts (swimming break). After disembarking, we "meet" our luggage transferred separately to Pozzuoli port, where we take a ferry to Ischia Island, where we will spend 3 nights in a charming sea-side hotel.
Day 6: Rotaro volcano and historic volcanism on Ischia Easy hike to Rotaro volcano with its active fumaroles, continue to the southern side of the island with magnificent views, observation of the most recent lava flow, erupted in 1302. Continue to a large beach full of thermal springs, natural spas and fumaroles. Time to swim and explore some ancient spas dating back to Roman times.
Evening: visit an old picturesque fishing village and a volcanic “islet” attached to the mainland by a thin isthmus of sand.
Day 7: Sorgeto hot spring, Epomeo volcano, spas in San Montano Bay Hike to an isolated bay with submarine hot springs (bathing even in winter!). Climb to the Epomeo volcano, enjoy a fabulous circular view on the whole Bay of Naples. Walk down to the village of Forio.
Rest of the day to relax in the natural spas of the beautiful bay of San Montano.
Day 8: Ischia Ponte, Aragonese Castle, departure from Naples or tour extension Walk to the harbour, visit of the Aragonese Castle, departure or own extension program.
Dates and details
Booking inquiry
Arrival info:
Travel arrangements to and from Naples are not included in the tour package, in order to give everybody the best chance to plan the trip according to his/her preferences. Naples is easily reached by plane or train (e.g. from Rome airport or other cities). A taxi to the hotel costs about 30 EUR. We will be to help you with such travel arrangements, as well as assist you with your international travel to Italy.
Tom will normally be your tour guide on the Volcanoes of Italy - The Grand Tour.
Dr. Tom Pfeiffer (1970) is a German volcanologist with a PhD degree in geology about the volcanic history of Santorini volcano from the University of Aarhus in Denmark.
For more than 20 years, Tom has been working on volcanic systems (Hawai'i and Vesuvius volcano observatories), observing volcanic eruptions around the world and organizing guided tours to active volcanoes in Europe (Santorini, Etna, Stromboli,...), Kilauea on Hawaii as well as in Africa and Indonesia. During his travels, he found his strongest passion in photography (link to his book) and the sharing of his knowledge and new travel adventures with people outside the scientific community. He first started a tour company in 2004 and is still guiding most VolcanoAdventures tours in Greece and Italy as well as the pilot expeditions and special eruption tours.
His other professional activities include a large number of articles about volcanoes published in newspapers and magazines such as National Geographic, Scientific American and others. Tom also participated in documentary film productions about Santorini (“The myth of the lost city of Atlantis”, "Mystery Hunters", both on Discovery Channel) and Stromboli (“Quarks and co: Vulkane” on the German television channel WDR), as well as the ongoing documentary series about active volcanoes "Volcanic Odysseys" by Canadian filmmaker Michael Dalton (Love Nature & Smithsonian Channel).
Besides his German mother tongue, Tom speaks English, Danish and Italian fluently and can also communicate in Greek, French and some Spanish. He lived for 7 years in Denmark, spent about 2 years in Italy and worked one year on Santorini, Greece, before moving to Athens in 2004.
Volcanologist Dr. Tom Pfeiffer on Santorini
Additional info
Physical requirements
Good general physical condition is required. No hiking experience is needed. The hikes are fairly easy, with climbing efforts between 100-400 m and walking distances of up to around 7 km, total walking times are up to 4-5 hrs during a full day (including stops).
8 days itinerary
Day 1
Arrival in Naples
The historic center of Naples
Fish on a market in the center of Naples
The port of Naples
On the first day you make your own way to Naples and our hotel with roof terrace in the center of the lively and colorful old town of Naples. Depending on your arrival time you can use the afternoon to have a rest or start exploring the city center. In the evening the group comes together for an aperitif and dinner in a small trattoria (=local restaurant) where excellent food and great ambiance are served.
Day 2
Vesuvius volcano, wine tasting and Herculaneum
Hike along the summit crater of Vesuvius
Italian delicacies and wine at a local vineyard
The ruins of Herculaneum and Vesuvius volcano
In the morning we drive through the city of Naples and its suburbs to the upper flanks of Mt Vesuvius and then walk (easy hike, ca. 30 min.) to the summit crater of the volcano which last erupted in 1944. A special authorization allows us to hike around the whole summit crater (ca. 1 hr). From the rim, we can look down into its still smoking vent, across the dense urban development that is problematically close to the volcano and take in the unforgettable views over the Gulf of Naples with the city itself and the islands of Capri and Ischia.
On our way back, we stop at the scenic Valle dell'Inferno for a short walk to explore the youngest lava flow from the volcano´s 1944 eruption. Lunch will be in a charming rural setting at a local wine-producer where we'll enjoy delicious Italian cuisine and taste the local wines grown on the slopes of Vesuvius.
In the afternoon, we go on to visit the excavations of the Roman town of Herculaneum, destroyed by hot pyroclastic surges and mud flows from Vesuvius´s famous eruption in 79 A.D. For a typical Napoletarean dinner, we walk to a pizzeria or trattoria at the small fishing harbor of Naples, in a superb setting next to the majestic 11th century castle built on a small promontory at the waterfront.
Day 3
Pompeii
Walking in the 2000 year old ruins of the roman city of Pompeii
Colourful mural decoration in one of the better preserved villas
Morning visit of the excavated city of Pompeii (3-4 hours), arguably one of the most important archeological sites in the world. Lunch in a secluded restaurant serving delicious meals based on ancient recipes. In the afternoon visit the superb museum of the Antiquario di Boscoreale before returning to Naples in the late afternoon.
Day 4
Campi Flegrei (Phlegrean Fields) and Pozzuoli
Photographing sulphur deposits and fumaroles at Solfatara volcano
One of the many cinder cones and volcanic craters of the Phlegrean Fields
Evening light over the Gulf of Naples
This day is dedicated to discover the second major and potentially very dangerous (but much less known) volcanic area near Naples: the Phlegrean Fields. We have a first stop at a viewpoint across the northern part of the Gulf of Naples and towards the island of Ischia. Then we set out to explore the Solfatara volcano which is still active and has many hot fumaroles, bubbling mud pools and sulphur deposits.
After lunch we continue our journey of this area that is dotted with volcanic cones, crater lakes and Roman ruins. Depending on time etc, we can visit the historically born volcano of Monte Nuovo, the large caldera lake Lago di Averna, a medieval castle near the site where a Roman city has sunk beneath water level and the small fishing town of Pozzuoli where evidence of recent tectonic activity (strong ground uplift) is visibly preserved in the historic Roman market square. For a wonderful sunset view over the Bay of Naples, we head to Capo Miseno: the very site from where Plinius observed the eruption of Vesuvius volcano in 79 A.D ! We conclude the day with a delicious dinner of fresh seafood at a local taverna right on the beach.
Day 5
Private boat tour along Posillipo coast and transfer to Ischia Island
View into the Monte Nuovo crater (Campi Flegreii)
Boat tour along the spectacular Posillipo coast
This morning we walk through parts of the Spanish Quarters and then through Santa Lucia Quarters, in sharp contrast to the elegance of the fashionable palaces of the nearby Chiaia Quarter. We reach the small fishing harbour (Borgo Marinaro) dominated by the majestic 11th century castle (Castel dell'Ovo) built on a islet at the waterfront. From here a private boat will take us to discover the impressive volcanic cliffs of the Phlegrean Fields, passing by world-famous sites such as Mergellina, Marechiaro and Posillipo whose dramatic beauty has inspired songs and poetry of the ancient Neapolitan tradition. The cliffs are dominated by the “Neapolitan Yellow Tuff”, a yellowish rock produced by a main eruption which forms the basement of Naples.
The boat tour ends in the port of Pozzuoli where we meet with out luggage transported separately and take a short ferry to Ischia island where we will stay 3 nights in a charming hotel close to one of the island's finest beaches.
Day 6
Rotaro volcano and historic volcanism on Ischia
Using the calm of the morning we will reach the island of Ischia by hydrofoil. We arrive in the harbor of Ischia which occupies the center of an ancient crater. After an easy hike through a shady pine forest we come to the Rotaro volcano still showing steaming fumaroles. We walk down towards the southern side of the island with magnificent views on the coast and passing by the most recent lava flow erupted in 1302.In the afternoon we come to Maroniti beach, the largest of the island. It is full of thermal springs, natural spas and fumaroles. Here we have time to swim and to explore some ancient spas which date back to the Roman times.At the end of the day we walk to S. Angelo, an old fishing village turned into an international tourist resort. It's still a peaceful oasis with no cars, many trees and plants of all sorts, multicolored houses which overlook at the sea, fishing boats in the harbor and a volcanic “islet” attached to the mainland by a thin isthmus of sand.
Day 7
Sorgeto hot spring, Epomeo volcano, spas in San Montano Bay
Natural spas at Ischia Island
Little fishing village on Ischia
Light volcanic tuff layers on Ischia
Our day begins with a walk to the isolated Sorgeto Bay where submarine springs discharge hot water (90°C !), which mixes with seawater. We can have a pleasant swim or steam bath on the cliffs (bathing is possible even in winter!)
Later we reach the village of Serrara Fontana from which we start the climb to the Epomeo volcano, consisting completely of the “Green Tuff”. Once we reach the top there is time to enjoy a fabulous circular view on the whole Bay of Naples. We walk down along the shady northern slope of the Epomeo volcano to reach the village of Forio.
We will spend the rest of the day in the natural spas of the beautiful bay of San Montano. They consist of a series of outdoor and indoor swimming pools, containing mineralized thermal water, and are well known for their therapeutic properties.
Day 8
Ischia Ponte, Aragonese Castle, departure from Naples or tour extension
Our last day begins with a relaxing walk from the main harbor of the island to the village of Ischia Ponte. There is time to explore the picturesque small streets, the ancient churches and the multicolored fisher's houses, as well as to do shopping.Later in the morning we visit the impressive Castello Aragonese, a Medieval castle built in the XV century, standing on a small volcanic island reached via a stone bridge. This castle offers much to see: walled houses and churches, courtyards, antique archways, terraces, gardens and arcades with superb views onto the sea. After the visit we go back to the main harbor. A ferry will take us to Naples where our journey comes to an end.
7 nights accommodation in double room (4 in the center of Naples, 3 on the Island of Ischia)
Copious half board (breakfast + full dinner menu excluding drinks)
Mineral water during meals
All transports and excursions as described
Entry fees to museums, volcanoes, archaeological sites, spas, guided tours etc. as described
Detailed information material
Experienced guide
Not included:
Travel to Naples
Single room supplement*: 320,-EUR
Extra meals (usually light lunch snacks or sandwiches) and drinks
Personal equipment
Discounts:
Returning customers receive 5% (or 8% - if you have been on at least 3 trips with us) discount on the base tour price. Group booking discount: If at least 4 people together book this trip, 5% (additional) discount is given, combineable to a maximum of 10%.
"Hi Tobias We are writing to express our high level of satisfaction with our tour of Naples on 3-6 May.
We are impressed with your professionalism and competence to coordinate travellers from different countries. Our sensation is that you are very professional agency, providing fast and clear answers to our series of e-mails, making it easy the tour booking and solve problems. Additionally your excellent website provides clear and useful information.
The hotel was great, the Napolitanean food and wine were delicious and the itinerary was wonderful appropriate to our interest with a perfect combination of geology-nature, historical values and the interesting city of Naples. All the places visited were very interesting in itself, but after the explanations and assistance of our guide, Marta, they became sincerely impressive. We want to make a special mention to Marta, our guide-driver-assistant-bodyguard, because she was very good and has make our trip better.
It was a pleasant experience to find a company like Volcano Discovery, which provides a service so different, fun and interesting even in places where everything seemed invented on tourism. We are already planning our trips for 2009, we'd like to repeat in the future with another trip in Italy, and why not, in your loved Greece which we have not visited yet. Once again, thank you very much for organising the trip. We had a fantastic time! Many thanks and regards Miguel A. V. & Maria del Carmen P." (M.A.V & M.C.P., Spain - Vesuvius to Pompeii tour)
"Just wanted to say thank you very much to Marta Gasparrini, for her mamzingly led trip through Naples, to Amalfi, which I was on the last two weeks...thank you for making it one of the best holidays of my life!" (J Brown, UK)
