Arrival in Naples and transfer to a small, friendly and quiet hotel (roof terrace!) in the center of the lively colorful old town of Naples. After a welcome cocktail, the rest of the day can be used to relax or start exploring the center of Naples. In the evening, we meet for a dinner in a small trattoria (=local restaurant) where excellent food and a particularly amusing ambience are served. Hotel night in Naples.

Using the light of the morning and the calm of the Sunday, we will drive through the city and its suburbs and then walk (easy hike, ca. 20 min.) to the summit crater of Vesuvius volcano, last active in 1944. From its rim, we can look down into its still smoking deep crater on one side and the surrounding area with the problematic modern urban spread around the volcano on the other. However, the views over the ruins of Pompeii, the Bay of Naples with the city itself and the islands of Capri and Ischia are unforgettable. After some time spent there, we will stop at the old volcano observatory. After a lunch snack, we go on to visit the excavations of the Roman town of Herculaneum, destroyed by hot pyroclastic surges and mud flows from Vesuvius in 79 A.D.
For a typical Napoletanean dinner, we will walk to a pizzeria or trattoria at the small fishing harbour of Naples, in a popular superb setting next to the majestic 11th century castle built on a small promontory at the waterfront.

This day is fully dedicated to the second mayor, potentially very dangerous, but much less known volcanic area near Naples, the Phlegrean Fields. The daytrip leads us first to the neighboring bay of the small fishing town of Pozzuoli, where visible evidence of recent tectonic activity (recent seismic crises with strong ground uplift) is preserved. Impressive Roman ruins such as the Serapide and the amphitheatre are on our way to the Solfatara volcano, still active with its powerful hot fumaroles. Further stops (depending on time etc.) could include: the historically born volcano of Monte Nuovo, a caldera lake (another older crater), a large medieval castle near the site where a Roman city has sunken beneath water level, and the romantic Roman ruins near Capo Miseno.
For a wonderful sunset view over the Bay of Naples, we head for a very romantic spot: Capo Miseno,- the very site where Plinius in 79 A.D: observed the eruption of Vesuvius volcano! We conclude the day with a delicious dinner (fresh seafood!) in a local taverna right on a good beach.

On our last day in Naples, we will take our time to visit the world-famous Roman town of Pompeii, that has been exceptionally well preserved by the volcanic ash that had covered it for almost two thousands of years. The afternoon is at free disposal in Naples. We recommend a visit in the archeological museum close to the hotel and/or a short walk and climb by a cable car to the Castel St. Elmo - a famous viewpoint in the city center from a large medieval castle towering over the city.
The tour ends in the afternoon.