Naples

thumb|400px|View of Naples and Mount Vesuvius from Sant'Elmo Castle Naples represents one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site with an unmatched heritage as a place of exchange between cultures. This is reflected in the city's structure and monuments, which are a mixture of Greek, Roman, Norman, Angevin, Spanish and French architecture.

The UNESCO evaluation committee described Naples' historic centre the largest in Europe – as being "of exceptional value", and went on to say that Naples' setting on its Bay "gives it an outstanding universal value which has had a profound influence". But Italians have known these things for centuries: The view of Naples from the sea is so beautiful that a traditional Italian saying states that once you've seen it, you can die.

thumb|Napoli-Capodichino airport main hall * , also known as Capodichino Airport | url=http://www.aeroportodinapoli.it/en/ | email= | address= | lat=40.8782 | long=14.2828 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Naples International Airport | image=Napoli 2010-by-RaBoe-21.jpg | wikidata=Q849383 | content=Works for connecting the airport to Naples Metro system were expected to be completed in 2027, but check. }} From the airport you can take a bus for €5 (called Alibus) which has two stops only: Stazione Centrale (Central station) and Piazza Municipio, near the main ferry port (molo Beverello). You can buy your ticket on the bus.

The ticket is valid for further public transport trips, up to 90 min after validation.

Traffic in Naples can be extremely heavy, similar to that of other big cities like Paris and New York. Extensive excavation works are ongoing to complete some metro segments, adding further to traffic in some areas.

A typical example is the train station area, which is undergoing a complete makeover (a model of how it will look is observable in the interior of Stazione Centrale), plus the excavation of a metro line connecting it with Capodichino Airport. Another example is Piazza Nicola Amore (commonly known as Piazza Quattro Palazzi because of the four twin buildings surrounding it), where metro line excavations revealed an ancient Roman temple, whose structure will be integrated in the futuristic station designed by the world-class architect Renzo Piano.

thumb|The Spanish Quarters are interesting by day but should be avoided by night The city has an inequitable distribution of wealth, and some run-down areas are quite close to elegant ones. Two places better to avoid after dark are the "Quartieri Spagnoli" (Spanish Quarters) and the "Sanità", both in the historic centre, that are reasonably safe during the day and also have notable points of interest.

Especially to be avoided, but of no practical interest for tourists, is Scampia, where there is much petty crime and drug traffic. Naples' bad reputation regarding safety is mainly due to stereotypes, since the city's security level is actually comparable to many other European big cities (e.g., Barcelona, Marseille, Amsterdam).