Beyond the Estate: Our Favourite Things to Do in Campania
When you stay with us, you’re not just sleeping in a wine resort near Pompeii. You’re placing yourself at the centre of one of the most layered, generous, and quietly overwhelming regions in the world.
We’ve been here for years. We’ve walked these roads at dawn, eaten at tables with no menus, and stood at the crater of a volcano at sunrise feeling genuinely small. This is our honest, unsentimental guide to what we’d tell a close friend who was staying with us for a few days.
Start from the estate. Go slowly. Come back hungry.
Culture & History
Pompeii — 5 minutes from the estate
You already know the name. What you might not expect is how it feels to actually be there.
The excavations at Pompeii are not a museum. They are a city, preserved mid-breath — streets, bakeries, election slogans painted on walls, a dog warning sign on a doorstep. We’ve been here dozens of times and still find something we hadn’t noticed before.
Go early. The site opens at 9am and the crowds arrive around 10:30. If you’re there before then, walking the Via dell’Abbondanza with only the morning light and the swallows for company is something close to extraordinary.
Our tip: book tickets in advance. On summer mornings, allow at least three hours. Wear comfortable shoes — the ancient basalt stones are beautiful and unforgiving.
Herculaneum — 20 minutes
Smaller, less visited, and in many ways more intimate than Pompeii. Herculaneum was a wealthy seaside town buried under a different type of volcanic deposit — one that preserved organic materials like wooden furniture, food, and fabric that Pompeii lost.
The scale is more manageable, the detail more astonishing. We always send guests here who say they want to understand the eruption of 79 AD more deeply.
The National Archaeological Museum of Naples — 40 minutes
If Pompeii and Herculaneum are the excavations, this is where the most extraordinary finds ended up. The Farnese Collection, the Secret Cabinet (the erotic art recovered from Pompeii), the mosaics from the House of the Faun — this is one of the great museums of the world, and it’s chronically underrated.
Pair it with a walk through the historic centre of Naples: the decumani, the street art, the baroque churches with their cracked facades and gold interiors. Naples rewards the curious and ignores the timid.
The Amalfi Coast — 1 hour
We’ll be honest: the Amalfi Coast in peak season is crowded, and the SS163 coastal road can test your patience. But there is a reason everyone comes.
Ravello sits above the clouds and the sea. Positano catches the light in a way that genuinely seems unfair. Amalfi itself has a cathedral that stops you mid-sentence.
Our advice: go on a weekday, start early, and consider taking a ferry rather than driving the coast road. From Sorrento or Salerno, the boats offer a perspective — looking back at the cliffs from the water — that no road can give you.
A private tasting at the estate
We’d be remiss not to mention it. Our Caveau — the underground tasting room carved into the volcanic rock beneath the estate — is the place to understand what it means to make wine on Vesuvius.
Piedirosso and Caprettone, Lacryma Christi, still wines and sparkling wines, all grown on this soil. We offer guided tastings with food pairings, and we can build an experience around your group’s interests — whether you’re a sommelier or someone who just knows what they like.
Outdoor & Nature
Climbing Vesuvius — 15 minutes from the estate
On a clear day, you can see the crater from our vineyard.
The hike to the summit is accessible and not particularly strenuous — about 30 to 40 minutes from the upper car park to the rim. What you find at the top is a view that reframes everything: the bay of Naples laid out below, the islands of Capri and Ischia in the distance, and beneath your feet, a crater that is dormant but not extinct.
Go early in the morning. The light is better, the air is cooler, and you’ll share the rim with far fewer people.
Practical note: the Vesuvius National Park charges an entrance fee at the crater. Sturdy shoes are essential — the path is loose volcanic gravel.
The Lattari Mountains and the Sentiero degli Dei
Behind the Amalfi Coast, the Lattari Mountains hide one of Italy’s most spectacular hiking trails: the Sentiero degli Dei, the Path of the Gods. It runs between Bomerano and Nocelle along the ridge above Positano, with views over the coast that make the name feel understated.
It’s a moderate hike of about 8 kilometres, mostly on a good trail. We recommend starting from Bomerano (the higher point) and walking down toward Nocelle, then taking a bus back to Amalfi or Sorrento.
A boat day on the Bay of Naples
Renting a small boat — or joining a group tour — to explore the bay from the water is one of the experiences that guests remember longest. The sea caves along the Sorrentine Peninsula, the approach to Capri from the water, swimming in coves that have no road access: these are the rewards.
We can help arrange boat hire through our network of local providers. Ask at reception.
A Few Things We’d Rather You Knew
On driving: the roads around Vesuvius and toward the Amalfi Coast are narrow, sometimes steep, and often shared with tour buses. If you’d prefer not to drive, we can arrange private transfers for groups.
On timing: July and August are beautiful and extremely busy. May, June, September, and October offer the same landscapes with significantly more breathing room.
On pacing: Campania rewards those who resist the temptation to see everything. A day with one site, one meal, one long walk, and a bottle of wine at the end of it — that is the rhythm this land was made for.
We’re always happy to give personal recommendations based on how many days you have, what moves you, and what kind of traveller you are. Find us at reception, or reach out before your stay. This place is ours to share.
— The team at Bosco de’ Medici
