Naples, southern Italy’s leading city, is as intense an urban scene as anything you’ll find in western Europe—yet it still somehow manages to breathe, laugh, and sing…with a captivating Italian accent.

You name it, it occurs right on the streets today, as it has for centuries. Kids turn a wide spot in the sidewalk into a soccer field. …walls are crusty with posters and death announcements. Neighborly chit-chat and heated arguments take place curbside. Plastic buckets help grandma do business with the delivery boy. It’s a cauldron of community as everyone’s out and about. And fast food? It comes in the form of a folded pizza.

Just south of Naples, along a breath-taking coastline, you’ll find trendy resort towns, ancient ruins, and enchanting getaways. From Sorrento—wedged on a ledge under the mountains and over the sea—you can take a cruise to the seductive Isle of Capri with its romantic Blue Grotto.

Then, drive the dramatic Amalfi Coast. The drive south from Sorrento is one of the world’s great road trips. Cantilevered hotels and villas cling to the vertical terrain. And beautiful sandy coves tease from far below. As you hyperventilate, notice how the Mediterranean really…twinkles.