Original subtitles

(wind blowing)

(uplifting music)

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] Our journey begins at the Straits of Messina,

before heading north up the coast

to the resort town of Tropea.

Continuing north past a striking coastline

and hilltop villages, we come to Paestum,

one of the greatest Greek archeological sites

of the ancient world.

Further north, we take a dramatic dawn flight

around the Amalfi coastline, the Bay of Naples,

and Mount Vesuvius.

And then explore the ancient Roman town of Pompeii.

On the north side of the bay,

after a closer look at Vesuvius,

we pass the crowded city and port of Naples.

Flying west along the coast

is the beautiful island of Ischia.

Our journey ends at sunset on the other side of the bay,

over the island of Capri and a look

at a Roman emperor's summer villa.

The Straits of Messina separate the southern tip

of mainland Italy from the island of Sicily.

Through this narrow gap is one

of the busiest shipping mains in the Mediterranean.

And amongst the merchant vessels,

an Italian warship exits the Strait's

three kilometer-wide northern end.

(peaceful music)

Across the bay is the white-gray granite peninsula

of Cape Vaticano, a favorite bathing place of local people.

This is in the region of Calabria.

But on the other side of the peninsula,

lodged on a clifftop by the sea,

is one of the most popular holiday resorts

along this stretch of coast, Tropea.

(peaceful music)

The town has one of the best beaches in the area

and is one of the most fashionable holiday places

in the region, attracting visitors

from across Northern Europe.

(peaceful music)

The town is actually situated on an ancient reef,

jutting out into the Gulf of Saint Euphemia,

and is one of Calabria's prettiest towns,

with its ancient houses

and streets perched on the high cliff.

But apart from being a popular resort,

Tropea is also noted for growing

the best red onions in Italy.

And they are so famous that Cipolla di Tropea,

Tropea onions, have become the Italian synonym

for all red onions.

And somewhat bizarrely,

a local ice cream manufacturer

actually produces a red onion flavor.

(peaceful music)

As we head north, we enter the Campania region of Italy

and a great deal of the coastline is now a national park,

as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Paranoia Bay has some of the cleanest beaches,

sea caves for divers, and nature trails,

offering breath-taking views of old,

small villages like Pisciotta.

Legend has it that descendants

of the Trojans escaping from Troy founded a colony here.

(peaceful music)

Further into the national park is the hilltop town

of Castelnuovo Cilento, which like so many towns in Italy,

has a history stretching back to the Roman era.

From the castle, it is possible

to see a wide plain to the north.

And on it, a few miles from the sea,

lies one of the best examples

of a Greek city from ancient times, Paestum.

(historical music)

It had been completely abandoned by the ninth century,

following the final collapse of the Roman Empire,

aided by savage raids from Arabs and increasing outbreaks

of malaria from being on a low-lying plain by the sea.

Paestum was gradually swallowed up

by thick, sub-tropical forest,

and infested with malaria mosquitoes,

which is why it was probably not rediscovered

until the late 18th century

when road builders plowed their way through the forest.

Even then, it was largely ignored until the 20th century

due to the mosquitoes, snakes, and scorpions.

Their city was originally called Poseidonia after Poseidon,

the Greek god of the sea, and named Paestum by the Romans.

It was founded back in the sixth century B.C.

by Greek settlers and taken over by the Romans

around 300 years later.

It was the Greeks who built the three large temples

and the Romans who added roads, more houses,

a forum and a theater.

But it is these magnificent temples

which are the glory of Paestum.

(thrilling music)

The most complete is the one dedicated to Neptune,

the Roman god of the sea, and dates from about 450 B.C.

Almost everything remains in tact except the roof

and parts of the inner walls.

(pleasant music)

The main outer columns are fluted

in the Doric style of classical architecture.

In the center are two more rows of columns.

(pleasant orchestral music)

It's thought that the temple was also dedicated to Apollo,

the god of light, truth, music,

and poetry, or possibly Zeus, the father of gods and men.

But when it was originally built, it was dedicated to Hera,

goddess of fertility and creativity.

And the legend grew up that childless couples flocked

to the temple at night to attempt procreation

under the stars, in the belief

that the goddess would ensure a pregnancy.

This temple is one of the three most complete examples

in the world.

(pleasant orchestral music)

The oldest temple is close by,

and in this case, its dedication is certain,

thanks to inscriptions to goddess Hera

on some of the stones.

(pleasant orchestral music)

An open-air altar was unearthed in front of the temple,

where the faithful could witness rites and sacrifices

without entering the inner chamber,

which was for priests only.

(pleasant orchestral music)

Paestum is off the beaten track

and is often fairly empty of visitors,

but this remarkable survival

of an ancient Greco-Romano city is well worth a visit

for the opportunity it gives us to walk in the footsteps

of the people who lived in these ancient civilizations.

(pleasant orchestral music)

Paestum is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

(pleasant orchestral music)

As we continue north up the coast,

the clouds begin to gather over the mountains

at the end of the day and we just make the helipad in time

before the weather closes in.

(helicopter blades whirring)

(dramatic music)

At dawn, the Amalfi coast is a truly magical sight.

As the clouds are lit up in various shades of pink and red.

(dramatic music)

And overlooking the bay is the brooding presences

of the well-known volcano, Vesuvius,

which dominates the landscape.

(dramatic music)

Even at this time of the day,

the ferries are busy carrying commuters

across the bay to Naples in these high-speed boats.

As the sun begins to rise in the east,

these passengers will have to wait

until it climbs above the volcano.

(boat motor whirs)

And as dawn progresses,

the colors change to golden

as we climb to see the sun above Vesuvius.

The present volcano is fairly young,

and probably only 17,000 years old.

It was created after a much larger volcano collapsed

several thousand decades earlier.

Over the last few centuries, it has erupted around 50 times,

the last one being in 1944.

This left a crater with a rim of 1.6 kilometers

and a 300 meter drop to the bottom.

(dramatic music)

The most famous eruption was in 79 A.D.

And we will return to that dramatic event a little later on.

Meanwhile, we head back towards the Amalfi coast line

where the mountains catch the early morning sun

and clouds continue forming along the high cliffs.

(peaceful orchestral music)

These clouds are known as orographic

and they occur when an air mass at low level

is forced up over a rising terrain, like a coastline.

As the air rises, it cools, and the relative humidity

can become 100%, and at that point, clouds form,

streaming back over the high ground.

(peaceful orchestral music)

It is not surprising that this dramatic coast line

is a very popular tourist destination.

And in 1997, it was listed at a UNESCO World Heritage site

as a cultural landscape.

It would also seem impossible

that a road could be built along these high mountains,

but the Romans didn't think so,

and they carved most of this route out

of the sides of the cliffs.

(guitar music)

The road has since been widened to accommodate two lanes

and follows the coast for about 80 kilometers.

(guitar music)

For those with a fear of heights,

then this is not for you.

But for those that brave it,

the views down to the Tyrrhenian Sea

and up to the mountain tops are spectacular.

It must count as one of the most dramatic bus routes

in the world.

(guitar music)

Along this road are a number of popular resorts.

One of them is Positano.

Today this seaside town is a very popular place to visit,

but its popularity only really started

in the second half of the 20th century.

In much earlier days,

it was a successful fishing port,

but had, by the mid-19th century,

fallen on hard times.

The American writer John Steinbeck wrote articles

about Positano in the 1950s, which helped begin

the revival of the town's fortune.

He wrote that Positano bites deep.

It is a dream place that isn't quite real when you are there

and becomes beckoning-ly real after you've gone.

(guitar music)

As we fly along this dramatic coast line

towards the town of Amalfi,

it's worth recounting the legend of how the name came about.

It involves Hercules, son of Zeus,

who fell in love with a beautiful nymph.

Their romance was a brief one,

as she died soon after it began.

He searched the world to find the most beautiful place

on Earth to bury her.

Legend says he found it here.

Her name was Amalfi.

(guitar music)

In reality, the town was first mentioned

in the sixth century and since then,

has been occupied by several different empires,

as it was an important trading port for centuries.

The town is also famous for being one

of the first centers of paper making in Europe,

and still makes hand-made paper today.

(guitar music)

In the 1920s and 30s,

Amalfi saw the arrival of tourists,

and in particular, rich, British aristocrats

who put the town on the map.

Since then, tourism has become the main economy.

High above is the mountaintop town of Ravello.

In the 19th century, it became a place for artists,

writers, and composers to stay in the summer.

Richard Wagner wrote in a hotel guestbook

the magical garden of Klingsor is found,

suggesting the town was an inspiration

for one of his operas, "Parsifal."

The Ravello festival, began in 1953

in honor of Richard Wagner,

and is a two month-long season of music and arts,

all set against this dramatic background.

(birds chirping)

In the steep-sided valleys,

lemon trees grow on terraces,

which are used in one of the most famous products

from the Amalfi region, limoncello.

This lemon liqueur is made from the zest

of susanto amalfitano lemons,

which are steeped in grain alcohol

until the oil is released.

It is one of the most popular liqueurs in Italy,

and increasingly, around the world.

(peaceful music)

On the other side of the Amalfi peninsula is a large,

flat plain, flanked by mountains to the south,

the Bay of Naples to the west,

and Vesuvius to the north.

(peaceful music)

And it is in the middle of this plain

that a complete Roman town was discovered

in the 18th century, which had lain covered

by ash and pumice since the volcanic eruption of 79 A.D.

Pompeii.

(musical fanfare)

However tragic the event, it was Vesuvius

that preserved Pompeii for future generations,

when the volcano unleashed its awesome power

and effectively hid the town

for around 1700 years.

The loss of life was terrible.

But it is now thought that most of the deaths

were not caused by the ash cloud and suffocation,

but by the wave of intense heat

of at least 250 degrees centigrade,

which swept across the city, causing instant death.

It was towards the end of the 18th century

that proper excavation began.

And as the city slowly began to reveal itself,

people realized they were able to walk

through an almost complete Roman town

with paved streets, shops, houses, and theaters.

The original decoration was still on the walls,

and this, along with household objects,

had an enormous impact on 18th

and early 19th century Neo-Classical styles

across the Western world.

(musical fanfare)

On the outskirts of the town is the amphitheater,

which is believed to be the oldest surviving example

of one built of stone, which also gives a clue

to the importance of Pompeii in the Roman Empire.

The next amphitheater to be built

of stone would be 100 years later in Rome itself,

the Colosseum.

The arena was originally called a spectacular,

and not am amphitheater, which had not yet came into use.

(musical fanfare)

Today this remarkable survival from the Roman world

is a UNESCO World Heritage site,

and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy,

with roughly two and a half million visitors a year.

(musical fanfare)

The volcanic eruption in 79 A.D.

also caused the land to rise and created a new coastline.

The ash and pumice covered a wide area,

including what was then the seaside town of Herculaneum.

This was actually discovered before Pompeii,

with excavation beginning in 1738.

But it was difficult to unearth,

due to the built-up area

and when Pompeii was discovered,

which was easier to work on,

Herculaneum took a back seat.

This was a wealthier town than Pompeii

and when the houses began to be revealed,

an enormous number of artifacts were found,

and the Roman wall decoration in some

of the houses was virtually in tact.

Up to that point in history,

no one had any idea what it truly looked like.

So as with Pompeii, drawings were made of the walls,

and then published in book form.

The style quickly spread across western Europe.

Herculaneum is often overlooked by visitors,

with most of them going to the much larger Pompeii.

But this site is less crowded,

and in many ways, more manageable to walk around.

So much more of this ancient town now lies

under modern buildings, including the Forum.

Perhaps, they will remain hidden,

never to be revealed again.

(birds chirping)

What can't be overlooked by visitors is Vesuvius itself,

and almost every day of the year,

coaches and cars climb the northern slope,

delivering thousands of people who want

to experience a volcano up close.

Just inside the much older crater ring

of Monte Somma is a dried up lava flow,

which is a reminder to everyone visiting

that Vesuvius is considered one of the most active volcanoes

on Earth, and many experts believe it is

not a question of if it erupts again, but when.

The Italian government have plans

to evacuate at least 600 thousand people

if Vesuvius starts to give warning signs

of a major eruption.

But until then, it remains a huge draw for visitors,

and those people with stamina can walk up a steep path

to the crater's edge.

The city of Naples lies only a few miles away,

and over the centuries, its inhabitants have learned

to live with the possible danger they may one day face

from their brooding neighbor.

Naples is the third largest city in Italy after Rome

and Milan, and is one of the oldest,

continuously inhabited cities in the world,

going back to around 700 B.C.

Before the unification of Italy in 1861,

the city was the capital of the kingdom of Naples,

and as a result, it has some fine historic buildings.

One of them is the Castel dell'Ovo,

which literally means Egg Castle.

It was the Roman poet Virgil, who had a reputation

as a sorcerer and put an egg into the foundations

to support the fortifications.

In the 9th century, the Roman fort was demolished

and then rebuilt by the Norman invaders in the 12th.

And what we see today dates from the 15th century.

Along the coast from Naples, Roman remains can be found.

And overlooking the sea, in a spectacular position,

is the Villa Posillipo, complete with its own theater,

which after two thousand years,

is still used for open-air concerts

during the summer months.

(pleasant music)

Off the coast are a number of volcanic islands,

including Procida.

At its highest point is the town of Terra Murata,

which is really more of a fortress.

It was designed to protect its citizens

from invasions by the Saracens during the 15th century.

On the western side of Procida,

is part of a long extinct volcano,

which is now a nature reserve.

(pleasant music)

At the far end of the chain is the largest island

in the Bay of Naples, Ischia.

Today, it is home to over 60 thousand people

and the main industry is tourism,

with around six million visitors a year.

This mountainous island was formed by volcanic action

over 50 thousand years ago,

with the last eruption in 1302.

This has created thermal spas and volcanic mud,

for the largely German and British tourists

who have been coming here since the 19th century.

In fact, a large proportion

of the Italian-speaking population here

have also learned German and English.

Over the years, the islands has attracted writers,

composers, and artists, who have made Ischia their home.

It has also attracted filmmakers

from "Cleopatra" in the 1960s

to modern Hollywood films,

such as "The Talented Mr. Ripley."

(pleasant music)

(peaceful music)

Perhaps the most beautiful island in the Bay of Naples,

especially at sunset, is on the south side, Capri.

This magical island has been a resort since Roman times

and in Greek mythology it was known

as the Isle of the Sirens.

Like so many resorts in the area,

it was the 19th century that saw the arrival of tourism

and Capri attracted the rich and famous,

as it still does today, with many well-known figures

owning villas on the island.

(pleasant guitar music)

High on a promontory on the eastern end of Capri

is the Villa Jovis, which was built

by the Emperor Tiberius around 30 B.C.

This was once a massive palace

from where the Emperor ruled the whole Roman Empire.

He moved here from Rome as he feared assassination

from his political rivals.

Said by later Roman historians

that Tiberius engaged in wild debauchery here

and even had a place on the cliff

where disobedient slaves and unwanted guests were hurled

from the top to die on the rocks below.

Whatever the truth, Tiberius's palace

in the setting sun is a truly spectacular place

to end this journey.

(pleasant guitar music)

(peaceful music)

(dramatic tones)