From Cape Miseno to the peninsula of Sorrento, the Bay of Naples traces a huge curve, with the imposing Vesuvius in the background and the islands of Procida and Ischia to the west and Capri to the east. The beauty of the coasts has been undermined by anarchic urbanisation, but its peaks, capes and peninsulas are still conducive to contemplation. And let's not forget Pompeii and Herculaneum, Ancient cities nestled at the foot of Vesuvius that still seem to defy the sleeping volcano.