The gens Pompeia, who gave the name to the ancient city, was of Oscan origins. A settlement appeared probably in this area around the 7th century BC, on what was an important crossroad between Cumae, Nola and Stabiae. According to Strabo, Pompei was also captured by the Etruscans, and in fact recent excavations have shown the presence of Etruscan inscriptions and a 6th century necropolis. Pompei was captured a first time by the Greek colony of Cumae, allied with Syracuse, between 525 and 474 BC.

Caught into the Samnite Wars (4th century), Pompei was forced to accept the status of socium of Rome, maintaining however linguistic and administrative autonomy. In the 4th century it was fortified. Pompei remained faithful to Rome during the Second Punic War.

Starting from the 2nd century BC the intensive agriculture and the wine and olive growing allowed Pompeii to flourish outstandingly. In 91 BC, Pompeii sided against Rome in the Social War, and was thenceforth stormed by Sulla. In 80 BC the Roman general transferred here a colony of veterans.

In 79 AD it was destroyed by the famous eruption of the Vesuvius.

Sorrento is a small city in Campania, Italy, with some 16,500 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist destination. The town can be reached easily from Naples and Pompeii, as it lies at the south-eastern end of the Circumvesuviana rail line. The town overlooks the bay of Naples, as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints in the city allow sight of Naples itself (visible across the bay) and Vesuvius.

The Amalfi Drive (connecting Sorrento and Amalfi) is the narrow road that threads around the high cliffs above the Mediterranean.

Ferry boats and hydrofoils provide services to Naples, Amalfi, Positano, Capri and Ischia. Sorrento's sea cliffs are impressive and its luxury hotels have attracted famous personalities including Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti.

Sorrento is famous for the production of Limoncello, an alcoholic digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.

Positano is a small town on the Amalfi Coast (Costiera Amalfitana), in Campania, Italy. The main part of the city sits in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast.

Positano was a prosperous port of the Amalfi Republic in the 16th and 17th centuries. But by the mid-19th century, the town had fallen on hard times. More than half the population emigrated, mostly to the United States of America.

Positano was a relatively poor fishing village during the first half of the 20th century. It began to attract large numbers of tourists in the 1950s, especially after John Steinbeck published his essay about Positano in Harper's Bazaar in May, 1953: "Positano bites deep", Steinbeck wrote. "It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone."

Today tourism is the major industry in Positano.

The church of Santa Maria Assunta features a dome made of majolica tiles as well as a 13th Byzantine century icon of a black Madonna.