Chris Tinsley discovers the delights of Naples. Naples is a bustling working city and has many areas of interest to see and experience all under the shadow of Vesuvius, the only active volcano in Europe.

Situated in the Campania region of Southern Italy, you are never far from the Mediterranean Sea.

Founded by the Greeks occupied by Romans and ruled by the Bourbons, Naples, with its French and Spanish influences is a cosmopolitan city and the third largest in Italy. It is often called an open-air museum, because of its many historic statues and monuments.

Naples, the centre of Napoli, prides itself on being a (UNESCO) world heritage site with more churches than any other city in the world. It can also boast on having five castles and a palace. This city oozes history and will slowly unveil itself to you the more you wander down its twisting narrow streets often walled in by ancient buildings.

A half hour taxi ride from the airport took me to the Majestic Hotel in the heart of Naples.

This four-star hotel offers an excellent base to explore from. The hotel room is well appointed with large clean en-suite bedrooms and a good choice for breakfast, 24- hour manned front desk, a bar and restaurant.

It was time for a light lunch and just around the corner from the Majestic is the La Caffierra in Piazza dei Martiri, a traditional Italian cafe with an outdoor seating area, perfect for the day. A fresh pasta dish with a glass of chilled Prosecco was soon ordered and enjoyed.

Walking around the streets of Napoli you feel a strong sense of style and fashion. The main shopping area is around the Piazza dei Martiri, along Via Chiaia, Via Roma and pedestrian-only Via Calabritto.

The Galleria Umberto at Via San Carlo is definitely worth visiting, as much for its simply stunning architecture as for the many stores with the latest fashions.

As it takes so long to wander around the city it’s good to take a break in one of the many coffee bars and the Caffe Gambrinus is one of the best and oldest – established 150 years ago, and still owned by the same family.

Inside, the two marbled rooms all stuccoed, gilded, and frescoed, offer a grand air of sophistication and romance, it's not hard to imagine writers and politicians have done their best work within these walls. The seated area outside is covered by four gazebos offering shade as you watch the people of Napoli go about their business.

I chose a selection of cakes to go with my espresso, the Baba is a national favourite consisting of a sponge soaked in liquor syrup, a cake named Vesuvius and my favourite – an Easter cake with a light floral flavour. The fantastic espresso made in the traditional Italian way was the best I have sampled, strong flavours with no bitterness. Now fully fortified I went to explore more of the cities historical streets.

The food is worth the trip alone. Coffee shops and cakes, fresh fish and pasta dishes also claiming to be the home of pizza.

They take their pizzas very seriously with strict guidelines issued by the Naples pizza association,

‘Verace Pizza Napoletana’ is the official trademark only issued after the eleven pages of guidelines are rigorously adhered to but, as the end user, the pizza is all you have to worry about. They make a bold statement claiming to be the best, so I had to find out.

As recommended I went to the Pizzeria Sorbillo, voted the best in Naples. I chose my topping of tomato, basil, anchovys, mozzarella and capers and sat back to enjoy my bottle of Peroni. Minutes later a pizza the size of a bicycle wheel landed.

It was like nothing I have ever tasted before and sadly probably won't again, until I return.

The secret to this pizza I can only guess as a combination of skills and ingredients handed down from generation to generation. I was privy to a few hints.

Ovens are lit at lunchtimes to get to the right temperature, not to overload the topping and an ultra thin base is used. The cost just five euro for a pizza big enough to feed a family.

Ristorante Rosiello is superbly situated for an evening meal and is only a 15 minute taxi ride from the city centre.

The wisteria and vine covered balconies or, for the cooler nights, the main restaurant offer unbeatable panoramic views from Vesuvius to Capri in the Bay of Naples.

Our hosts, Ennio and Salvatore Varriale, explain how they grow a majority of their ingredients in the huge restaurant gardens including grapes for their own red, white and rose wines. This family-owned and run restaurant started in the 1930s and their enthusiasm is only matched by the quality of their Mediterranean cuisine.

We were treated to a selection of some of their traditional Neapolitan dishes including deep fried local cheese wrapped in courgette flowers, aubergines ‘a scarpone’ marinated octopus, ‘ziti’ pasta with tomato ‘ragu’ sauce and above all the seafood caught in the sea.

An absolute must for any visitor to Naples but you must book – even the locals queue for a prized balcony table. All in all a real taste of the good life.

It’s not uncommon to see a well-healed business man hop onto his scooter and join the chaos the locals refer to as traffic. I would strongly recommend any form of travelling, apart from walking, should be led by a local. A taxi drive around the city is an experience in itself and should be tried out as part of your visit.

Naples is a rough diamond and doesn’t apologise for it, giving it a unique feel.

Yes, it’s dirty, noisy and suffers from graffiti but that adds to the charm of this living breathing city.

I was warned about pick pockets, bag snatchers and muggings but I felt as safe as I would in any other European city. Use a bit of common sense and you won’t go far wrong.

Thanks to Easyjet, Naples is now accessible from Bristol Airport in less than three hours.

And as the old saying goes ‘see Naples and die’.