Naples, Pompeii, and Procida: 4 Days

May 17, 2026

Naples, Pompeii, and Procida: 4 Days

I ended up staying at Hostel Mancini for four nights. Like always, the first day I rested and didn’t do much. The hostel is close to the Naples train station and is in a gritty neighborhood. Naples in general reminds me of Southeast Asia with its intensity and chaos.

I met a 24 years old guy named Buğra who was staying in the same dorm as me. He was born in Turkey, but lives in Romania. We spent two days exploring Naples and Pompeii together.

Buğra and I walked all over Naples for one full day. The highlights were the area by Piazza del Plebiscito, Castel Sant'Elmo, and the crowded streets in Centro Storico. We also saw the Maradona graffiti. Maradona was a famous Argentinian soccer player who played for Naples in the 1980s and won many matches against the northern clubs. He was seen as a working class hero who defeated the establishment.

The next day, Buğra and I took the train to Pompeii, an ancient Roman city that was buried under the Mount Vesuvius explosion back in 79 AD. We arrived around 11 AM since we didn’t buy tickets beforehand. The hostel receptionist told us to arrive before noon for the best chance to get a ticket at the door since tickets are limited.

After getting our tickets we walked around Pompeii for about three hours. There were many sites to see, but the major attractions were the amphitheater and the forum. Again, there were so many people and many tour groups. I can’t imagine the place in the middle of summer at the height of the tourist season.

When I came back the hostel, I met my next travel companion, Charlie. Charlie is only 19 years old and is from Australia. He saved his money from working at a restaurant for two years and has been traveling for four months already.

I can’t believe that I was able to meet a travel partner in every city I’ve been to so far. Such is the joy of staying in hostels!

Charlie and I decided to visit Procida, the smallest island in the Gulf of Naples. It was also recommended to me by Anne since it’s less touristy.

We were able to purchase our ferry tickets at the port, which was much cheaper than buying them online. The ferry ride was one hour to Procida from Naples.

Charlie and I walked everywhere on the island and saw some amazing views from several lookout spots. The best ones were at Panoramica sulla Corricella and Belvedere Elsa Morante. My favorite memory in Procida was on the bench at Belvedere Elsa Morante and chatting with Charlie about life while admiring the views.

Charlie and I share the love of traveling. When I was 19 years old I traveled around America by bus. At the same age as I was, Charlie will travel for five more months in Europe and Asia. I wish I had planned for something like that when I was 19. But now is better than never, I’m glad I have the opportunity to travel in my early 40s since I have more money.

After Charlie and I took the ferry back to Naples we had fried pizza for dinner. It was something I wanted to try, but it wasn’t as good as I thought. Our favorite pizza was the one we had the day before at L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele, where the pizza was huge and only cost €6.

The hostel receptionist recommended me to stay a few more days and use Naples as a base to go to Capri and the Amalfi coast. These are famous places and will be crowded on the weekend. I feel like going somewhere quieter and avoid these two places. Moreover, if I stay in Naples any longer I will need to buy a plane ticket to Palermo, Sicily, which I didn’t want to do. I also didn’t want to stay at the hostel any longer due to the mosquitoes at night. So today I will take a four and half hour train to Tropea, a small beach town farther south on mainland Italy. It’ll definitely be less touristy. I will stay there for two nights minimum.