LIVING in one of the areas surrounding the active Mount Vesuvius volcano would have to add a frisson of danger to daily life but for the people of Sorrento, Pompeii, and Naples it is all very much taken in their stride.

I stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Castellammare di Stabia, on the Stabiae-Sorrento Coast, which was a two-and-a-half hour drive from Rome and was everything a four-star hotel should be - elegant surroundings, exemplary service and beautiful views of the sea. Its spa is sublime - the perfect place to unwind after a hard day's shopping and eating. The nearby town of Sorrento is famous for its beautiful, historic buildings and stunning coastline, and a range of upmarket and glamorous shops.

Naples has been described as a city with two conflicting and complementary strands - an historic, cultured and noble heart entwined with a crowded, chaotic and modern soul. The Neapolitans are a friendly people and we encountered excellent service and courtesy from them in general. But we were often warned to be vigilant for pickpockets and bag-snatchers and the crowded, noisy and boisterous city streets can be overwhelming for the unprepared.

Naples is extremely beautiful and an amazing treasure trove of shopping, ranging from expensive designer labels to bargain buys, but one of the main attractions for visitors is the artistic handicrafts for which the city is famous. From handcrafted figurines and wrought-iron and stringed instruments to coral, cameo and gold jewellery, there are bargains to be had all along the stalls that line the narrow streets.

Italians love their food, of course, and we enjoyed many long leisurely meals in Naples and Sorrento. Travelling with an organised group, we generally ate from pre-arranged set menus and one particular day we were provided with a staggering and frankly obscene 14 courses between lunch and dinner. From parma ham, salami, mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, pastas, pizzas, risotto, and fish, through to desserts of torta caprese (a chocolate and almond cake) and zeppole (cream puff doughnuts filled with custard and sour black cherry jam) and washed down with fine wines of the region, particularly the very popular Lacryma Christi and the famous locally produced limoncello liquer. We almost had to be rolled out of the restaurants!

Of course, the ruins at Pompeii are the principal attraction for most tourists to the area. Situated outside the town of Pompeii, at the base of Mount Vesuvius, this is now one of the biggest archeological sites in the world.

The ruins are magnificent - the remainders of temples, shops, frescoes, monuments, houses, and streets all combining to present a picture of life in an ancient Roman town before it was literally suspended in time, following the eruption of the volcano in 79 AD. The town was completely buried under an avalanche of ash, mud and pumice, and it wasn't until 1748 that a group of convicts sentenced to hard labour accidentally excavated the first tombs of a town that had been long forgotten. One of the most interesting things to see there is the remains of the bath house and brothel, with the 'menu' depicted in drawings on the wall. Due to number restrictions, a glimpse of the brothel is not available to everyone visiting Pompeii but, according to our tour guide, can be pre-booked in advance online. Another smaller, but equally worthwhile, place to visit is Her31acleum, which was buried in the same eruption.

As in Naples, there are two very different sides to many aspects of life in the areas surrounding Vesuvius. While historic elegant buildings, classic culture, breathtaking scenery and sheer rugged beauty are the principal attractions of the area, a darker side comprising slums, homelessness, graffiti and poverty permeates many places.

There was a long-running - and apparently regularly occurring - bin strike while we were there and overflowing rubbish bins and foul smells occasionally detracted from the amazing surroundings. We were puzzled by the large piles of rubbish we encountered in the oddest, most remote places and were told that the mafia controls the bin service and that rubbish from the more affluent north of the country is regularly driven down and deposited on the streets of the south during the strikes!

Visitors should also be wary when it comes to taxi fares. I was forced through illness to leave my group and return to my hotel one day. Our tour guide confirmed that the taxi ride would cost around Euro30 but when I reached the hotel the driver demanded Euro66, claiming he had to be paid for the return journey. Be sure to ask in advance if the price quoted will be the entire cost of the journey, in order to avoid any nasty shocks.

Given that Vesuvius is an active volcano, the omnipresent threat of an eruption means that, while the three million people living in the surrounding areas are clearly willing to take the risk, planning permission for new houses is not given in general in the zone closest to the volcano. This has led to a thriving black-market whereby contractors arrive en masse and literally erect houses overnight.

When the planning department arrives to investigate, the new occupants feign perplexed innocence, claiming that the dwelling has always been there. Of course, this doesn't always go according to plan, as evidenced by the number of half-finished and abandoned properties scattered around the area.

The volcano is closely monitored for activity - given that its last eruptions were in 1906, 1929, and 1944 - and a visit is a fascinating experience, weather conditions permitting.

THE FACTS WHERE TO EAT The Imperial Tramontano Hotel offers recipes from the ancient Neapolitan traditional cuisine.

Via Vittorio Veneto, 1, 80067, Sorrento;

www. tramontano. com The Caruso restaurant, on the roof garden of the Grand Hotel Vesuvio, in Naples with its panoramic view of the Gulf of Naples.

Via Partenope 45, 80121, Naples; www. vesuvio. it WHERE TO STAY The Crowne Plaza, Castellammere de Stabia (four-star); www. sorrentocoasthotel. com WHAT TO SEE The Antiquarium of Boscoreale, which houses finds from Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, Stabiae, Terzigno, and Boscoreale.

Via Settetermini, 15 - 80041 Boscoreale Loc. Villa Regina; www. pompeiisites. org The Chapel of San Gennaro, Naples, with its stunning frescoes and artworks.

www. duomodinapoli. it Mount Vesuvius - weather permitting, you can visit the summit, the crater and the Vesuvius National Park.

www. vesuviopark. it; www. vesuvioinrete. it