If it's your first time visiting the Amalfi Coast, chances are you'll do a double-take the first time you see a roadside lemon stand. Yes, those are lemons, and yes, they are the size of your head. But despite their freakish appearance, you will grow to love these lemons because the locals use them to produce limoncello. And take it from us, there's nothing like a glass of limoncello as you gaze out at the sea from the balcony of your hotel in Amalfi. It's pretty much perfection.

Three miles of twisty mountain roads up from Amalfi, the gorgeous resort of Ravello has been attracting celebrities for centuries, including Richard Wagner, Greta Garbo, Gore Vidal and D.H. Lawrence, who wrote Lady Chatterley’s Lover here. Ravello’s Duomo (Cathedral) and Villa Cimbrone (both 11th century) and Villa Rufolo (13th century) are all magnificent sights. The annual summer Ravello Festival began as a salute to Wagner’s music, but now showcases a wide range of music and arts.

Serving as the main port town for the island of the same name, the town of Ischia has been inhabited for centuries, famous for its beaches and the healing waters of its spas. The town is divided in two: Ischia Porto is the harbor district and commercial center of the island, filled with brightly lit taverns and bars, and Ischia Ponte, the historic quarter, with its ancient castle and its stone streets seemingly frozen in time.

The largest and many say most beautiful island in the Bay of Naples, Ischia is renowned for its curative spas. Ferries and hydrofoils connect Naples to Ischia Porto, the main town. Nearby at Ischia Ponte (connected to the main island by a foot bridge) are the magnificent Castello Aragonese and Guevara Tower. Forio on the island’s west coast, Lacco Ameno in the northwest and Sant’Angelo in the south are the liveliest resort towns. Casamicciola Terme in the north is one of Europe’s oldest spas.

The region of Campania curves around the bays of Naples and Sorrento, with towering Vesuvius and mountain ranges and massifs looming above. Ancient classical ruins are scattered throughout the region, from the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum to the Greek temples in Paestum. Popular resort towns include charming Sorrento and Amalfi, upscale Positano and haven for the elite, Ravello. For even more memorable sights, catch a ferry from Sorrento or Naples to the isle of Capri, home of the magical Blue Grotto.