Acheloo travels: Happy New Year with our itineraries

Acheloo travels: Happy New Year with our itineraries: "The Nativity After Christmas holidays, we are preparing for the New Year Party. Some people have decided to spend the last day of th..."

Happy New Year with our itineraries

The Nativity

After Christmas holidays, we are preparing for the New Year Party. Some people have decided to spend  the last day of the year abroad or in the most important Italian cities, others prefer to stay home with their families. For those who remain in Italy for all those who decide to spend New Year's Eve in Naples and surrounding areas, we dedicate a series of tips on what to do and what to visit, away from the usual confusion, preferring something “unusual”.

We want to propose two particular itineraries. We speak about: a visit to the “Forgotten Nativity", and about "Aeterno Flore"

Handmade Nativity is an old Neapolitan tradition . Many have been the artists who carved little masterpieces of art, representing the characters of the crib. Among all we remember an Italian artist of the eighteenth century: Sammartino, who carved also the sculpture of the Veiled Christ. Many of the "works" of Sammartino, are kept in the Museum of  Certosa di San Martino.

It is from there that our guide Ludovica will take you to discover the origins, the curiosities and the secrets of the Neapolitan crib, "observing the city from top to bottom!"  La Certosa, in fact, was a monastery built by Charles of Anjou in 1325, on the hilltop overlooking the Gulf and the city. Today the building is a museum.

The “Aeterno Flore” is instead a guided visit in the mysterious athmosphere of the catacombs of San Gennaro. The guides are some actors playing the life of Ianuarius and telling old stories and anecdotes. This visit can be booked till January the 8th and take place only in the evening.
For those who do not want to stay in Naples, and prefers to see something different, we advice a romantic evening walk in the centre of Salerno, to admire the spectacular exposition of luminous artworks: "Luci d'artista", that enchant visitors until January.
Do not hesitate to contact us for any information.
HAPPY 2011 TO EVERYONE!

Acheloo travels: Naples again

Acheloo travels: Naples again: "Acheloo viaggi - Maschio Angioino, Naples After all the news and videos circulated about “Rubbish” in Naples, we were not sure if it wa..."

Naples again

Acheloo viaggi - Maschio Angioino, Naples

After all the news and videos circulated about “Rubbish” in Naples,  we were not sure if it was a good idea to continue to talk about the city, its monuments and wonderful views, about what to do and where to visit in this special Christmas period.

But we thought it was correct, on our part,  to continue our "walk" through the streets of the downtown area, it seemed we were "betraying" Naples, victim of such unpleasant situation, if we did not . We are sure that everyone will understand and not condemn our city, and will continue to choose to spend a weekend in Campania, despite everything.

Today we walk from the old town to Piazza Plebiscito. We will pass monuments and churches where hidden and unexpected treasures are still unknown to most tourists.

We start from Piazza del Gesù, where we can admire on the left of the square, the beauty of the Renaissance and Baroque basilica of Gesù Nuovo contrasting, on the right, with the austerity of the Gothic Santa Chiara church. Inside, there are the remains of some frescoes by Giotto, the wonderful Majolica cloister, and the excavations of ancient Roman baths. The complex Santa Chiara was built between 1313-1340 by King Robert of Naples, whose tomb is inside the basilica, and Queen Sancha of Majorca.
Before leaving Piazza del Gesù, we have to look at "Spaccanapoli", the street that traverses the old, historic centre of the city, dividing it in two parts. Spaccanapoli is one of the typical streets, combining traditional Neapolitan art and culture. Local craft shops, rich pastries, the famous workshops in S. Gregorio Armeno street, bars and old libraries, monuments and churches, make it one of the most vibrant and lively streets in the city. From Piazza del Gesù, passing through via Medina, we arrive at Piazza Municipio: here, wherever you turn your eyes, you can see spectacular monuments and buildings of great artistic value. From the majestic “New Castle”, the Royal Palace, the Gallery Umberto, the Theatre San Carlo, Piazza Plebiscito, and the church of San Francesco di Paola.
Looking up towards the hill overlooking Piazza Municipio, we see the fortress and the museum of San Martino, and finally, between the chaos of works and excavations at the subway, we can see the ruins of the ancient port of the 1st century AD, with a pier of limestone.
But we will talk about all this next time

Acheloo travels: Christmas time

Acheloo travels: Christmas time: " San Gregorio Armeno st. At Acheloo travels we are very busy during these days, preparing our windows for Christmas: colored lights, an ..."

Christmas time



San Gregorio Armeno st.

At Acheloo travels we are very busy during these days, preparing our windows for Christmas: colored lights, an original Christmas tree and  so many offers to propose to our customers during this holiday period. This time we want to offer our readers something different, a return to our origins and lost traditions. A walk back in the past to find the colors, smells, tastes and sounds of Christmas in Naples streets beginning from the end of November.

We start our visit from the heart of Christmas market in Naples in Via San Gregorio Armeno: the historic center of the ancient Greco-Roman city, the largest historic center in Europe (1,700 hectares), listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, with 27 centuries of history, and more than 400 churches! Along this narrow street, a series of workshops expose and sell outside on the street, all kinds of shepherds, and all the accessories and objects necessary for the scene of nativity. In some shops, it is also possible to assist at artisans’ work, while assembling and painting their handmade shepherds.

At the end of the street of San Gregorio Armeno, we reach the little square in front of the Basilica of San Lorenzo, dating back 1200. Beneath San Lorenzo, about half of an original Roman market has been excavated . In this area each corner, each stone, each building tells a story: Naples underground, the ruins of the Roman theatre inserted into the walls of the buildings, the church of  "anime pezzentelle" (“poor souls”)


At lunchtime, the return to origins, brings us to the "Cantina", a sort of canteen. At the beginning of the century, in the old wineries in Naples, people could buy wine and they could spend some time sitting at a table with friends, eating something with a glass of wine. Today these sort of wineries are very few , but they are the only places where you can try popular dishes of the ancient Naples, eating in a warm and homely everyday atmosphere, in the heart of the city.

Contact us for information about this itinerary

Why you have to travel with Acheloo Travels????

Naples at night

Why should you choose Acheloo as a tour operator for your trip to Italy, and to Campania??? We do not have a "resonant" name, we are not part of all those important company known throughout the world of tourism, we do not "cover" all tourist destinations worldwide ... we have never done any advertising and we do not have our catalogs in travel agencies. Why should you entrust to us?? Just because we do not like mass tourism, because we do not offer the usual vacation or weekend, but we want to create with you a unique product and which is never the same. As the big names in high fashion, we do not sell "prêt-à-porter tourism", but products that are sewn on to those who order them, at competitive prices because our organization is formed by all those people who work with important brands . This means that if you choose to travel with us, you will buy the product directly to the source without passing through an intermediary. It will be like buying your clothes at the factory without going to the store. You will talk directly to the sewers that will sew your itinerary with patience, choosing the same paths sold by all the most famous tour operators dealing with the product "Campania", but using a different "cotton". We want to introduce you to our beautiful region not only from its beauties, but from its "human heart" with all its lights and shadows, telling the truth of this land that is charm and sorrow, tears and happy smiles, that can be heaven and hell ......  A place often hated, but that can only be loved at the end ...

Acheloo travels: About us

Acheloo travels: About us: "


 Acheloo is a tour operator and a concierge company, located in the South of Italy, 30 km far from Naples, that provides Corp..."

Why Acheloo???

When we decided to open our travel agency, we wanted a name that could be easily recognized and remembered. We looked for a name with a deep meaning, which could represent our strong desire to be on the market as the best one! We wanted a name with an historical meaning linked to the place.

Why we choosed Acheloo? Who is that?

Acheloo was a minotaur and the patron deity of the Acheloos River, which is the largest river of Greece, and thus the chief of all river deities. In the past, in fact  he was the patron deity of the Abella river, an old village near the place where we are.

History says that he was also suitor of Deianeira, Heracles' wife. Acheloo turned himself into a bull to fight against Heracles for Deianeira, but Heracles tore off one of his horns and forced the god to surrender. Heracles gave Acheloo's horn to the Naiads, who transformed it into the cornucopia.

For all these reasons, Acheloo represents perfectly, our strong desire to realize our projects, and his cornucopia is a symbol of fortune for us....

No other name could be better  than this!

Hi to everybody from Italy




 Hi to everyboby!

First of all I want to introduce ourselves. This is the English version of our Italian blog. We are a travel agency and a tour operator, founded in April 2004, located in the South of Italy, not far from Naples, with a deep experience in tourism and incoming in the best places of Italy.

Through this blog, we want to inform you  about our services. We will give you useful tips to travel in safety in Italy, as well as advices and curiosities about the most beautiful places to visit in our region and all over our peninsula, about our amazing landscapes, our history and traditions.

We love to travel. For this reason, first of our services is to make a trip unforgettable because we plan everything according to customers’ taste and needs. We take care of them in the phase of organization and during their vacation, ready to respond also if they are on the other side of the world. We never let them alone.

So, do not miss the appointment with our blog: together we will explore the fascinating world of tourism in Italy and abroad.