Most bars in Naples are really cafés, which is too bad because it means there are fewer places to sample the memorable wines of Campania. If you see anything on a wine list from Luigi Maffini—especially his white Kratos, made from Fiano Di Avellino grapes—drink it. The most striking Campanian red is named after a New York City cop: Serpico, by Feudi di San Gregorio, is an intense, sublime aglianico. Two notable wine bars have recently sprung up: Berevino, a dark contemporary space near the Piazza Dante and the Piazza Bellini (62 Via San Sebastiano; 290-313), and Enoteca Belledonne, in Chiaia (18 Vico Belledonne a Chiaia; 403-162).

Procida
La Casa Sul Mare is located within a string of fishermen's houses atop the Marina di Corricella. The color scheme is simple and the furnishings comfortable, but the balconies and views are out of this world. Breakfast is served in a small garden looking out over the port (896-8799; lacasasulmare.it; doubles, $146—$247). The top budget choice is the peaceful La Rosa dei Venti, on the north shore, just down from the beach where Il Postino was filmed. The proprietor, Gianni Scotto di Carlo, also runs a dive operation from the Marina Chiaiolella. He'll take you to the best site: a wall on the shore opposite Corricella (896-8385; vacanzeaprocida.it; doubles, $74–$118).

The pink-stone La Gorgonia is the pick of the lot in the Corricella marina. Order the bruschetta with octopus and a bottle of Kratos (810-1060; entrées, $15-$22). Scarabeo is set in a lemon grove outside the Marina Grande. The proprietress cooks with vegetables from her garden and rabbits raised on the grounds (10 Via Salette; 896-9918; entrées, $18–$20). Take a boat to La Conchiglia, just across the water from Corricella. The setting—a deserted black sand beach—is as magnificent as the seafood (10 Via Pizzaco; 896-7602; entrées, $12–$14).

Reading
Dan Hofstadter's Falling Palace: A Romance of Naples is weak on plot but strong on atmosphere. His tale of a lovesick American bewitched by the city—and by a woman in it—is useful preparation for Naples (Knopf, $24). Naples '44 is Norman Lewis's account of his Neapolitan experiences while working for British intelligence after World War II. Remarkably, much of what he describes hasn't changed in the ensuing years (Carroll & Graf, $14). Così Fan Tutti sends Michael Dibdin's detective, Aurelio Zen, into the dark heart of Naples (Faber and Faber, $11). The pocket-size Footprint Naples is wonderfully helpful and portable ($12).