Naples & the Amalfi Coast photography guide

While Naples is a year-round destination, timing your visit to the Amalfi Coast is important. Many hotels, restaurants and attractions are closed from November until Easter. Due to the heat and the traffic it’s best to avoid July and August. Spring and autumn are wonderful in this region – spring for the swathes of bright wildflowers and autumn for warm seas and bountiful seasonal produce including mushrooms, black truffles and chestnuts.

While the Amalfi Coast is safe, unfortunately the same cannot be said with 100% confidence for Naples. Most tourists come and go without any problems and if you stay in the major tourist spots in the city, that will likely be your experience as well. Still there are areas that are worth a visit, such as some of the open markets or the old neighbourhoods of Forcella or the “Quartieri Spagnoli”, which are less safe areas. Criminality rate is high and you should take extra care for your personal safety and your belongings. Here are some tips to avoid entering an area with your camera and coming out without it:

1-Don’t go deep into Forcella or the “Quartieri Spagnoli” or other poor neighbourhoods. Stay at their periphery.

2 - Go with someone else if possible. 

3- Never carry unnecessary high value belongings with you or wear eye catching watches or jewellery

4- Keep your wallet and camera equipment in a safe place (your pocket, even if zipped, is not a safe place). 

5- When you have the camera in your hands don’t let motorbikes or scooters to come too close to you. Even if it’s in a bag or a backpack they are very skilled in taking it off you. 

Tripods are NOT allowed in any of the churches and archaeological sites of the whole area. Of course you may always ask if they will allow you. If you are told no, please be respectful of the rules. In this guide, even if you see a spot where ‘tripods are allowed’, please consider that in Italy tripods are officially NOT permitted on public soil all across the country, still policemen usually don't mind if you are not disturbing the traffic, at times they may just ask you to put your tripod away. Commercial photographers are required to apply for a photography permit and sometimes the use of a tripod is seen as an indicator of being 'professional'. In VERY RARE cases I’ve heard of photographers being fined for the use of a tripod, but in my experience, not in this area.

A drone can be used for non-professional use in some non-urban areas. Please consider that drone regulations are rapidly changing in Italy. At the moment you don’t need a permission to fly a drone that weighs less than 250gr, like the DJI Mini Mavic or similar. Still you can’t fly over people and you are always responsible in case of accident.