Posillipo takes its name from a Greek phrase meaning a pause from pain, and the Romans, who knew a good view when they saw one, covered the ridge with villas. It is the green promontory that divides the Bay of Naples from the Gulf of Pozzuoli, a hill of soft yellow tuff thrown up by the volcanoes of the Phlegraean Fields, and its western slope falls into the sea in cliffs and small coves. The Casale and Santo Strato district sits on the sea side of the hill, where terraced gardens, old walls and tiny ports survived the building boom that swallowed so much of Naples.
On the headland below, the Gaiola underwater park protects a small archipelago, and the fragments of Roman villas, including the ruins of the Pausilypon theatre cut into the rock, show what this coast looked like when rich Romans came for a holiday from Rome. The local stories are full of ghosts and curses, and the little Gaiola island has a name for bad luck among its owners.
Riding the coast of Posillipo is a slow, scenic thing. The Via Posillipo and the Via Francesco Petrarca follow the hillside with views over the bay to Vesuvius, Capri and Ischia, and the road winds between high garden walls. It is busy, and Neapolitan drivers expect a bike to keep up, so keep your wits and your lane. Evening is the time for it, when the light slants across the bay and the sea turns copper.
Practicality is simple, since this is a built-up part of Naples, and the nearby districts of Bagnoli and Fuorigrotta have pumps and bars. Parking along the coast is the hard part, so look for a space in the side streets and walk down to the water. Be careful with the bike and take anything valuable with you.
The ride list continues south to Punta Licosa in the Cilento, a wilder and quieter coast, and the contrast between the two is part of the pleasure.