Italian Cooking & Living takes us to the gulf of Naples, where the volcano Vesuvius stands guard.

Paolo travels 150 feet underground in Naples, where archeologists and scientists are preserving ancient aquifers and wells.

The underground caverns served as bomb shelters for 500,000 Neapolitans during WWII.

Paolo shows us a typical Neapolitan nativity scene-these figurines are world-renowned for their detail.

Nearby, there are the remains of a huge Roman amphitheatre. Paolo visits the "green room," where the performers used to rest before they went on stage.

In Oplontis, near Pompei and Ercolano, the Villa di Poppea is an excellent example of luxurious ancient Roman architecture.

Paolo and his friend Elia Fiorillo dine just like the ancient Romans would have at Il Principe restaurant in Pompei.

Il Principe's chef, Franco Aliberti, prepares a sweet and savory herbed ricotta spread.

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