Erice
This 12th- to 13th-century Norman castle was built over the Temple of Venus, long a site of worship for the ancient Elymians, Phoenicians, Greeks and…
Must-see attractions in Southern Italy
Western Sicily
This museum on San Pantaleo island, 10km north of Marsala, houses a unique collection of Phoenician artefacts assembled over decades by amateur…
Museo del Succorpo della Cattedrale
Bari
This subterranean museum beneath Bari cathedral reveals well-preserved remnants of an ancient Christian basilica and various Roman ruins. This fascinating…
Parco Nazionale dell'Aspromonte
Calabria
Most Italians think of the Parco Nazionale dell’Aspromonte as a hiding place used by Calabrian kidnappers in the 1970s and ’80s. It’s still rumoured to…
Naples
Parco di Capodimonte makes for a blissful chill, with lakes, a wood and various 18th-century buildings, including former royal porcelain workshop Palazzo…
Tropea
Tropea's number-one photo opp is Santa Maria dell'Isola, a medieval monastic church given several facelifts over centuries of wear and tear (mainly…
Lipari
Down near Lipari's southwesternmost tip, this high perch commands unparalleled views south to Vulcano (backed by Mt Etna on a clear day), and west into a…
Central Sicily
Of the rooms on the northern side of the peristyle, the most interesting is a dining room featuring a hunting mosaic called the Little Hunt – 'little'…
Western Sicily
Virtually the symbol of Selinunte, Temple C is the oldest temple on the site, built in the middle of the 6th century BC. The stunning metopes found by…
Museo della Mandorla Siciliana
Mediterranean Coast
Located in a restored Favara mansion, this interesting museum showcases the importance of the humble almond to Sicily. Exhibits are well labelled in both…
Lipari
After the pirate Barbarossa rampaged through in 1544, murdering most of Lipari's men and enslaving the women, the island's Spanish overlords fortified…
Naples
Ferdinando Sanfelice’s debut staircase is this double-ramped diva inside the Palazzo Sanfelice. Upon its completion in 1726 it became the talk of the town…
Chiesa dei Santi Nicolò e Cataldo
Lecce
The beautiful church of Saints Nicolò and Cataldo, located in the monumental cemetery outside the city walls, was built by the Normans in 1180. It got…
Sorrento Peninsula
A spectacular beach at the tip of the Punta Penna peninsula south of Sorrento, Ieranto is reached via a walking path that starts in the village of Nerano…
Naples
Recalling Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Naples' most famous 19th-century arcade is a breathtaking pairing of richly adorned neo-Renaissance fronts…
Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata
Noto
The fantastical facade of this 18th-century palace wows with its wrought-iron balconies, supported by a swirling pantomime of grotesque figures. Inside,…
Salina
Tumbling down the hillside to a small shingle beach, this settlement on Salina's north coast is the island's largest, though you'd never guess it from the…
Museo della Scultura Contemporanea
Matera
The setting of this fabulous museum of contemporary sculpture – deeply recessed caves and the frescoed rooms of the 16th-century Palazzo Pomarici – is as…
Salina
Salina's main port, Santa Marina is a typical island settlement with steeply stacked whitewashed houses rising up the hillside. The principal street is…
Tropea
There are spectacular views from this rocky cape, around 7km south of Tropea, with its beaches, ravines and limestone sea cliffs. Birdwatchers' spirits…
Cilento Coast
Santa Maria’s golden sandy beach stretches for around 4km, which equals plenty of towel space on the sand, even in midsummer.
Agrigento
The 5th-century-BC Temple of Hera is also known as the Tempio di Giunone (Temple of Juno). Though partly destroyed by an earthquake in the Middle Ages,…
Matera
For a great photograph of the sassi, take the Taranto–Laterza road (SS7) and follow signs for the chiese rupestri. This road takes you to the Belvedere,…
Capri
Anacapri’s chief building is famous for its handsome floor, a veritable work of art depicting the Adam and Eve story in multicoloured tiles. So masterful…
Lecce
The beautifully restored 15th-century Monastery of Santa Chiara houses this civic museum and gallery, and has a great view of the Roman theatre from the…
Lecce
A notable 15th-century church given a baroque makeover between 1687 and 1691, Santa Chiara is one of the most important and admired churches in Lecce…
Paestum
The so-called basilica (a temple to the goddess Hera) is Paestum’s oldest surviving monument. Dating from the middle of the 6th century BC, it’s a…
Cilento Coast
The town’s main beach stretches for around 4km north of the centre. There is another more sheltered curve of sand abutting Palinuro’s postcard-pretty…
Taranto
The 11th-century cathedral is one of Puglia's oldest Romanesque buildings and an extravagant treat. It's dedicated to San Cataldo, an Irish monk who lived…
Cilento Coast
Another Cilento stunner, Acciaroli’s main beach has sand, space, a Blue Flag rating and easy access to the historic town at its southern end. Water and…
Central Sicily
Just off the southern end of the Ambulacro della Grande Caccia, in the Sala delle Dieci Ragazze, is the villa's most famous mosaic. It depicts nine …
Tyrrhenian Coast
Turquoise waters lap this gorgeous beach to the east of the point at Capo d'Orlando. Framed by rocky outcrops, with a mix of sand and pebbles and gorgeous…
Museo Archeologico Eoliano (Sezione Classica)
Lipari
Highlights here include finds from Lipari's 11th-century-BC necropolis, including a sizeable collection of burial urns, a staggering array of amphorae…
Calabria
Italy’s largest national park, the Pollino National Park, straddles Basilicata and Calabria. It acts like a rocky curtain separating the region from the…
Western Sicily
Built in the 5th century BC and reconstructed in 1958, the majestic Temple E stands out among Selinunte's eastern group due to its completeness. As you…
Museo Archeologico Eoliano (Sezione Preistorica)
Lipari
Housed in the Palazzo Vescovile (Bishop's Palace) next to the Cattedrale and displaying a plethora of artefacts in chronological order that provide a…
Central Sicily
The main part of the villa is centred on the peristyle, a vast covered courtyard lined with amusing animal heads. This is where guests would have been…
Capri
This pebble beach is home to the island's most popular beach club (entry €20), where you can swim amid the ruins of a Roman villa. It's a 10-minute walk…
Promontorio del Gargano
One of Italy's largest national parks, a place of sweeping coast and deep, ancient forests, sits on the spur of southern Italy in Puglia, jutting out into…
Central Sicily
The palaestra wows with a splendid, sweeping mosaic depicting a chariot race at the Circus Maximus in Rome (the room is also known as the Salone del Circo…
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