Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Welcome to Southern Italy
Italy's north may have the euros, but the south has the soul.
Beautifully sun-bleached, weathered and worn, this is Italy at its
most ancient, complex and seductive.
Cultural Riches
For millennia the crossroads of civilisations, southern Italy is littered with the legacies of
grand cultures, from the Greeks and Romans to the Saracens, Normans and Spanish. Chan-
nel the classics at the Greek temples of Segesta and Paestum, or on the chariot-grooved
streets of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Even older are the prehistoric
sassi
(cave dwellings)
of Matera, yet another of the south's wonders. Compare the Byzantine glitter of Sicily's
cathedrals to the darkness of Caravaggio's
Flagellazione
in Naples, then watch the region
outdo itself with some of the country's finest baroque.
Endless Feasting
Italy's south is a never-ending feast: bubbling, wood-fired pizza and potent espresso in
Naples; long, lazy lunches at vine-framed Pugliese farmhouses; freshly caught sardines on
Tyrrhenian islands; lavish, luscious pastries in chintzy
pasticcerie
(pastry shops). Go mush-
room hunting in the wilds of Calabria, taste-test your first red aubergine (eggplant) at an
heirloom trattoria in Basilicata, feast on fresh sea urchin on an Adriatic beach, or just kick
back with a glass of crisp local Falanghina as you debate who has the creamiest buffalo
mozzarella - Caserta, Paestum or Foggia?
A Warm Benvenuto
You'll rarely be short of a conversation south of Rome. Southern Italians are naturally curi-
ous, famously affable, and quick to share their opinion. Family and friends are sacred, and
time spent laughing, arguing or gossiping is as integral to southern life as lavish Sunday
lunches and long, hot summers. Here, simple questions will quickly turn into earnest con-
versations, while casual chats can easily transform into budding friendships. So pick up a
few local words, polish that smile, and don't be surprised if you head home with a string of
new life-long
amici
(friends).
