Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
book directories devoted solely to
agriturismi,
or try
www.agriturismo.it
or
www.agriturismo.net
(also good for self-ca-
tering apartments and villas).
Unique to southern Italy,
masserie
are large farms or estates, usually built around a fortified watchtower, with plenty
of surrounding accommodation to house workers and livestock. Many have been converted into luxurious hotels,
agrit-
urismi,
or holiday apartments. A
masseria
isn't necessarily old: sometimes new buildings built around similar principles
are called
masserie
.
B&Bs are a burgeoning sector of the southern accommodation market and can be found in both urban and rural set-
tings. Options include everything from restored farmhouses, city
palazzi
and seaside bungalows to rooms in family
houses. Tariffs per person cover a wide range, from about €30 to €100. For more information, contact
Bed & Breakfast
Italia
(
www.bbitalia.it
).
Camping
Italians go camping with gusto and most facilities in Campania, Puglia, Calabria and Sicily (less so in Basilicata, where
camping options are few and far between) include swimming pools, restaurants and supermarkets. With hotel prices
shooting up in July and August, camping grounds can be a great option, especially since many have enviable seaside
locations.
Charges often vary according to the season, peaking in July and August, when accommodation should be booked well
in advance. Typical high-season prices range from €10 to €20 per adult, free to €12 for children and from €5 to €25 for a
site.
Many camping grounds offer the alternative of bungalows or even simple, self-contained flats. In high season, some
only offer deals for stays of a week or longer.
Most camping grounds operate only in high season, which is roughly April to October (in many cases June to
September only).
Lists of camping grounds are available from local tourist offices or online - try
www.campeggi.com
,
www.camping.it
or
www.italcamping.it
.
Major bookshops also sell the annual
Campeggi e Villaggi turistici
(Camping and Holiday Villages, €14.90), a list of
Italian, Corsican, French, Spanish and Croatian camp grounds published by Touring Club Italiano (TCI).
OFFBEAT ACCOMMODATION
Looking for something out of the ordinary? Southern Italy offers a number of sleeping options that you won't
find anywhere else in the world.
»
In Naples, spend a regal night or two in the aristocratic
palazzo
of a powerful Bourbon bishop. Now the
Decu-
mani Hotel de Charme
(
081 551 81 88;
www.decumani.it
; Via San Giovanni Maggiore Pignatelli 15; s
€99-124, d €99-164;
;
R2 to Via Mezzocannone), it comes complete with a sumptuous baroque
salon.
»
Down near Italy's heel, rent a
trullo
, one of the characteristic whitewashed conical houses of southern Puglia
(
Click here
)
.
»
On the island of Pantelleria (
Click here
), halfway between Sicily and Africa, sleep in a
dammuso
(traditional
house with thick, whitewashed walls and a shallow cupola).
