Fontana del Ratto di Prosperina
Enna
Right on Piazza Crispi is this monumental creation commemorating Enna's most enduring ancient legend.
Must-see attractions in Southern Italy
Catania
The modest, neglected ruins of this Roman theatre, below street level in Piazza Stesicoro, are worth a quick look if you're passing by. Note that opening…
Bay of Naples
This noble house would originally have opened onto Cardo II (as yet unearthed). Its porticoed garden opens onto a triclinium (dining room) and other…
Naples
It's in this 16th-century palazzo that Neapolitan musician Carlo Gesualdo murdered his unfaithful wife, Maria d'Avalos, and her handsome lover, Don…
Capri
Ruined fort on Capri's west coast dating mainly from the early 19th century that acts as a landmark on the Sentiero dei Fortini trail.
Lecce
Facing Lecce's cathedral is the arched arcade loggia of the 15th-century Palazzo Vescovile, one-time residence of Neapolitan royalty and one of Lecce's…
Taranto
The gigantic rust-red 1930s Palazzo del Governo, inaugurated by Mussolini, is a forbidding and masculine structure, expressive of the fascist ideas of…
Taormina
Porta Messina was originally named Porta Ferdinanda when opened by Ferdinand IV of Bourbon in 1808. The occasion is commemorated in the plaque above the…
Basilicata
The ruins of Venosa's Roman colony of Venusia, founded in the 3rd century BC and birthplace of the poet Horace, can be accessed using your Museo…
Bari
Exhibits artefacts from the adjacent Basilica di San Nicola, including chalices, vestments, parchments, relics and paintings.
Matera
This impressive collection includes local Neolithic finds and some remarkable Greek pottery, such as the Cratere Mascheroni, a huge urn more than 1m high.
Catania
Designed by the great baroque architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini, this elegant 18th-century palazzo flanks the eastern edge of Piazza dell'Università.
Vieste
This esoteric shell museum has four rooms of fossils and molluscs, some enormous and all beautifully patterned and coloured. Note the seasonal opening…
Bay of Naples
Named after the elegant brick Corinthian columns that flank its main entrance, the House of the Large Portal is home to some well-preserved wall paintings.
Puglia
Explore the ruins of the ancient city of Cannae, scene of a famous battle between the Romans and a victorious Carthaginian army led by Hannibal in 216 BC.
Taormina
Located just west of the main square, Piazza IX Aprile, this 12th-century clock tower marks the entrance to Borgo Medievale, Taormina's oldest quarter.
Porta Marina Entrance & Ticket Office
Pompeii
One of two main entrances to the ruins of Pompeii, located an 80m walk south of the Pompei Scavi–Villa dei Misteri Circumvesuviana train station.
Bari
The Colonna della Giustizia (Column of Justice) is the place where debtors were once tied and lashed (in the less gentle days of the 16th century).
Ragusa
At the eastern end of the old town is the Giardino Ibleo, a pleasant public garden laid out in the 19th century that is perfect for a picnic lunch.
Marsala
Tapestry fans should check out this tiny museum displaying eight 16th-century Flemish tapestries, woven in Brussels for Spanish King Philip II.
Lecce
The graceful baroque structure next to Lecce's Basilica di Santa Croce, once a convent for Celestine monks, now houses the local government.
Agrigento
A little temple set on a high base, the Tomb of Theron dates to 75 BC, about 500 years after the death of Theron, Agrigento's Greek tyrant.
Pompeii
On the right as you enter the ruin's main entrance is the 1st-century BC Tempio di Venere, formerly one of the town's most opulent temples.
Vieste
Vieste's most gruesome sight is this worn and polished stone where thousands were beheaded when Turks sacked Vieste in the 16th century.
Taormina
Dating back to the 10th century, the crenellated, Arab-influenced Palazzo Corvaja houses the tourist office and occasional exhibitions.
Marsala
This lovely arcaded palazzo, formerly known as the Palazzo Senatorio (Senatorial Palace), is now Marsala's town hall.
Capri
The ruins of this medieval Saracen defence tower are located at the eastern end of Marina Piccola. It's not open for visits.
Syracuse
The elegant, 17th-century Palazzo Arcivescovile is home to the Biblioteca Alagoniana and some rare 13th-century manuscripts.
Syracuse
Syracuse's 'drawing room', Piazza Archimede is flanked by Catalan-Gothic palazzi, including Palazzo Lanza-Bucceri.
Paestum
Tempio di Cerere (6th century BC) was originally dedicated to Athena and served as a Christian church in medieval times.
Pompeii
A once-elegant ancient villa attributed to Marcus Arrius Diomedes, whose tomb lies opposite the monumental entrance.
Chiesa di Madre di Buon Consiglio
Naples
Chiesa di Madre di Buon Consiglio is a snack-sized replica of St Peter’s in Rome completed in 1960.
Syracuse
This 2nd-century Roman amphitheatre was originally used for gladiatorial combats and horse races.
Gallipoli
Now housing a cosmetics and fragrance shop, this beautifully decorated pharmacy dates to 1814.
