Promontorio del Gargano
On the former site of Lucera’s Great Mosque (itself built by the Saracens over an existing church as a symbol of conquest) Puglia’s only Gothic cathedral…
Must-see attractions in Southern Italy
Tyrrhenian Coast
Dating to 1484 but largely made over in the 17th century, this church is one of the major landmarks along Petralia Sottana's main street. The interior is…
Stromboli
Stromboli's black sandy beaches are the best in the Aeolian archipelago. The most accessible and popular swimming and sunbathing is at Ficogrande, a strip…
Vieste
This palaeo-Christian graveyard dating from the 4th to 6th centuries AD is 9km out of town. Inside the cave, tier upon tier of narrow tombs are cut into…
Capri
This giant natural cave on the Passeggiata del Pizzolungo was used by the Romans as a nymphaeum (shrine to the water nymph). You can still see traces of…
Trapani
The huge Cattedrale di San Lorenzo has a baroque facade and stuccoed interior. Constructed in 1421, the cathedral was modified dramatically over the…
Calabria
Housed in part of San Giovanni in Fiore's old abbey (the Abbazia Forense), the Museo Demologico exhibits tools from the town's strong artisan culture…
Catania
Escape the madding crowd and enjoy the fine views of Mt Etna from these lovely, if unkempt, gardens along Via Etnea. Speckled with lush foliage and…
Syracuse
In the northwestern corner of Piazza del Duomo is the Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco. While its origins are medieval, the baroque palace you see today is…
Reggio Calabria
Only two towers, restored in 2000, remain of the Aragonese Castle damaged by earthquake and partially demolished in 1922. The site is used for events and…
Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi
Located in the centre of the village, enjoy the cool decorative interior of this 17th-century parish church, famed for its polychrome marble altar, an…
Osservatorio Astronomico Sirio
Valle d’Itria
This observatory, connected to the Grotte di Castellana, has telescopes and solar filters that allow for maximum solar-system visibility. Guided visits in…
Promontorio del Gargano
Frederick II’s enormous castle shows just what a big fish Lucera once was in the Puglian pond. Built in 1233, it’s set on a rocky hillock surrounded by a…
Calabria
In town, the 16th-century Chiesa Matrice di San Giorgio, with its splendid baroque facade and dressed-up Madonnas, houses the tomb of Joachim Murat, the…
Lampedusa
This minuscule strip of sand squeezed between two rocky ledges gets crowded in a hurry, but makes a convenient place to swim if you're staying at the…
Gallipoli
Founded in 1878, this dusty museum of history and natural history is a 19th-century time capsule, featuring fish heads, ancient sculptures, a 3rd-century…
Praiano
In the upper village, the 16th-century Chiesa di San Luca features a colourful majolica floor, paintings by the 16th-century artist Giovanni Bernardo Lama…
Basilicata
Inside Venosa’s 15th-century Aragonese castle, this small archaeological museum exhibits finds from Roman Venusia and human bone fragments dating back 300…
Messina
Guarding Messina's harbour is the soaring golden statue of the Madonna della Lettera. A good spot to admire it and the harbour is from the seafront…
Lampedusa
On the island's southeastern edge, this cove with clear waters and a small sandy beach is conveniently close to Lampedusa town, though the rocky bottom…
Gela
Behind Gela's archaeological museum, you can see the scant remains of the city's ancient Greek acropolis. Adding little to the atmosphere are the belching…
Western Sicily
Just in from the waterfront, the ragged remains of Count Roger's Norman castle have definitely seen better days, but their forlorn ruination is…
Promontorio del Gargano
Dominated by a huge rose window, the Gothic Chiesa di San Francesco, contemporaneous with Lucera's cathedral, incorporates recycled materials from Lucera…
Cefalù
Apart from a few loose rocks and low crenellated walls, there is nothing left of Il Castello, a Norman castle built atop the old Arab citadel that once…
Stromboli
A major Stromboli landmark, San Vincenzo is the island's main church. In mid- to late afternoon, the square out front becomes a gathering point for…
Catania
Flanking the western edge of Piazza dell'Università, this handsome palazzo includes a courtyard designed by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini. The building…
Taormina
Perched atop Monte Tauro are the (inaccessible) ruins of this castle, built between the 11th and 12th centuries. The castle sits on the former site of…
Pompeii
One of Pompeii's ancient city gates, Porta Ercolano was designed with three passageways. While the central one was used for vehicles, the two peripheral…
Monasterio di Santa Lucia e Agata alla Civita
Matera
A Benedictine convent from the 14th- and 18th-centuries, this church is now used to celebrate civil marriages. The views across the Gravina are…
Agrigento
Upstairs at Monastero di Santo Spirito, the small Museo Civico is worth a quick visit as much for the views over the Valley of the Temples as its poorly…
Naples
Piazzetta Orefici is the main square of the Borgo Orefici, a small, labyrinthine district that has housed goldsmiths, silversmiths and jewellers since…
Naples
The starting point for the deadly plague of 1656, it was on this very square that more than 200 supporters of the ill-fated Parthenopean Republic of 1799…
Trapani
This golden-hued 18th-century palace – today a local government building so only viewable from the exterior – is one of Trapani's finest examples of…
Erice
This church is noteworthy for its pair of Renaissance sculptures by the Gagini family: Antonio Gagini's statue of St John the Baptist, and Antonello…
Chiesa della Santissima Trinità alla Badia
Tyrrhenian Coast
Just off the road to Petralia Soprana, this church, originally built as part of a 16th-century Dominican convent, boasts a handsome marble altarpiece…
Naples
Seat of Naples University's architecture faculty, this elegant 16th-century palazzo is one of the most significant examples of Renaissance architecture in…
Fontana del Ratto di Prosperina
Enna
Right on Piazza Crispi is this monumental creation commemorating Enna's most enduring ancient legend.
Syracuse
West of the Roman amphitheatre is the 3rd-century-BC Ara di Gerone II. This monolithic sacrificial altar was a kind of giant abattoir where 450 oxen could…
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…
