Palermo
Housed in the lower floors and basements of 14th-century Palazzo Chiaromonte Steri, this fascinating museum explores the legacy of the Inquisition in…
Must-see attractions in Southern Italy
Tyrrhenian Coast
Originally constructed by the Normans in the 11th century, Caccamo's clifftop castle is one of the most dramatically sited in all of Sicily. Beyond the…
Chiesa di San Domenico Maggiore
Naples
Completed in 1324 on the orders of Charles I of Anjou, this was the royal church of the Angevins. Pietro Cavallini's frescoes in the Cappella Brancaccio…
Modica
The high point of a trip to Modica – quite literally as it's up in Modica Alta – is the Duomo di San Giorgio, one of Sicily's most extraordinary baroque…
Salerno & the Cilento
A giant among monasteries, even by Italian standards, the Certosa di San Lorenzo dates from 1306 and covers 250,000 sq metres. Numerologists can get a…
Chiesa Anime Sante del Purgatorio
Trapani
Just off the corso in the heart of the city, this church houses the impressive 18th-century misteri, 20 life-sized wooden effigies depicting the story of…
Naples
When Madonna and Child overload hits, reboot at Naples' museum of modern and contemporary art. In the lobby, French conceptual artist Daniel Buren sets…
Naples
When Ferdinand Acton, a minister at the court of King Ferdinand IV (1759–1825), asked Pietro Valente to design Villa Pignatelli in 1826, Valente whipped…
Palermo
This 17th-century chapel showcases the breathtaking stuccowork of Giacomo Serpotta, who famously introduced rococo to Sicilian churches. Note the…
Paestum
Facing the east side of the ruins, the Museo di Paestum houses a collection of much-weathered metopes (bas-relief friezes). Among these are originals from…
Basilica di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria
Salento
Most people come to Galatina to see the incredible 14th-century Basilica di Santa Caterina d’Alessandria. Its interior is a kaleidoscope of frescoes and…
Monastero dei Benedettini di San Nicolò l'Arena
Catania
This is one of Europe's largest monasteries and an example of the wealth enjoyed by the Benedictine order. Built in 1703 and now part of the city…
Noto
About halfway along Corso Vittorio Emanuele is the graceful Piazza Municipio, flanked by Noto's most dramatic buildings. To the north, sitting in stately…
Southeastern Sicily
On a huge plateau above the Valle dell'Anapo is the site of Sicily's most important Iron and Bronze Age necropolis, the Necropoli di Pantalica, with more…
Southeastern Sicily
Although its origins lie in the 15th century, the luminous church standing today was built between the mid-18th and late-19th centuries. Like many of…
Southeastern Sicily
Butting onto the ruins of Eloro is a wonderful stretch of wild coastline encompassing three separate marshes and a number of sandy beaches. The most…
Naples
In baroque-rich Naples, even staircases can be an event and the masterpiece gracing the courtyard of this palazzo is one of its most showstopping…
Museo Nazionale di Locri Epizephyrii
Calabria
Situated 3km south of modern-day Locri, the Greek colony of Locri Epizephyrii was founded in 680 BC, later subsumed by Rome and finally abandoned…
Riserva Naturale Saline di Trapani e Paceco
Western Sicily
Administered by the World Wildlife Fund, this nature reserve protects 1000 hectares of saline (salt pans), divided into two zones, extending from Trapani…
Ragusa
If you fancy snooping around the private digs of an aristocratic family, Domenico Arezzo offers guided tours of his family's palazzo, built between the…
Villaggio Preistorico di Capo Graziano
Filicudi
Follow the main road 10 minutes southeast of the port toward Capo Graziano, where a marked trail branches off and climbs 10 minutes further to the lichen…
Western Sicily
The eastern temples are the most stunning of all Selinunte's ruins, crowned by the majestic Temple E. Built in the 5th century BC and reconstructed in…
Basilica del Santissimo Salvatore
Noto
Situated towards the grand Porta Reale is the Basilica del Santissimo Salvatore. Its recently restored interior is the most impressive in Noto, crowned by…
Agrigento
The main feature of the western zone is the crumbled ruin of the Tempio di Giove. Covering an area of 112m by 56m with columns 20m high, this would have…
Amalfi
To the left of Amalfi’s cathedral porch, these magnificent Moorish-style cloisters, complete with the remnants of 13th-century frescoes, were built in…
Ragusa
Built in the bassi (working-class abodes) of a noble family's palazzo, this jewel-box theatre looks like a grand Italian opera house in miniature form…
Lipari
One of Lipari Town's great pleasures is simply wandering its streets, lapping up the laid-back island atmosphere. Lipari's liveliest street is Corso…
Lecce
Giuseppe Zimbalo's 1659 reconstruction of Lecce's original 12th-century cathedral is recognised as being among his finest work. Zimbalo, Lecce's famous…
Salina
Don't miss a trip to sleepy Pollara, sandwiched dramatically between the sea and the steep slopes of an extinct volcanic crater on Salina's western edge…
Naples
In a workshop with glue simmering on the hob and tools covering the walls, luthiers Salvatore Masiello and Michele Caiazza build mandolins under the warm…
Western Sicily
Crowning the summit of Monte Bàrbaro, this 3rd-century BC Greek theatre is Segesta’s most prominent ruin after its famous Doric temple. The theatre…
Punta Campanella Marine Reserve
Sorrento Peninsula
A popular diving destination, these protected waters are part of an 11-sq-km reserve that supports a healthy marine ecosystem, with flora and marine life…
Bay of Naples
Currently closed, the Villa dei Papiri was the most luxurious villa in Herculaneum. Owned by Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, Julius Caesar's father-in…
Western Sicily
Segesta's centrepiece is its remarkably well-preserved Doric temple, dating from around 430 BC. Standing in splendid isolation amid fields of wildflowers…
Palermo
The late-16th-century Oratory of St Lawrence features glorious stuccowork by master rococo sculptor Giacomo Serpotta. Capturing scenes from the lives of…
Ragusa
At the top end of the sloping Piazza Duomo is the town's pride and joy, the mid-18th-century cathedral with a magnificent neoclassical dome and stained…
Panarea
Dramatically sited on Punta Milazzese, an elevated headland surrounded by the sea, these round foundations of 22 stone huts are the only vestiges of a…
Salento
An aperture on the Ionian coast below Castro leads into the magnificent stalactite-festooned Cave of Zinzulusa, one of the most significant coastal…
Lecce
This fascinating museum outlines the Jewish history of Lecce and the greater Salento region. Entry is by 30-minute guided tour only, running every 45…
