Southern Italy - Italia meridionale

southern Italy

State	Italy
Surface	73,223 km²
Inhabitants	15.066.151 (31-05-2012)
Institutional website

southern Italy is a subdivision of the national territory grouping 5 Italian regions: Campania, Molise, Puglia, Basilicata (sometimes also called Lucania) is Calabria.

To know

The definition southern Italy it should not be confused with that of South of Italy, socioeconomic which is used to indicate southern Italy and insular Italy as a whole. To indicate the southern part of the peninsula, various poetic names were used in classical times such as Ausonia, which initially indicated only the territory inhabited by the Aurunci, an Oscan population, and Hesperia, literally "territory located to the west" with respect to Greece.

Geographical notes

Southern Italy borders to the north with Lazio is Abruzzo, to the east with the Adriatic Sea, to the west with the Tyrrhenian Sea, to the south with the Ionian Sea.

Territories and tourist destinations

Basilicata - Despite its relatively small size, the region offers well differentiated landscapes and morphological aspects; mountains and valleys a bit far from the main traffic lines, different coasts as are the seas that surround it: with hills often overlooking the sea in the short coastal stretch of the Tyrrhenian Sea to the east; with wide sandy beaches on the Ionian coast to the south. In its more distant past, the Greek cities that colonized the Ionian coast above all shine: Metaponto, Heraclea, Siri. They transmitted to the local population of the Lucanians, who arrived from the north and integrated with the Hellenic populations, a certainly superior and very refined civilization. Lucania the region was officially called for a certain period even in modern times. Incorporated into the Roman dominions, Lucania never shone with its own light. Lombards and Byzantines succeeded each other in its domain, until the Normans in the eleventh century created a Melfi their center of power. Melfi remained close to the Normans even after the transfer of the capital of their kingdom to Palermo. Basilicata was born as a regional name with the Byzantines (from Βασιλέυσ - Basileus). Over time it entered the shadows, isolated and closed in on itself, without ever being the protagonist of the events of history. Crossed by turmoil of the Risorgimento, it was finally united with the new nation, Italy.

Metaponto and the area of Siri (Siritide) are the archaeological areas that have provided a large amount of evidence and finds. In addition to the Greek remains, the Roman amphitheater of Venous. In the following centuries the local art was influenced by Puglia, Campania, Sicily, and from across the Alps from France. For the Romanesque, the abbey of the Holy Trinity of Venous and the Cathedral of Acerenza. The Cathedral of Matera has Apulian characters. Sicilian influences are legible in the castle of Lagopesole, gothic in the cathedral of Rapolla, the Cathedral of Atella, the bell tower of the Cathedral of Irsina, the church of San Giovanni a Matera. Finally, Lucanian Baroque art is completely attributable to the Neapolitan school.

In addition to the centers mentioned, of pre-eminently cultural interest, there are also the cities of seaside tourism; of greater and more tested development Maratea and its coastline on the Tyrrhenian coast, driven by the development of the structures of the nearby coasts bells is Calabrians; on the Ionian coast the equipment of Siri, Policoro is Metaponto, which combine the nascent tourism of the beaches with the cultural interests of the important archaeological area where the colonies of Magna Graecia arose.

Calabria — Reggio, Crotone, Sybaris they were rich colonies of Magna Graecia in the VII-VI century BC. Subjugation to the Romans led to complete Romanization, and to the fall of the empire Calabria was subject to the Byzantines. At the end of this historical period, the territory was partly subjected to the Duchy of Benevento, then to that of Salerno. Even the Saracens entered its history, which recalls the numerous and cruel raids. The Normans (XI-XII century) unified the territory, followed by Svevi, Angioini, Aragonesi; its historical events followed the fate of the southern kingdom until Unity.

The ancient art of the Calabrian cities is abundantly testified by numerous finds and architectural remains in the excavations of Locri, Sybaris, Vibo Valentia. The Museum of Reggio Calabria boasts the famous statues of the Riace's bronzes from the 5th century BC, masterpieces of ancient art that have come down to us in exceptional good conservation conditions. The long belonging to the Byzantine Empire has influenced the especially religious architecture in its cities; there are also numerous contributions from the Basilian monks. Subsequently, the Gothic period is fairly represented, for example in the cathedral of Cosenza. The Renaissance left in its churches some works by Antonello da Messina a Reggio and Vivarini a Morano Calabro. Well represented is the Neapolitan baroque in churches, baronial palaces, monasteries such as the Certosa di Serra San Bruno.

The seaside sector has great tourist importance, which takes advantage of beaches and seas (Tyrrhenian and Ionian) generous with intense views, clear waters with colors and almost atmospheres tropical.

Campania - Between the Apennines and the Tyrrhenian Sea, the region is known above all for its coastal strip, where the most famous seaside centers are located (Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi), on the peninsula that on one side encloses the gulf of Naples, and is called Sorrento Peninsula, and on the other that of Salerno, where it is called Amalfi Coast; where islands of great name are seen (Ischia, Procida, Capri); where the large conurbation of Naples and its hinterland that embraces all around with a wild urbanization the even more famous Vesuvius, and a little further below Salerno, the second city of Campania.

Cuma, Naples, Paestum they were Greek cities; Capua Etruscan then allied itself with the Romans, who quickly incorporated the whole region. When the Roman Empire fell, the Lombards took part of the territory (Capua, Benevento), while the rest were Byzantine. Amalfi became a Maritime Republic and confronted three other famous Italian maritime cities: Genoa, Pisa is Venice. The Normans, who first settled in the stronghold of Aryan (along the Apennines), they soon succeeded in reunifying all the Campania lands by founding a monarchy. Later the region followed the fate of the kingdom of Sicily, which later became the kingdom of Naples and then of the Two Sicilies, to finally land in the kingdom of Italy with the Unification.

It is rich in testimonies of absolute importance from the classical age (Pompeii, Paestum, Herculaneum, Cuma, Pozzuoli, Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Benevento). Between the 11th and 13th centuries it was equipped with prestigious castles, churches and cathedrals: Amalfi, Ariano Irpino, Capua, Caserta Old, Ravello, Salerno, Sant'Angelo in Formis, Sessa Aurunca.

Molise - Last born among the Italian regions (it broke away fromAbruzzo in 1963), he lives a bit far from the news and from the national limelight. Not for this reason it lacks charm both for the natural beauties and for the artistic and urban heritage that it preserves in its cities: Campobasso, Termoli, Isernia, Larino, Bojano, Trivento, Venafro, Agnone. The Samnites, its ancient inhabitants, long opposed the expansionist aims of Rome, until they succumbed. The Roman centers overlapped its cities; both have left important vestiges, in greater concentration a Pietrabbondante it's at Sepino. Its short Adriatic coast, about thirty kilometers, is developing a good tourist organization; the centers of Termoli, Campomarino, Marina of Montenero is Marina di Petacciato. In the region some countries perpetuate the ancient Albanian language, the language of the people who some centuries ago fled from the Turkish invasion ofAlbania to find refuge on this side of the Adriatic: Campomarino, Ururi, Montecilfone and Portocannone.

Puglia - The Greek colonies and the Messapian cities, Romans, Byzantines, Lombards, Franks, Normans, Aragonese, Spaniards: many civilizations have followed one another in the region, and all have left deep traces. There are many prehistoric dolmens and menhirs found in its territories, as are the remains of the Greek colonies and then of the Roman cities. Canes of the Battle, Egnazia is Ordona are three Roman archaeological sites of great importance. Apulian art reaches a great stature by expressing the Romanesque cathedrals (a Bari the Duomo and San Nicola, as well as the cathedrals of Barletta, Bitonto, Bitetto, Molfetta, Ruvo di Puglia, Trani, Troy). Clearly oriental influences, in this land so linked since ancient times to the countries of the Levant, with which it has always had very frequent economic and commercial relations, are visible in the cathedrals of Bovine, Foggia, in Santa Maria Maggiore a Monte Sant'Angelo, in Santa Maria and in San Leonardo di Siponto a Manfredonia. The cathedrals of Taranto and of Otranto. But Puglia does not only have an abundance of religious art. Its cities retain a series of important fortifications, made necessary to face the continuous threat of Turkish raids; thus the castles of Bari, Delicacy, Gioia del Colle, Lucera. Most famous of all is Castel del Monte, reproduced in Italian one-cent coins; it is also the most castle mysterious, observed and investigated in a thousand ways by several scholars who attribute esoteric suggestions to it. Lecce finally, it is a unique expression of an entirely local Baroque art: churches, palaces, architecture of a Baroque style that is so striking, but not excessive because it is wisely and harmoniously elegant. Alongside the most noble art, Puglia also boasts a particular aspect, a unique and fascinating popular architecture: i trulli of Alberobello, famous all over the world.They contrast with the boundless expanses of sunny countryside of the Tavoliere, scattered with isolated farms (in Puglia large urban agglomerations develop, while the countryside is not heavily man-made as in other regions), the seaside resorts on the 'Adriatic and Ionian, in continuous development and increasingly frequented by tourism, which is mainly in the Gargano is in the Salento the best equipped stations.

Urban centers

Cathedral of San Sabino in Bari

Lecce - Santa Croce

Salerno Cathedral

Bari - Capital of Puglia, it has a solid mercantile - entrepreneurial tradition and has always been a nerve center in the field of trade and political-cultural contacts with Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Its port is the largest passenger port of the Adriatic Sea. The basilica of San Nicola, the cathedral of San Sabino, the Norman-Swabian castle qualify its historic center.
Toast - The city has historically played an important commercial and cultural role, due to its fortunate position towards the East and its natural harbor, which still exists, on the Adriatic Sea. It preserves interesting Romanesque and Romanesque-Gothic buildings of worship.
Campobasso - Capital of Molise, in the historic center around the castle that dominates the city collects numerous testimonies of different historical periods, from the thirteenth-century church of San Leonardo, to the fifteenth-century Monforte castle, and the neoclassical cathedral of the Holy Trinity.
Catanzaro - It extends over three hills and has a budding on the Ionian coast with the seaside district of Catanzaro Lido. It is the administrative capital of the Calabria.
Foggia - City of modern appearance, it is the capital of the Capitanata, in the center of the Tavoliere. It is the crossroads of important trade routes and is the economic hub of the northern area of the region. Its cathedral, of Romanesque structure with influences from the East, was rebuilt in the eighteenth century, whose taste marks the interior.
Lecce - The city, capital of the Salento, is a triumph of Baroque architecture that makes it one of the most valuable art centers in the south. In addition to the ubiquitous Baroque, the districts of the sixteenth-century center bring together evidence of the Messapian, Roman and medieval periods; The richness and variety of its artistic heritage have made it baptized Southern Florence.
Naples - With its panoramic gulf, the Vesuvius and the ancient ones Pompeii ed Herculaneum the city is famous all over the world. Capital of Campania, it is rightly the capital of southern peninsular Italy. Its predominance during the reign of Naples has left a very strong cultural imprint throughout the south, as well as a noble and sumptuous character of the capital in its urban planning. To the scenic downtown districts, the ones we can call of representation, alongside the popular neighborhoods that show characteristic views and ways of life on which stories, books, films, studies, essays, discussions have been produced in abundance.
Power - Capital and main center of Basilicata, it is a commercial city, an industrial but also an agricultural center, with a medieval core in which the Cathedral and the churches of San Francesco and San Michele stand out.
Reggio Calabria - Front Messina extending into Sicily beyond the strait, with which it forms an integrated metropolitan area. Also devastated by Messina earthquake of the early twentieth century, the city today is the result of reconstruction, carried out even after the heavy bombing it was subjected to during the last war.
Salerno - The city was the capital of the Lombard Principality of the same name and therefore of the Norman Duchy of Puglia and Calabria which included a large part of the continental South. It was the original nucleus of the future Kingdom of Naples and the Two Sicilies. Salerno is home to the Salerno Medical School, which was the first and most important medical institution in Europe at the beginning of the Middle Ages and as such is considered by many to be a forerunner of modern universities. Its cathedral is in the Arab-Norman style.
Taranto - A seaside city with an important port, it was one of the richest centers of Magna Graecia. Its ancient core is on an islet that separates the Mar Grande from the Mar Piccolo, a large gulf of the Ionian; the modern city then spread mainly on the mainland to the south.

Other destinations

Amalfi coast - Amalfi

Massif of the Pollino - Pino Loricato

Matera - the Sassi

Pompeii - frescoes

Amalfi Coast - The Amalfi coast is an area of great physical beauty and natural diversity and is bordered by numerous towns such as Amalfi, Positano is Ravello with architectural and artistic works of great importance. The rural areas show the versatility of the inhabitants in adapting the use of the land, according to its different nature, to productions ranging from terraced vineyards to orchards on the slopes to wide mountain pastures.
Ischia island - The largest island in the Gulf of Naples it is very popular for its thermal waters and the splendor of its nature and bathing beaches. The main center of the same name shows in the core Ischia Ponte the ancient characters of a picturesque fishing village; the neighborhood of Ischia Porto it shows off the characteristics of an elegant spa and seaside resort.
Isle of Capri - It enjoys worldwide fame, supported by the frequentation that made it especially in the sixties by famous people and stars from all over the world, making it the destination of an elite tourism that has now been reduced somewhat. Nonetheless, the island and the town of Capri, which also has a characteristic center of considerable beauty, continue to be a place of natural wonders, of which the famous Blue Cave it's just one example.
Massif of the Pollino - Located between Basilicata and Calabria, it hosts the largest national park in Italy, included in the list of UNESCO world geoparks. It is particularly known for the presence of the Bosnian pine, of which it preserves a specimen called "Italus", considered the oldest tree in Europe.
Paestum - Ancient city of Magna Graecia, shows the best preserved Greek Doric temples from around the world, as well as the remains of a gymnasium wall, city walls and house walls. It is one of the main archaeological parks in Italy and Europe and has been declared by UNESCO world Heritage.
Sorrento Peninsula - The Sorrento coast is the northern part of the peninsula, with Sorrento as the main tourist center, a seaside resort surrounded by gardens and citrus groves, in an elevated position on a terrace overlooking the sea. An elegant center among the best known of Italian tourism, it represents one of the Campania seaside destinations most frequented by elite tourism.
Sassi of Matera - I am the first site in southern Italy registered among the World Heritage Sites. The Sassi di Matera are an urban settlement resulting from the various forms of civilization and anthropization that have occurred over time. From the prehistoric ones of the entrenched villages of the Neolithic period, to the habitat of the oriental rock civilization (IX-XI century), which constitutes the urban substratum of the Sassi, with its walkways, canalizations, cisterns; from the civitas of western Norman-Swabian origin (XI-XIII century), with its fortifications, to the successive Renaissance expansions (XV-XVI century) and Baroque urban arrangements (XVII-XVIII century); and finally from the hygienic-social degradation of the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century to the displacement ordered by national law in the fifties, up to the current recovery started starting from the law of 1986. Today they are a highly sought-after film set at national and international level. .
Excavations of Pompeii - The excavation area transports us as if by magic in Roman city of Pompeii, as if time had not elapsed from the moment before the eruption that overwhelmed and buried everything in a blanket of ash, magma and lapilli that allowed to preserve and restore, a unique example in the world, an entire Roman city photographed in his daily life e frozen in a (dramatic) moment of his life. Listed, of course, among the World Heritage of Humanity, the city would need a more careful and respectful maintenance, to avoid the repetition of unfortunate subsidence and dramatic collapses that have occurred there for some time, causing irreparable damage to a truly unique and unrepeatable cultural heritage. Like Pompeii, they have been included among the World Heritage Sites Herculaneum is Oplonti, also submerged by the eruption of Vesuvius.

How to get

By plane

The main airport in southern Italy is that of Naples; other airports are located in Bari, Reggio Calabria is Lamezia Terme.

By car

The A2 motorway allows you to reach the main towns in Campania, Basilicata and Calabria, while on the opposite side the A14 allows you to reach Molise and Puglia. Finally, the A15 motorway allows the rapid connection between the two Tyrrhenian and Adriatic seas.

On boat

Caronte & Tourist offers a connection between Messina and Salerno, while several ships connect Puglia with Albania is Greece.

On the train

The southern Tyrrhenian railway line allows you to reach the main towns in Campania, a Maratea and to the main cities of the Calabrian Tyrrhenian coast (such as Paola, Lamezia Terme is Reggio Calabria), the Ionian one connects the cities of the Ionian coast of Calabria and Basilicata with Reggio Calabria and Puglia, while the Adriatic line directly connects Puglia with some of the main cities of theNorthern Italy, how Bologna is Milan. Finally, quick and direct connections with the capital Rome are possible from both Campania and Puglia.

By bus

Numerous bus companies allow direct connection with the main Italian locations (and not only), some also allow connection with Switzerland is France.

How to get around

By car

The A3 motorway allows the connection between the Tyrrhenian towns of Calabria, Basilicata and Campania, while the A14 motorway allows connections along the Adriatic and upper-Ionian sides. The internal connections mainly make use of the A16 "dei due mari" motorway, while the rest are based on local roads, sometimes difficult to travel in the mountain resorts.

On the train

Calabria is connected to Campania, Basilicata and Puglia by InterCity trains (with Campania also by Frecciabianca), while many internal connections in the individual regions and between them are made with regional trains; for the summer of 2018 Calabria is not connected by rail to Puglia due to works on the upper part of the Ionian line (electrification).

By bus

Trenitalia connects Calabria to Puglia every day via a couple of buses, while it is possible to use the connections to Northern Italy also to get to other cities in southern Italy

What see

The territory of southern Italy concentrates a large number of cities of art whose stature, on an artistic, monumental, cultural level, goes far beyond national borders, but represents a heritage for world culture. This aspect was captured by theUNESCO which places theItaly in the very first places for the number of recognized sites such as World Heritage. Many of the Italian sites are located in the southern part of the Peninsula.

Sites in southern Italy that have obtained the recognition of World Heritage

Campania

	Archaeological areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum is Torre Annunziata - When Vesuvius erupted on 24 August 79 AD, it engulfed the two thriving Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as the numerous rich villas in the area. These ancient cities were progressively excavated and made accessible to the public starting in the mid-18th century. The vast expanse of the trading city of Pompeii contrasts with the smaller but better-preserved remains of the resort town of Herculaneum, while the superb frescoes of the Villa Oplontis in Torre Annunziata give a vivid impression of the opulent lifestyle enjoyed by the wealthiest citizens of the early Roman imperial age.
	Historic center of Naples - From Neapolis founded by Greek colonists in 470 BC the city of today, Naples has retained the imprint of the successive cultures that emerged in Europe and in the Mediterranean basin. This makes it a unique place, with a wealth of important monuments such as the Church of Santa Chiara and Castel Nuovo.
	Amalfi Coast - The Amalfi coast is an area of great physical beauty and natural diversity. It has been intensely inhabited by human communities since the Middle Ages. There are a number of towns such as Amalfi and Ravello with architectural and artistic works of great importance. The rural areas show the versatility of the inhabitants in adapting the use of the land, according to its different nature, to productions ranging from terraced vineyards to orchards on the slopes to wide mountain pastures.
	The Lombards in Italy. Places of power (568-774 AD) - These sites, dated 568-774 AD, include seven groups of important buildings (including fortresses, churches and monasteries) throughout the Italian peninsula. They testify to the high performance of the Lombards, who migrated from Northern Europe, developing their own specific culture in Italy where they ruled over vast territories from the 6th to the 8th century. The synthesis of Lombard architectural styles marked the passage from antiquity to the European Middle Ages, drawing on the heritage of Ancient Rome, Christian spirituality, the Byzantine and Germanic influence of northern Europe. The series of structures testifies to the important role of the Lombards in the spiritual and cultural development of medieval European Christianity, in particular by strengthening the monastic movement.
	Royal Palace of the eighteenth century Caserta, with the Park, the Vanvitelli aqueduct and the San Leucio complex - The monumental complex of Caserta, created by the Bourbon King Charles III in the mid-18th century to rival Versailles and the Royal Palace of Madrid, is exceptional for the way in which a magnificent palace with its park and gardens gathers, as well as like natural woods, hunting lodges and a silk factory. It is an eloquent expression of the Enlightenment in material form, integrated into (rather than imposed on) its natural environment.
	Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park with the archaeological site of Paestum and Velia and the Certosa di Padula - Cilento is an exceptional cultural landscape. The impressive clusters of sanctuaries and settlements along its three mountain ranges extending from east to west vividly portray the historical evolution of the territory. It was an important path, not only for trade, but also for cultural and political interaction in the prehistoric and medieval periods. Cilento was also the border between the Greek colonies of Magna Graecia and the indigenous Etruscan and Lucanian populations. The remains of two large cities of the classical era, Paestum and Velia, are found there.

Puglia

Castel del Monte - When Emperor Frederick II built this castle near Bari in the 13th century, he imbued it with symbolic meaning, which is reflected in the position, the mathematical and astronomical precision of the scheme and the perfectly regular shape. A unique piece of medieval military architecture, Castel del Monte is a successful mix of elements from classical antiquity, the Islamic East and northern European Cistercian Gothic.

Trulli of Alberobello - The trulli, limestone houses found in the southern region of Puglia, are notable examples of drywall construction (without concrete), a prehistoric construction technique still in use in this region. The trulli are made of hardly worked limestone boulders, collected in the nearby fields. Their characteristic are the pyramidal, domed or conical roofs, built with limestone slabs.

Basilicata

Sassi of Matera - First site in southern Italy (and southern Italy in general) to obtain recognition by UNESCO. This is the most outstanding intact example of a troglodyte settlement in the Mediterranean region, which is perfectly suited to its terrain and ecosystem. The first inhabited area dates back to the Paleolithic, while the subsequent settlements illustrate a series of significant stages in human history. Matera it is in the eastern part of the Basilicata.

What to do

The possibilities are numerous, even if in summer the main activity is seaside tourism; however, it is also possible to do cultural tourism, especially in Naples.

At the table

The cuisine of southern Italy varies, even markedly, from region to region; some of the typical dishes are cannoli and babà (Campania), orecchiette with turnip tops (Puglia), cruschi peppers (Basilicata), 'nduja (Calabria).

Drinks

There are numerous wines including Greco di Tufo (Campania), Primitivo di Manduria (Puglia), Aglianico del Vulture (Basilicata) and Cirò (Calabria). Among the best-known spirits are Amaro Lucano (Basilicata), Vecchio Amaro del Capo (Calabria) and San Marzano Borsci (Puglia). Another typical drink is Brasilena (Calabria), or carbonated water in which coffee is dissolved.

Safety

There are generally few risks for tourists, except in some specific areas; it is good, however, to adopt the usual behavior of prudence, such as not showing off a lot of cash and jewels, especially in large centers. Molise, Basilicata and inland areas in general are often cited by statistics as the safest territories in southern Italy.

Other projects

Wikipedia contains an entry concerning southern Italy

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