Southern Italy at a Glance

Visitors to southern Italy find a rich array of archaeological remains. Although those of the Romans at Pompeii are high on everyone's list, Greek ruins are found in Sicily and the southern coast and there are mysterious ancient structures, called nuraghe, in Sardinia. Campania, Puglia, and Sicily are admired for their architecture, while across the south there are magnificent landscapes, abundant wildlife, and endless opportunities for outdoor activities.

The cuisine alone, with its eclectic heritage and diversity of tastes, provides the excuse to dawdle on the coast or in the mountain villages.

The Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, a vast unspoilt wilderness, is home to wolves, bears, and many species of birds.

Su Nuraxi at Barumini, built around 1500 BC, is the most celebrated of Sardinia's mysterious stone nuraghe sites.

The cloister decoration at Monreale cathedral is a legacy of Sicily's Arabic past,with elaborate columns adorned with fine mosaics and splendid sculpted capitals.

Sicily's Valley of the Temples at Agrigento contains some of the best ruins outside Greece.Mostly Doric in construction and style, they date from the 5th and 6th centuries BC.

The Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples is one of Italy's most important museums.

It houses the treasures of Pompeii, including sculptures, vases, and everyday artifacts which provide a detailed glimpse of Roman life.

The church of Santa Croce in Lecce is an excellent example of the exuberant Lecce Baroquestyle, from its elaborate rose window to the intricately carved capitals.

Mount Etna, one of the world's largest volcanoes, is still active, with lava erupting from fissures that dot its flanks. The nearby city of Catania has suffered repeatedly from volcanic damage.

The Ancient Greeks in Southern Italy

Some of the best ruins of the ancient Greek world are in Southern Italy. Syracuse, Selinunte, Segesta, and Gela are among the better known Sicilian sites while those on the mainland include Croton, Locri, and Paestum. Magna Graecia is the collective name given to these scattered colonies of ancient Greece, the earliest of which were founded in the Naples area in the 11th century BC. Many great figures of the age - including Pythagoras, Archimedes, and Aeschylus - lived in these far-flung settlements, and it was here that the ancient winemaker's art flourished. Artifacts from this age are exhibited in the excellent archaeological museums of Naples, Syracuse, and Taranto.

Ancient Herakleia (Herculaneum) was named after its patron deity, the mighty Hercules. It was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuviusin AD 79.

Poseidonia (today's Paestum), was the city of Poseidon, god of the sea. Its ruins, dating from the 6th century BC, include the hulks of two of the finest Doric temples in Europe.

Mount Etna was believed to be the forge of Hephaistos (Vulcan) - god of fire - and the Cyclops, the one-eyed giant.

Egesta (built 426-416 BC) was colonized by the Elymians, who may have originated at Troy. Among the ruins of this town are a half-completed temple and a theater. Ancient Greeks used theatres for plays and cultural entertainment rather than combat.

In about 540 BC Croton became the chief school of Pythagoras's philosophy. Here the great thinker and mathematician remained for about 30 years until the government (which he supported) was overthrown, and he was expelled.
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