Venice, Florence and Rome may get the lion's share of tourists' attention, but venture south and you'll find these three equally enchanting cities.
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MATERA, BASILICATA
With homes, shops and churches stacked up the tufa cliffs, or burrowed deep into them, Matera is one of Italy's most extraordinary cities. Known as "sassi", Matera's cave dwellings, dating from the paleolithic era, are believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited homes in the world, lived in until the 1950s, when the population, all living in poverty, relocated to government housing.
In the 1980s however, former sassi-dwellers or their descendants started to return, restoring homes and establishing cafes, hotels and restaurants in the caves.
In 1993, UNESCO listed the sassi as a World Heritage site and today the city, situated on the calcarenite plateau of Murgia, with ravines and hills honeycombed with more than a thousand dwellings, shops, galleries and churches, is thrumming with life, thanks to new and returned locals and curious (and well-heeled) travellers. A stay in a cave hotel (in a far more salubrious manner than their former inhabitants) is an essential part of the experience.
Getting there
- Matera is about two hours' drive from Bari; leave your car in one of the parking areas if you're staying in the sassi. Regional trains leave from Bari to Matera Centrale, a 20-minute walk to the sassi.
Where to stay
- A romantic, luxe "junior cave suite" at Sant' Angelo Luxury Resort is 269 euros per night, including breakfast. santangeloresort.it
Eat and drink
- Baccanti Ristorante: Baccanti has a menu of contemporary iterations of traditional Basilicatan cuisine, with tables inside a series of caves or outside on a rock terrace. baccantiristorante.it
- Osteria Casale: With views over the ravine and town, Casale features wood-fired pizza and mains utilising local specialities such as Lucano sausage. osterialcasale.it
- i Vizi degli Angeli: Organic, artisanal seasonally-inspired gelato. ivizidegliangeli.it
Top tip
- Make your way to the highest point of the town to watch the sun set over the sassi and the gorge.
LECCE, PUGLIA
Enclosed within 16th-century walls accessed through one of three arched stone portals, Lecce, known as "The Florence of The South" is a baroque fantasy, a city filled with ornate churches and palazzi built from honey-hued local limestone that changes colour according to the time of day. Largely pedestrian, the ancient centre's a place for strolling - taking time to admire the elaborate wooden doorways, intricately carved facades and lintels of houses, restaurants and shops and stopping at an enoteca for a glass of primitivo or lunch in a picturesque piazza. In the long, warm summer evenings you can take in a concert in the well-preserved Roman amphitheatre.
Like Florence, Lecce has scores of churches, including Santa Chiara, with a unique papier-mâché ceiling, while the Duomo in the main square, has a facade crowded with grinning grotesques, cherubs and saints.
Getting there
- Lecce is well-connected to other Italian cities on the Trenitalia network. If you're keen to explore more of Puglia, you'll need a car.
Where to stay
- Palazzo Persone: B & B with doubles from 144 euros per night, has an unbeatable location just steps away from Chiesa Santa Croce. It's built atop a 15th century Jewish synagogue and some of rooms feature architectural elements such as the original columns. palazzopersone.it
Eat and drink
- Nonna Tetti: Generous, authentic Puglian cuisine in a homey atmosphere. Go hungry. Phone +39 0832 246036
- Mamma Elvira Enoteca: Around 250 choices of local Salentine wine, most available by the glass, along with a menu of snacks and small plates. mammaelvira.com
- Caffe Alvino: For typical Puglian pastries such as pasticciotto (lemon custard-filled pies.)
Top tip
- Learn more about Puglian food with a cooking course, usually with a market visit included, at The Awaiting Table. awaitingtable.com
SIRACUSA, SICILY
Widely considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Italy and a protected UNESCO heritage site, seafaring Siracusa has a strong Greek and Roman heritage. Lovers of history will be handsomely rewarded for a few hours spent at the Neapolis Archeological Park exploring the spectacular 5th century BCE Greek theatre, a Roman amphitheatre where gladiator battles once took place and "the ear of Dionysius", an ear-shaped limestone cave with incredible acoustic properties.
Base yourself in spectacular, baroque Ortigia, Siracusa's historic heart, a maze of pedestrian streets and piazze on a small island connected by a bridge.
Ortigia's duomo on the piazza of the same name was built in the 7th century and is one of Europe's oldest and perhaps most evocative churches. It was constructed over the 5th century BCE "Temple of Athena," and encompasses the original fluted columns.
From Piazza Duomo, a maze of streets, including the "giudecca," or Jewish quarter, one of the most picturesque parts of the island, will lead you to small boutiques, markets, trattorias, enoteche and cafes.
Getting there
- The nearest airport is Catania. There's a bus directly from the airport, a train from the centre of Catania, or it's about an hour drive.
Where to stay
- Il Duomo B&B: Spartan rooms in an unbeatable location overlooking Piazza Duomo. Double rooms are from 65 euros. bbilduomosiracusa.it
Eat and drink
- A Putia: Eclectically furnished and family-run, it focuses firmly on well-executed, rustic Syracusan dishes. aputiadellecosebuone.it
- Ristorante Macalle: Excellent seafood in a congenial atmosphere. Try the tagliolini pasta with whatever was pulled out of the sea that day. ristorantemacalle.com
- Cortile Verga: Take an evening aperitivo at this romantic, candle-lit cocktail bar in the courtyard of a 17th century Baroque palazzo.
Top tip
- See that line at the deli at the end of the Ortigia market? Join it. At Caseificio Borderi, chef will prepare you a huge panino with whatever is his inspiration. Trust him. caseificioborderi.eu
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