Archive for 'Southern Italy'

Cimitero delle Fontanelle, or Fontanelle Cemetery, is an ancient necropolis in the Valley of the Dead, Naples. A 30,000 m² cavern in Capodimonte Hill, it holds the skeletal remains of those too poor to afford proper burial, vast numbers that died from disease and the numbers that overflowed from local burial places. In use since the 16th century, estimates suggest that at one point it held over eight million bones. The cemetery began as a secondary burial ground but, unusually for an ossuary, saw the bones come to be cared for exceptionally carefully and lovingly. Closed for a period, it is now reopened to the public and makes for both an extraordinary site of worship for the faithful and an astounding sight for all others.

Villa Jovis is a site on Capri at the end of the Viale Amedeo Maiuri which houses the ruins of a villa from the first century B.C. which is attributed to the Roman Emperor, Tiberius. Perched on a cliff-top, it now provides visitors with astounding views but once afforded its occupants both privacy and security. Once the largest and most sumptuous of the twelve Roman villas on the island, it is now reduced to ruins, though a considerable percentage still survives. In fact, the amount of survival from the original complex means that the visitor centre has reliable reproductions of what it might have looked like.

The “Valle dei Mulini”, or “Valley of the Mills” in Sorrento, not far from Naples, is an extraordinary site. Exceptionally lush greenery surrounds as far as the eye can see and, enveloped and reclaimed by this natural beauty, are a group of ruins of mills that were active until the twentieth century and eventually abandoned in the 1940s. Now the area is hauntingly beautiful and a reminder of the power of nature and impermanent nature of the creations of men.

If you want to experience this fascinating corner of the globe for yourself, find a villa with pool in Sorrento and take a day out of a wonderful holiday to stop by and admire the site.

Regional breads abound across the length and breadth of Italy, however, the most famous of these is probably the bread of Matera in Basilicata, Italy. A stunning southern Italian town, Matera is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world and its historic centre, the “Sassi” (ancient cave dwellings), is a UNESCO Heritage Site. The town is within a canyon carved out by the Gravina and is extraordinarily beautiful and unique. If not for the town itself, you must make sure to visit in order to taste the local cuisine!

Find a holiday rental in Basilicata and spend time exploring the town, both old and new, and eating all the regional treats.

Craco is a comune and town in Basilicata which was built perched on a very high summit for defensive reasons. A typical medieval hilltown in many ways, it is highly atypical in another; since the 20th century, the town has been abandoned with residents having moved away for various reasons. Today, it is a tourist destination which is visited by outsiders and old residents each year. Craco's stark and beautiful appearance has also led to its usage, on several occasions, in the backgrounds of frames of movies and as a setting for particular scenes. If you want to wander the town yourself, find a holiday rental in Basilicata and spend a day there.