South Italy

South Italy refers to the six regions of Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, and Molise, stretching across the lower part of the peninsula from the Adriatic to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The coastline alternates between rocky promontories, sandy beaches, and small fishing harbors, while inland the terrain rises into hills and mountain ranges that separate the valleys.

The six regions received their official boundaries through the Italian Constitution of 1948, which reorganized the country after the war. Before that, these territories were often united or divided under shifting kingdoms, including Norman Sicily and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

The kitchen south of Rome leans heavily on what the sea provides, with simple preparations like grilled fish or pasta tossed with tomatoes and sardines. In many villages across the region, you find small trattorias where grandmothers still hand-roll orecchiette or prepare buffalo mozzarella the same day it is sold.

Naples serves as a transport hub for the entire zone, with regional trains running in all directions to reach smaller towns along the coasts and inland. Rental cars offer more freedom if you plan to explore remote villages or mountain areas.

In Matera, people have lived continuously in cave dwellings carved into limestone for over 9000 years. These cave houses, called sassi, now form a world heritage site where some rooms have been converted into hotels or workshops.