A journey through the lesser-known destinations of Southern Italy, through history, culture, and landscapes
spring
Not all of the South to visit in spring passes through the most famous destinations. Beyond the most art cities
frequented and the coastal resorts, there are villages and towns in the interior that preserve a
surprising heritage: still visitable castles, cathedrals, archaeological areas and roads in
stone with evident traces of different eras. It is on this Italy less predictable that we
focuses the selection proposed by Italian Traditions: six destinations in Southern Italy to discover
in the season when the historic centers are more livable and the landscape returns to the forefront.
Cattle, Puglia
Bovino dominates the landscape of the Apulian Sub-Apennines. Built on ancient Roman Vibinum,
It retains the imprint of the medieval fortified village among the remains of walls, towers and stone roads. The
visit can start from the Ducal Castle, built by the Normans on a previous fortress,
expanded during the Swabian era and then transformed by the Guevaras into a stately residence; today it houses the Museum
Diocesan, with sacred works and furnishings linked to the religious history of the place. Not far away you
they find the Co-Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and the church of San Marco. The route
continues through alleys, stairways and sculpted portals, which have earned Bovino the name of “village
of the eight hundred portals”. For those who want to learn more, the Civic Museum “Nicastro” houses
archaeological finds and Eneolithic anthropomorphic stelae, among the oldest testimonies of the
territory.
Teggiano, Campania
Teggiano has a historic center with a strong medieval influence, marked by a religious presence
which has earned it the reputation as a city of thirteen churches. Macchiaroli Castle dominates the town:
Norman origin, it was expanded in the fifteenth century and is the main reference point of the village. His
history also crosses the season of the Barons’ Conspiracy of 1485, a central episode in the
political balances of the Kingdom of Naples. From the castle you descend towards the Cathedral of Santa
Maria Maggiore, in Piazza San Cono, and then towards the city museums — from the Diocesan Museum to the
Herb Museum, up to the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions of the Vallo di Diano — and then
reach the religious buildings distributed in the center. It is still an internal Campania
frequented, but rich in historical and cultural heritage.
Miglionico, Basilicata
Miglionico links its name to Malconsiglio Castle, a medieval manor overlooking
on the Bradano valley. In 1485, some barons of the Kingdom of Naples met in its halls
hostile to Ferdinand I of Aragon; today that story is also told by the path
multimedia “Discovering the Barons’ Conspiracy”. The visit can start from the castle and
continue in the historic center, up to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Here is kept the
Polyptych of Cima da Conegliano, a work from 1499 composed of 18 panels and considered one
of the most important Renaissance testimonies of Basilicata.
Sepino, Molise
In Sepino, the village and the archaeological area coexist in the same landscape. Not far from the
modern center is located Altilia-Saepinum, a Roman city built not far from the previous one
Samnite settlement of Terravecchia. The area preserves four monumental gates, the walls,
the theatre, the basilica, the forum and remains of public buildings. The urban route develops along the
Pescasseroli-Candela sheep track, a historic transhumance route, which runs through the site. Here the
The visit has a different character than the other villages: you walk inside an ancient city
still immersed in the countryside, where Roman remains, medieval traces and houses still in use
they live together in the same space.
Gerace, Calabria
Gerace occupies a cliff in Locride, between the Ionian Sea and the Aspromonte reliefs. Its building more
important is the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, built in the Norman age and considered the
largest cathedral in Calabria. The crypt, linked to a pre-existing sacred structure of age
Byzantine, it is one of the rooms that best tell the long history of the Cathedral. From here you
reaches Piazza del Tocco, the heart of the historic centre, before climbing towards Baglio and the remains of the
Norman castle. Along the way you also come across the church of San Francesco
of Assisi and San Giovannello, now an Orthodox sanctuary, testimonies to religious wealth
which earned Gerace the name of “city of a hundred churches”. From the Bombarde viewpoint,
finally, the gaze opens up to the valley and the coast.
Caccamo, Sicily
Caccamo develops at the foot of Mount San Calogero, with a historic center gathered around
to the great medieval castle. Considered among the most impressive and best preserved in Sicily,
Caccamo Castle stands on a rocky spur overlooking the San River valley
Leonardo and Lake Rosamarina. The visit can start from here and continue through the uphill roads
of the village, where alleys, narrow passages and views often lead back to the profile of the fortress. In
also located in the center is the Cathedral of San Giorgio Martire, founded by the Normans in 1090,
restored in 1477 by the Cabrera family and expanded in the seventeenth century.
This selection does not propose “secret” places in an absolute sense. Some may be known
to village enthusiasts, others remain outside the most popular circuits; all, however, offer
valid reasons to stop. These are stages to be reached without haste, at a time when the South is
let it be visited with more peace of mind.