south italy a travellers guide p holberton

The north and south of Italy are virtually different countries
different not just in spirit of place but also in density of tourism.
In parts of the north you might overhear English or German as easily as Italian, but the south is an exotic and often empty land, fresh territory of a kind rare in Europe now. Yet the southern sea, beaches and landscapes are often so beautiful one is amazed not to have seen them pictured everywhere, and new roads and hotels have now removed what were once the drawbacks to travel beyond Naples.
Puglia (the heel of Italy), and Basilicata and Calabria (the instep and toe) are alike only in being equally unknown to the wider world. The heel has more signs of its history, and it is more densely settled. It has particular beauties like the Gargano peninsula, the baroque churches of Lecce, and the unique Castel del Monte. The toe is a land of exhilarating scenery where the quality of man-made sights is often less important than the pleasure of coming across them in the middle of nowhere.
To visit these regions is to leap across time to the glittering Greek cities of Sybaris and Taras; to Roman Apulia where Hannibal won Cannae, where Horace was born and Virgil died; to the kingdoms won by the Normans, Byzantines and Saracens, and held by Frederick II, wonder of the world. It is also to see the till recently changeless primitive of old Calabria, and the
desert landscape of Carlo Levis Christ Stopped at Eboli.
Paul Holberton is an art historian and writer whose speciality is
Italy. He is the author of Palladios Villas the perfect companion
for a holida in the Veneto (John Summerson) and is currently
writing books on Giorgione and on Renaissance iconography.
start is reserve

Please read the questions and answers for this auction.