The Millennium Experience

You will find yourselves in the centre of the Magna Grecia: Metaponto (the ancient Metapontion) has been a greek colony since the VIIth century b.c., to become later a very important cultural centre.The famous philosopher and mathematician Pitagora founded here a school. The Antiquarium is a museum rich of archeological finds coming from the Eraclea ruins near Policoro. ... More

They came for the light, they came for culture, they came for inspiration. Above all, they came to discover something that was missing in themselves. Passion, perhaps. A heightened sense of awareness. They came not simply to find themselves but to become their best selves.
Keats, Shelley, Byron, James, Goethe, Wagner, Prendergast, Renoir, Monet, and centuries of tourists who did not record their inspiration for the ages, but who, like Miss Lavish in E. M. Forster’s Room with a View, knew that “one doesn’t come to Italy for niceness… one comes for life.” ... More

Padua an its Province are among the liveliest and most dynamic areas in North-East Italy from both the cultural and economic point of view. Padua has a great artistic and cultural tradition and possesses famous monuments such as the University, that is among the oldest and most renowned in Europe, the Scrovegni Chapel, which holds the most complete cycle of entirely preserved frescoes produced by (Giotto, and the Basilica of St. Anthony, which attracts pilgrims from all over the world. ... More

Why visit Naples at all? First, Naples is the most sensible base—particularly if you’re traveling by public transportation—from which to explore Pompeii, Herculaneum, Vesuvius, and the Phlegrean Fields. Second, it’s the home of the Museo Archeologico Nazionale. The most important finds from Pompeii and Herculaneum are on display here—everything from sculpture to carbonized fruit—and seeing them will add to the pleasure of your trip to Pompeii and Herculaneum.
From this point of view the city is the ideal place for a complete stay. Finding Naples hotels is not difficult thanks to the big possibility of choice. However the suggested places are the ones in the historic centre where is possible hotel booking with rates often favourable.
The origin of Naples, once called Parthenope and later Neapolis, presumably can be traced to what are now the ruins of Cumae nearby, which legend tells us was already in existence in 800 BC. Here, in a dark vaulted chamber, the Cumaean Sybil rendered her oracles. Greek civilization flourished for hundreds of years all along this coastline, but there was nothing in the way of centralized government until centuries later, when the Roman Empire, uniting all Italy for the first time, surged southward and, with little opposition, absorbed the Greek colonies. The Romans were quick to appreciate the sybaritic possibilities of such a lovely land, and it was in this region that the wealthy of the empire built their palatial country residences. Generally, the peace of Campania was undisturbed during these centuries of Roman rule.
After a short-lived Austrian occupation, Naples—Napoli in Italian—became the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which the Bourbon kings established in 1738. Their rule was generally benevolent, as far as Campania was concerned, and their support of the papal authority in Rome was an important factor in the development of the rest of Italy. Their rule was important artistically, too, for not only did it contribute greatly to the architectural beauty of the region, but it attracted great musicians, artists, and writers, who were only too willing to enjoy the easy life of court in such magnificent natural surroundings. Finally, Giuseppe Garibaldi launched his famous expedition, and in 1860 Naples was united with the rest of Italy.
Times were relatively tranquil through the years that followed—with visitors of one nation or another thronging to Capri, to Sorrento, to Amalfi, and, of course, to Naples—until World War II. Allied bombings did considerable damage in Naples and the bay area. At the fall of the fascist government, the sorely tried Neapolitans rose up against Nazi occupation troops and in four days of street fighting drove them out of the city. A monument was raised to the scugnizzo (the typical Neapolitan street urchin), celebrating the youngsters who participated in the battle.
The war ended. Artists, tourists, writers, and other lovers of beauty began to flow again into the Campania region that one ancient writer called “most blest by the Gods, most beloved by man.” As the years have gone by, some parts gained increased attention from knowing visitors, while others lost the cachet they once had. The balance is maintained, with a steady trend toward more and more tourist development.
Remember that Naples is a beautiful but chaotic city, so don’t forget to consult the best travel guides. ... More