Explore ghostly Pompeii with Lonely Planet Southern Italy travel guide

Italy’s peeling, sun-bleached south is the country at its most ancient, soulful and sensual. Down here, the ruins are older, the lunches longer, and the landscapes wilder and more intense. Lonely Planet is your passport to Southern Italy, with amazing travel experiences and the best planning advice.

Southern Italy travel guide - 5th edition

Hike along the Amalfi Coast, explore ghostly Pompeii, and launch into Naples’ hip bar scene and culinary riches; all with your trusted travel companion.

Lonely Planet writer Cristian Bonetto describes why he loves Southern Italy. "Southern Italy is like the Slow Food of Travel. While much of Europe marches to an increasingly homogenised beat, this corner of the continent dances to its own hypnotic tune. Melancholy folk songs still fill the air, eyeshadow is applied thick and bright, and hearts are proudly worn on sleeves. Many of my fondest travel memories have been formed here: epic Sunday lunches to the sound of Pino Daniele; hot winds whistling through ancient temples; quiet swims in milky blue waters. I might hail from the north, but my heart belongs to the Mezzogiorno."

Southern Italy Top 10

1. Amalfi Coast

2. Ghostly Pompeii

3. Naples

4. Capri

5. Aeolian Island-Hopping

6. Baroque Lecce

7. Matera

8. Temples in Agrigento

9. Scaling Mt Etna

10. Alberobello

Inside Lonely Planet’s Southern Italy Travel Guide:

- Full-colour maps and images throughout

- Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests

- Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots

- Honest review for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss

- Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, the Southern way of life, The Mafia, art, architecture, food, drink

Coverage includes: Naples, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily and more

Writers: Cristian Bonetto, Brett Atkinson, Gregor Clark, Duncan Garwood, Brendan Sainsbury, Nicola Williams

Get to the heart of Southern Italy and begin your journey now!