Southern Italy is relatively undiscovered and the best place to go incognito if you want some pensive or carefree lone time. Known for vast expanses of wilderness, Abruzzo has three national parks, a regional park and other protected sites and natural reserves. The curious town of Cocullo attracts many with its folk traditions like the festival of serpents on the first Sunday of May. The relatively remote and spectacular landscapes of Molise retain an old-world charm that is accentuated by its medieval, fairy tale - like constructions that are sure to leave you looking for Cinderella’s slipper. Gourmands and gluttons alike can sink their teeth in the indigenous cheeses made here. Its capital, Campobasso has an evocative tangle of historic streets and houses the 15th century Monforte Castle. The Mediterranean sunshine in Termoli illuminates the ancient walls constructed by the emperor Frederick, as the16th century castle that looms over the sea. Everywhere in Molise, nature keeps watch over history, preserving memories. The undulating green meadows of Basilicata mingle with historic and prehistoric elements. Its splendid coastline lashed by the Tyrrhenian and Ionain seas offers myriad options for savouring the local flavour both gastronomic and cultural, and the city of Matera figures on the UNESCO list of heritage sites. Calabria looks unruffled by the havoc time wreaks. Once home to Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Normans, it is dotted with olive groves and golden wheat fields. While you can opt for any landscape - a mountainside, a pleasant beach or a hushed inlet along the coast of Tropea, Calabria has a few additional attractions like the two stupendous Greek statues, the Riace Bronzes, dredged from the sea.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie you’ve probably reached Campania. Once known as felix, meaning happiness, it is brimming with attractions. From its magnificent Amalfi Coast to the Island of Capri these scenic spots evoke antiquated grandeur and with its enchanting Neapolitan culture, Campania is a palpable personification of the Italian spirit. Most importantly of course, it gave us the most important five letter word we will ever know, ‘pizza’. Sardinia has a complex potpourri of cultural influences. The Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Byzantines and Spanish give Sardinia its distinct culture; an intermingling of the local traditions with the many that history has acquainted it with. The emerald Mediterranean sea caresses the beaches, coves and grottos of this island. In fact, Costa Smeralda (Emerald Coast) is named so because of the colour of the sea. As for the local folk festivals, Sardinia has over 2000 of them; its typical cuisine and enigmatic archeological sites only add to this halcyon place. Time seems to stand still in Sicily; the birthplace of Venus, the Greek god of love. With a mosaic of influences and a splendid coastline, it unveils its richly cultured past at every bend. You are bound to be mesmerised by the splendour of the Aeolin Islands and the allure of its lava swathed landscape. Puglia grapples with man-made marvels and those of nature. Studded with stately architecture, from the castles built by the emperor Frederick II to the trulli built by farmers and its rolling vineyards and Olive groves, this elysium has all its visitors in raptures. Baroque architechure, pristine steeples of cathedrals that are centuries old and the inspiring trulli settlements of Alberobello supplement the magnetism of this region.