Basilicata is a southern region of Italy bordering Apulia in the east, Campania in the west and Calabria in the south. It has a short coastline with the Ionian Sea in the southeast and the Tyrrhenian Sea. The total area of the region is 9,992 square kilometer with a population of around 600,000 people. Potenza is the capital of Basilicata and the two provinces dividing the region are Matera and Potenza.

Geography
Overall the region is mountainous with the southern Appenine’s highest point being Monte Pollino located at 7325 feet. Monte Vulture is an extinct volcano located in the northwest corner. Until modern times, communication was difficult due to the mountainous terrain of the region. Over the last years Basilicata has become richer significantly due to the discovery of oil.

Art
The region of Basilicata has many archaeological relics dating back to the remote times. In Venosa, ruins of the Roman Age can be found whereas in Metoponto, remains of the Greek Era can be found. The noteworthy examples of medieval art can be admired by the tourists in Cerenza and Veneza. Arab Byzantine and French architecture can be found in Melfi, Matera and Lagopesole.

Museums
The Provincial Archaeological museum in Potenza has a prehistoric collection, various Latin and Greek inscriptions and an ethnographic section. The Ridola National Museum in Matera has ceramics and Paleolithic relics dating back to the Bronze, Iron and Neolithic Ages. Noteworthy paintings of 17th and 18th century Neopolitan school are displayed in the Pinnacoteca d Erico. Melfi’s Archaeological National Museum houses protohistoric and roman relics.

Attractions
Visitors can see the typical ‘Sassi’ houses and churches built into natural caves in Matera. Many of these churches have frescoes and Byzantine decorations. Some of the noteworthy churches are S. Maria delle Vertu, S. Maria delle Valle and S. Maria de Armenis. The other 12-16th centuries remnants of frescoes can be found in S. Lucia alle Malve, S. Giovanni in Monterrone, S. Nicola dei Greci, Madonna delle Tre Porte. The seaside town of Maratea in the region of Basilicata is ideal for a holiday with unspoiled beaches, clear water and various grottoes and caves for diving. In Melfi, the Cathedral with beautiful baroque façade and the castle of 11th century can be visited. The most important attraction present in Potanza is the San Francesco church which is located off the main Piazza Pagano or the Piazza Prefettura. This church contains an elaborate tomb of 16th century and an icon of Byzantine style known as the Madonna del Terremoto.

The Sassi di Matera

The Marche is one of Italy’s 20 regions located in the country’s central area. It lies bordering San Marino and Emilia-Romagna to the north, to the west by Umbria, Tuscany in the northwest, Lazio in the south and Adriatic Sea in the east. Mostly the region’s land is hilly except the narrow coastal strips and the river valleys.

Geography
The area of Marche extends over 9,694 square kilometers between Emilia-Romagna in the north, Abrazzio and Lazio in the south, Umbria and Tuscany in the west. Most of this region is hilly or mountainous with their important features being an extensive number of hills descending to the Adriatic and the Apennine chain through the internal boundary. The region’s two third is covered by hilly areas which have various wide gullies with short rivers and alluvial plains. The mountain chains which are longitudinally oriented have deep river gorges. The region’s coastal area has a length of 173 km which is straight and flat, except for the northern hilly area and the eastern slopes.

Economy
Agricultural contribution to the region’s economy now has less importance. The main products of this region include vegetables, cereals, grapes and animal products. A large supply of fish is always available in the sea with the main centers for fishing being Fano, San Benedetto del Trento, Civitanova Marche and Ancona. Many of the workshops of small crafts scattered through the region’s rural settlements have modernized into small businesses. Various industries of the region include footwear and leather goods, textile industry in Ancona province and furniture in the area of Pasaro.

Attractions
A number of cultural sites can be found in the Marche which includes several medieval towns, museums, churches, the opera and the Leopoldi library. Some of the region’s unique sights include its national parks, Le Grotti di Frassasi, a climb on the local mountains or a walk along its beaches. A variety of sports are also offered in this region including sailing, walking, horse-riding, skiing, windsurfing, water park, golf, swimming pools, fishing, hunting, etc. Various attractions for the trekkers, walkers and the nature lovers are also available here with the national and regional parks offering various outdoor activities like trekking, paragliding, mountain biking, hunting, nature trails, etc. A number of seaside resorts are available throughout the Marche coastline. The region also has the highest number of Blue Flag beaches in the country which means the beaches meet the strict criteria of safety, environmental management, water quality, etc

Apulia is a region in Italy lying on its southeastern part, bordered in the east with Adriatic Sea, in the southeast by the Ionian Sea and in the south by Gulf of Taranto and the Straight of Otranto. The area of this region is about 19,345 square kilometer with a population of 4 million. The other Italian regions bordering Apulia are Campania in the west, Molise in the north and Basilicata in the southwest.

Geography
Mostly the region of Apulia is plain with its low coast broken in the north by the mountainous peninsula of Gargano in the north. The regions of north-central part has mountains present. Six provinces divide this region which are the provinces of Bari, Barletta-Andria-Trani, Froggia, Brindisi, Taranto and Lecce.

Economy
The chief occupation of the Italian region of Apulia is farming, but there has also been rapid expansion of industry. The farm products include grapes, olives, figs, almonds, livestock and tobacco. The products manufactured here include chemicals, petroleum, steel, iron, cement, plastics, processed food and wine. In the Gulf of Taranto and the Adriatic, fishing is also pursued. Agriculture is being increasingly replaced by mass tourism and services as the region’s main resource. Hence it is often called as ‘Florence of Italy’.

Language
Though Italian is the official national language, other historical languages are also spoken in the region. The Barese language is spoken in the zones of Faggiano and Bari. The language of Tarantino is spoken in the region’s southern part. Other dialects spoken in some of the parts of the region are Griko, Faetar and the Arbereshe.

Attractions
Various attractions present in the Apulia region include numerous cathedrals of the 10th century, an excellent archaeological museum, many deserted and highly atmospheric Roman and Greek ruins, several lively fishing villages, medieval hilltowns, some of the cleanest beaches in the Mediterranean, and one of the largest forests of Europe. The region has its own architectural subspecies called barocco lecesse which is characterized by carvings which are extremely ornate and cover the entire surface of palazzo and churches. The city of Lecce has the most of these carvings. An attraction which can be seen only in Apulia is ‘i trulli’. These are cones made of stones which are whitewashed and held together without mortar. They can be found in almost all the olive groves and wheat fields of the region. When clustered together in large number to form a town, they form a picturesque sight. This unforgettable sight can be found in Alberobello.

Calabria is a southern region of Italy located south of Naples at the bottom of Italian peninsula. In the north it is bounded by the Basilicata region, the region of Sicily in the southwest, the Ionian Sea to the east and to the west with the Tyrrhenian Sea. The area of the region is 15,080 square kilometer with a population of 2 million people. Catanzaro city is the capital of the region and Cosenza and Reggio Calabria are the two other main cities of the region.

Geography
The region of Calabria consists of a narrow peninsula which extends for 300 kilometers to the Mediterranean. It is situated between the Gulf of Tarranto and the Ionian Sea to the east and to the west with the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Strait of Messina separates Sicily from the region. The Calabria region is mainly mountainous with the three mountain regions being Pollino, Aspromonte and the Sila. Parts of the area of the Pollino Mountains are heavily wooded and the others are windswept and vast plateaus with little vegetation. La Sila consists of a vast mountainous structure of Aspromonte from the region’s southernmost tip. It consists of manmade terraces which are wide and slope down to the sea.

Religion
Most of the people of Calabria are Roman Catholic. The Albanian communities in the southern region have some Byzantine orthodox congregations. A small Italian Anusim community is present who have resumed their ancestors’ Jewish faith. Communities of Evangelists are also present on the western coast.

Attractions
The Reggio di Calabria museum has a fantastic collection of Roman sculptures and Greek artifacts. The famous exhibits of this museum consists of the Riace bronzes and the two Greek statues which have been recovered from the seabed. Tropea is the most appealing resort of the area which is a Baroque seaside town having great views. Scilla is the other interesting seaside resort of the region. Some of the interesting places in Cosenza include a Gothic cathedral, some Byzantine religious art and a castle. Catanzaro located at the middle of Italy’s narrowest point have attractions like a castle, cathedral, the archaeological park, the park of biodiversity and a promenade on the Ionian Sea. Capo Vaticano near Tropea is a wide and famous bathing place. There are several national parks present in the region which hikers and outdoor lovers will find interesting to visit. Calabria offers many pleasant overnight stops which include seaside towns between Sicily and Rome.

Emilia-Romagna is a northern Italy’s administrative region which comprises of two historic regions called Emilia and Romagna. The area of the region is 20,124 square kilometers with a population of 4.3 million inhabitants. Bolagna is the capital of the region.

Geography
The Emilia-Romagna region consists of 9 provinces. Nearly 50% of the region consists of plains with 25% mountainous and 25 % hilly regions. The region’s Appenines section has areas of flisch, caves and badland erosions. More than 300 kms of mountains are present stretching from north to south-east. Padan Plain constitutes half of the region which is a very fertile alluvial plain. The region’s north has lagoons and saline areas and the rest of the area has many thermal springs. The region’s vegetations are divided into various belts consisting of the common oak belt, Adriatic oak belt and the beech belt.

Economy
The region of Emilia-Romagna is one of the richest regions of Europe and the third region of Italy in terms of per capita GDP. It has a very developed economy based on the agricultural sector. This region is also one of the leading region in farming contribution. The most important products are potatoes, tomatoes, cereals and onions alongwith grapes and fruit for wine production. The industrial part of the region is mainly located in the area of Via Emilia. Food, mechanical and automotive industry is mainly concentrated in Bologna, Modena and Parma.

Art
In Emilia-Romagna, Roman traces can be found in Ravenna and Rimini with the magnificent monuments of the Byzantine period. These Romanesque Longobard style are found in Piacenza e Ferrara and Cathedrals of Modena, some important sculptural works can be found in the Baptistry of Parma. Bologna and Piacenza have great examples of Renaissance, Baroque and Gothic styles.

Attractions
The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia and the Tomb of Dante are present in Ravenna. It also has the magnificent Saint Apollinare Basilica and the Mausoleum of Theodore. The charming Dozza town near Bologna showcases the region’s wines. The biannual murals festival is celebrated in this town. The Parco del Casentino is a protected reserve located in Romagna. The castle of Torrechiara which is beautifully preserved is located near Parma. The Riviera Adriatica has various beach towns which cater mainly to the young visitors. A fascinating Ceramics Museum is present in Faenza. Various beautiful hill top villages and towns can be discovered between Florence and Forli like Bagno di Romagna, Castro Caro Terme, Modigliana, Rocca di San Casciano, Tredozio and Portico di Romagna.