Campania and Basilicata - The Secrets of Italy's South

Eight days from Naples down into Basilicata, which is the least visited region in southern Italy and the better half of this trip.

Naples opens it with two nights and a private city tour, and then a private guide through Pompeii. The city was buried under ash by Vesuvius in AD 79 and preserved almost intact, which means streets, shops, graffiti and bakeries rather than the usual scattered foundations, and a guide makes the difference between a hot walk and an afternoon that stays with you.

Ravello follows with two nights, high above the Amalfi coast rather than on it, which is the sensible place to stay. The cathedral has Arab-Byzantine work in it and the Belvedere at Villa Cimbrone looks straight down the Gulf of Salerno from a terrace lined with busts.

Maratea then gets three nights in Basilicata, with an optional stop at Paestum on the way, where three Greek temples stand in a field and survived because the town was abandoned to malaria rather than destroyed. Maratea is on the Tyrrhenian coast with sea caves below and a Christ the Redeemer statue above, reached on foot. The village tour at Aieta is run in partnership with a local organisation supporting organic farming and small-scale tourism, which is a more useful kind of inclusion than most. Original Travel include the hire car, accommodation, the private guides, concierge access, a 24-hour helpline and carbon absorption. Flights and most meals are separate. Prices run from 3,650 to 4,550 pounds per person by season, booking window and choices.