The villa is in easy reach of a number of ancient, Greco Roman sites. Paestum has three gracious temples, baths and amphitheatres and the remains of  habitation areas that are still being uncovered; and Velia, the first medical school built in Italy.

For the more energetic there is a very large national park for trekking and camping and numerous hill towns and coastal villages to explore.

Less than an hour's drive inland is the magnificent Cistercian monastery of Padula that is well worth a visit for its lovely cloisters and gardens; the refectory and church and the exquisite marquetry in the chapel.

This is the huge main kitchen of the monastery with an impressive range and ovens, a special table for preparing fish and meat, and frescoed walls.  The monks discovered that a specific tone of both green and yellow repelled flies and you can see the walls are tiled in these colours.

 

Both Naples and Reggio Calabria are an easy day trip by train.  Visit famous Pompeii or smaller and shadier Herculaneum, better preserved and less crowded and still being excavated.  Alternatively go South and see the awe-inspiring Riaci bronze statues in Reggio Calabria.  A truly Southern city with beautiful buildings and wonderful food and colourful locals!   

 

 

 

 

 

The convent of S. Chiara in Naples offers an oasis of calm in this wonderful, vibrant city.  Visit the archaeological museum which houses the beautiful mosaics from Pompeii; stop off for a slice of pizza tasting of sunshine and holidays; get lost in the winding back streets and discover mad, rococco churches; have a lunch of smoked sword fish, roast kid, nectarines and local pecorino cheese washed down with the delicious local wine, overlooking the magnificent bay of Naples.

Capri, Sorrento and the Amalfi peninsula are all in easy reach and even more breathtaking than you imagine.  For the ultra fit a visit to Nero's villa Jovi on Capri will work up a huge appetite as well as providing magnificent views, mixed in with a bit of ancient Roman shenanigans.  Sip Limoncello on a terrace in Sorrento looking back over the bay to both Capri and Naples while you enjoy the sunset.

For an over-night trip you could visit the ancient hill city of Matera in central Calabria, the Neolithic trulli houses of Puglia or Sicily's Taormina or Siracuse.

There are guidebooks for the use of guests for all these sites at the villa