Have you considered The Cilento?
The Cilento
is a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site and a Man
& Biosphere Reserve (MaB)
The Cilento is an interesting lesson in the effects of Italian urbanisation, a phenomenon that emerged (and still proceedes) in the years following the end of the Second World War.
Not that there is anything urban about The Cilento itself. Far from it in fact. Being part of ancient Magna Gracie it is home, as a trivial example, to the best preserved and most impressive Doric Greek Temples (Paestum) in the world, as well as many other archeological treasures scattered through out the coast and hills. At Ascea, as another trivial example, there is to be found the Greco-Roman settlement of Elea; the birth place, in no understatement, of the whole of modern western philosophy.
In addition, the region is simply thoroughly beautiful, blending the sapphire blue of the Mediterranean with the various shades of greenery and scents given off by a variety of flora, including olives, pines, oaks and myriad types of fruit trees that cover the hills, mountains and farmlands.
Nonetheless, as with many other regions in post-war Italy, the Cilento experienced an exodus of people in search of work and better standards of living, and many of the traditional dwellings sadly fell into ruin. Ironically however, those who stayed behind have discovered that the exodus has created a vast resource that has somewhat now turned the tables. Abandoned farm and country houses - that are only today being restored and put to good use - now form part of the rich heritage of this area. Together with the unique historical, archeological and philosophical riches The Cilento is probably the right place for anyone looking for a Mediterranean idyll.
And to add to the attraction. a vast portion of the Cilento has been relegated the covetous status of being a UNESCO and MAB world heritage site, and is now known as the National Park of Cilento. This will almost certainly ensure that the region's unique character and condition will remain indefinitely.
