Southern Italy has a beautifully warm climate which, combined with a rich and fertile soil, is ideally suited not only to olives, oranges and lemons but to a wide range of tender exotics. This has led to the creation of some fantastic villas, gardens, vineyards and lemon groves all doused in the ancient culture that surrounds the vibrant city of Naples itself.

The largest island in the Bay of Naples is Ischia and here we will visit La Mortella, a dazzling garden of lush exotics and tender trees, which was started by the composer William Walton. Umbrella pines, groves of ilex and arbutus, Italian cypresses and myrtles thrive here in glorious companionship. In Ravello on the Amalfi coast, we visit the Villa Rufolo, laid out on three terraces within a complex of early buildings. On the upper terrace umbrella pines and cypresses shade a wellhead while on a lower level classical geometric beds edged with box are filled with modern flowers. Nearby is the Villa Cimbrone, whose site on a clifftop promontory overlooking the sea is beyond compare. Finally there is the opportunity to visit Pompeii, one of the most remarkable sites anywhere in the world, which offers a fascinating yet tragic glimpse into a distant past.