Swerving the Amalfi Coast, I took advantage of a new twice-a-week flight from London Stansted to Salerno and instead pivoted south on a spacious and picturesque 90-minute Italo train to Maratea, Potenza, a town set high above the Gulf of Policastro dubbed ‘the pearl of the Tyrrhenian Sea.’

An ornate, spurting fountain in the Old Town’s Piazza Vitolo tells the ancient story of the playful mermaids who gave this town its name, loosely translating to ‘mermaid town.’ It has no less than 44 churches and basilicas and a rich artisanal history, breathtaking flora and fauna, a series of caves and its own film festival.