Calabria

This is the deep south of Italy – the ‘toe’ of the country, as it pushes out into the Mediterranean to kick Sicily. Second only to Basilicata next door, Calabria is also the quintessence of the ‘Mezzogiorno’, the poorest part of the country, the most bypassed by development and modernity, the most in thrall to neglect and financial corruption. Organised crime is as much a cancer here as on neighbouring Sicily, and many a half-finished building project, a magnet for money from central government or the EU bears testament to the graft that goes on. Writer Carlo Levi’s memoir ‘Christ Stopped at Eboli’, written about his internal exile to the south during the Fascist era was an eye-opener to many Italians, ignorant of how the southern half lived. For over a century, the south has been steadily depopulating (not unlike Irish in New York, there are more Calabrese in the US than in Calabria). The exodus was for jobs, and an existence beyone scratching an agrarian living from the dry soil.

Okay, now to take a break from our part-time gig with the Calabria tourist board … why would anyone want to come to this sun-scorched hellhole!? A good few reasons, not least of which is the topography of the place. Check the map – you have coastline on three sides, Tyrrhenian to the west, Ionian Sea to the east. The narrow litoral within is largely national park and spectacular mountain scenery. There are three mountain ranges in fact – the Sila, Aspromonte and Pollino. This is a haven for rare flora and fauna. You have dense woods, enormous plateaus that never see a soul from one year to the next (the Sila plateau stretches for around 2000 square kilometres, pitted with lakes and dotted with forest).

You have extraordinary history here – this was a capital of Magna Graecia, from where the Ancient Greeks masterminded their conquest of the western Mediterranean thousands of years before. The narrow channel between Calabria and Sicily is the Straits of Messina, with Scylla and Charybdis, the clashing rocks of Greek mythology. Check the coastline and there is the town of Scilla to this day. There are villages in Calabria that seem untouched by the 20th century let alone the 21st, and you’ll find a bewildering diversity of dialects (indeed languages quite distinct from Standard Italian): Albanian, Franco-Provencal, Griko, French and Sicilian.

More than anything there is lots of coastline, sandy beaches, soaring cliffs, rocky shorelines. Poet Gabriele D’Annunzio called the coast facing Sicily at Reggio Calabria il più bel chilometro d’Italia’. What we really like about this region is that you have lots of pretty, historic and happening seaside towns, but you can quickly be in wilderness, and quite stunning wilderness … just a few miles away. The word unspoiled has been, well, spoilt, by the tourist industry. We think it’s apt here though.

Things to see in Calabria

  • National parks and mountains: Sila, Aspromonte
  • Sibari: a village on the Ionian coast, near ancient Greek colony of Sybaris
  • Reggio Calabria: oldest and largest town in the region. Art Nouveau buildings, lovely beaches, botanical gardens, superb views. Reggio dates back 3000 years, has the National Museum of Magna Grecia, itself containing one of the minor wonders of the world, the Bronzi di Riace or Riace Warriors. Also see the Aragonese Castle.
  • Stilo has a lovely Norman castle and a personal favourite, the extraordinary Cattolica, a Byzantine church with the distinctive rounded turrets.
  • Squillace: important archaeological remains, and a fun seaside town.
  • Gerace: very nice medieval city.
  • Capo Vaticano: on Tyrrhenian coast, with great swimming.
  • Siderno is a nice resort on the Ionian coast.
  • Scilla (as in Scylla and Charybdis) is on the Tyrrhenian, and the so-called ‘pearl’ of the so-called Violet Coast. Lovely views, the setting for some of Homer’s yarns.
  • Cosenza: see the Swabian Castle and Romanesque duomo, plus lovely old quarter.
  • Pizzo Calabro on the Tyrrhenian: famed for its ‘tartufo’ ice cream. See the Piazza Repubblica and the Aragonese Castle.
  • Nicotera: another lovely little medieval town.
  • Soverato: beaches, boardwalk, clubs and bars. Great fun. On the Ionian Coast.