Calabria

Much of Italy’s Region of Calabria is coastal, a peninsula in itself surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. Its southernmost riviera, running along the Ionian Sea between the cities of Riace and Locri, is known as the Costa dei Gelsomini, or Jasmine Coast. One of the wildest coastlines and steeped in history, the magnificent Costa dei Gelsomini winds through 90 km or 56 miles of the Province of Reggio Calabria. As you might have guessed, the Coast takes its name from the cultivation of the fragrant climber plant, rather diffuse throughout the territory. Bays with low, sandy beaches alternate with high and jagged cliffs; meanwhile, all of it is surrounded by green, citrus- and olive-covered hills, all the way to the Parco Nazionale dell'Aspromonte. The Jasmine Coast is an ideal spot for a simple and peaceful vacation in a pristine environment imbued with beauty, history and traditions.

Diamante is the capital of the chilli pepper, so much so that it has dedicated an academy to the piparedduzzu (chilli pepper in local dialect) that organizes what is now an internationally-acclaimed annual festival in September: Cinema, art, culture, meetings, debates, satire, music, fashion shows, street performances and lots of food and wine where red gold is always included. This journey starts out in Diamante, the garden of citrons, 8 km of beach and crystal-clear sea and alleyways cheerfully painted with murals. Visitors in this charming little town should try the many sauces and famous n’duja. It’s a sausage flavoured with chilli pepper and is perfect as an appetizer or to season first courses. Lastly, tourists should head to Maierà (8 km from Diamante), where Palazzo Ducale hosts the Museo del Peperoncino (Museum of the Chilli Pepper).

Traveling on a steam train like those from days gone by is still possible while on holidays in Calabria: You can catch the Sila Train that crosses the Sila National Park. Going along on this unique stretch of Calabria railway makes this excursion truly special, family holidays will have a whole new feel. The feeling of another era.

If you are looking for a quieter alternative to the classic city trips, this is the right place. This is the ideal opportunity to combine a visit to an important religious site with a rejuvenating walk through nature on the nearby trails. Here is an itinerary of 10,000 steps, to experience, discover and fall in love with the Sacro Monte of Laino Borgo and the surrounding areas.

The sea and the mountains meet at the tip of the boot, in the heart of Magna Graecia. Reggio Calabria is a city of enchantment and magic, celebrated by English and French travellers in the 19th century, attracted by its favourable Mediterranean climate and thousand-year history.

In Calabria, between the Byzantines and the Bourbons, it is possible to retrace an itinerary of history, art and worship that winds its way through the Calabrian municipalities of Stilo, Bisongi and Pazzano, in the heart of the Serre, amidst centuries-old beech and fir forests, waterways and a great deal of history.

Miles and miles of untamed coastline that alternate with stretches of sand, suggestive villages facing the pristine sea, and lively, buzzing beach establishments are – in a nutshell – the elements of littoral Calabria on the Tyrhennian Sea. Ideal for every type of vacation, the shores of Calabria offer ways to relax, have fun, and a multitude of other opportunities, even for the most exacting of travelers.

From the Roccelletta Archaeological Park in Borgia to Cape Colonna, this journey looks at the history of Calabria by travelling through its tourist destinations and along the charming coasts of the Ionian Sea in the Gulf of Squillace.

Five-hundred-thousand hectares of highly-singular natural riches: the Sila Plateau expands over parts of the Provinces of Cosenza, Crotone and Catanzaro. Natural and scenic endowments where the diversity of landscapes, the variety of plant and animal species, and the beauty of all of Sila attest to the importance of the Sila National Park and of the treasures it protects. Although it was established only in 2002, Sila National Park is actually part of one of Italy’s oldest national parks, the National Park of Calabria. This zone, with its rugged and wild, yet pristine side, charms visitors with its quaint and welcoming villages, and with the opportunities to practice a number of outdoor sports. Here, any time of year is right to enjoy this multi-faceted Park.

The history of Diamante is one that has been intertwined with the sea since its origins: the protagonist was in fact the hamlet of Cirella, probably founded by the Greeks, which became a very important trading centre thanks to its port. Pearl of the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the heart of the Riviera dei Cedri, Diamante's link with the sea is still very strong, due to the wonder of its beaches, enhanced by volcanic cliffs and enchanting inlets, but above all due to the history that has always united them. The town is also famous as the 'town of murals': there are over 150 works of art that can be admired on the walls of the town, on which poets, writers, artists and revolutionaries have left their mark. For this reason, Diamante is the largest open-air museum in Italy, to be explored by letting yourself be carried away by its magic.

It is a seaside enchantment Tropea, a town known above all for its beautiful beaches, for its seabed ideal for those who love underwater exploration, and for its gastronomy. In fact, the Tropea onion is known the world over for its sweetness, a sweetness favoured by the climate and the proximity of the sea. The sea was, in its history, also a source of danger: to defend it, the Arabs built the Torre Lunga on the highest part of the rock, the Byzantines the walls and the Aragonese the Torre Maestra. Also worth experiencing is the old town, where the scent of saltiness pervades the air and the small restaurants offer unmissable fish dishes, to be enjoyed perhaps outdoors and then go and look at the sea that, in the dark of night, reflects the thousand lights of the city.

Tonnara di Palmi, the pearl of Calabria White sand, overlooking a natural rock pool of clear blue salt water, a beach enclosed by rocks: Tonnara di Palmi beach is one of the most beautiful in Calabria. Its name derives from the antique tonnara, tuna fishing lines used here in the twentieth century. A coastal amphitheater The beach is protected by Monte Sant’Elia tall behind it. It’s a coastal offshoot of the Aspromonte massif, known as “the balcony on the Tyrrhenian” and is shaped like a crouching lion. It is bordered to the south by a series of islets. The most notable is the celebrated Scoglio dell’Ulivo, symbol of the entire coastline. To the north it is bordered by a small port where local fishermen sell their freshly caught fish. The ancient Tonnara di Palmi overlooks a stretch of the lower Tyrrhenian Sea famous for its seabed. Sand or tiny pebbles: it is the tides that decide what consistency the beach takes. With views of the Aeolian and Sicily, the stretch of beach is almost 2 kilometres long. Its striking pale colour is due to the mixture of gravel and sand. The purple sea that bewitched Plato Tonnara beach is one of the main attractions of Palmi, an area populated since the times of Magna Graecia. Costa Viola is a city of sea and beaches, of art and culture. It is one of the most beautiful coasts in all of Calabria. This is where Italy seems to want to reach out and touch Sicily, and the green mountains descend into the blue sea waters. The almost surreal purple colour that distinguishes the coast is caused by the play of light and reflection of the mountains filtered by the sulfurous particles emitted by the Stromboli volcano. It is said that the purple coast owes its name to the Greek philosopher Plato who described it in these terms: “Everything is tinged with different shades of purple, giving life every evening, with its spectacular reflections, to a vision always new”. The majestic olive tree Returning to Tonnara di Palmi. The Scoglio dell’Ulivo is best known for the tree that stands on a rock in front of the beach that can be reached by swimming. In these parts they call it “A Luvareddhra” in the local dialect, pronounced along the lines of “olivarella”. According to botanists, the tree is more than 400 years old, and grew spontaneously there. It’s now a skeleton, curved and petrified by salt, rain and wind, a sculpture that nature shaped over the course time. Between beaches and caves La Tonnara offers various leisure possibilities to tourists arriving here: it has equipped lidos or open beach. You can sunbathe and indulge in your choice of relaxation. The surrounding waters are clear turquoise blue. irresistible to those who love snorkeling or diving. Palmi is home to a very well equipped diving centre. The surrounding coast perhaps deserves to be discovered on a boat trip. There are many sea caves hidden between the beaches and islets: among the best known are, grotta delle Sirene, grotta dell’Arcudace and grotta Perciata, set in amongst the rocks of the coast. Discovering the hinterland Even the area around Palmi offers a rich variety of excursions. There are walking paths and circuits for the two wheeler fans, to reach a higher altitude for a change of air and perspective. While the different cycling routes are mostly suitable for trained cyclists, walking trails are for most everyone. An excursion to not miss out on is the Tracciolino. This panoramic path connects Palmi to Bagnara Calabra, one of the most attractive trekking routes of the region. Located between Tirreno and the mountainous tail end of the Aspromonte National Park, between sky and sea. The Tracciolino path is a surprising succession of rocky terrain, endowed with the colours and scents of the Mediterranean scrub, overlooking the views of the Costa Viola. The Tauriani Archaeological Park, in Taureana di Palmi, is a must for all lovers of cultural tourism. Here you’ll find a Paleochristian crypt and the church of San Fantino, the oldest place of worship in Calabria. You’ll be captivated by the myths, legends and stories of buried treasures of the monastic-Byzantine rock settlement and the Neolithic Tarditi caves.