Calabria
The 20 Regions of Italy
Abruzzo | Aosta Valley | Apulia | Basilicata | Calabria
Campania | Emilia-Romagna | Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Lazio | Liguria | Lombardy | Marche | Molise | Piedmont
A part of Italy's Mezzogiorno, the flat coast of Calabria is lively in the summer with campsites, hotels and pizzerias to choose from.
Very popular with Italian vacationers, around here the term Mezzogiorno can also refer to baking in the midday sunshine.
It's the "toe" of Italy's boot, kicking Sicily into the Mediterranean Sea. Calabria possesses remarkable beauty and a long history.
Sandy beaches, rocky coves and spectacular headlands are a specialty of Calabria, and the town of Praia a Mare has plenty of them - plus a unique nod to history.
In Ulysses, our hero lands on the Island of Dino, just off the coast.
Another legend involves a grotto containing a widely venerated Madonna. As the story goes, the people of nearby Aieta attempted repeatedly to remove this image to their own church, but each time it disappeared and was found back here, where they were eventually forced to let it be.
More recently, however, the image disappeared for good, though a replacement was quickly and pragmatically installed. In fact, there is evidence of an early building on the site, the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Grotta.
The grotto has been altered over time and has now been restored, unearthing frescoes including that of the Madonna's face.
Farther south, the town of Scalea is quite developed and the ruins of the Norman/Aragonese castle and a frescoed 11th-century Byzantine chapel, bombed by both sides during World War II, remain.
The citrus fruit that gives Earl Grey tea its distinctive flavor grows in Calabria - and almost nowhere else in the world. Bergamot has been in Calabria since the 15th century, and has been grown for its essence since the very beginning.
For Calabria's bergamot growers, its popularity in everything from teas and herbal remedies to cosmetics and cleaning products gives hope for a stronger economic future.
Cities:
Calabria
Calabria is both a city and a region on the mainland of Italy. The region boasts a spectacular coastline, sensational scenery and a Greek-influenced country-peasant cuisine.
Although Reggio was at one time settled by the ancient Greeks, there are no buildings of historical note due to earthquakes that have repeatedly devastated the area. Traces of elegance survive, however, in the superb seafront that faces Messina across the Straits, and the main street, Corso Garibaldi, with one of the most animated passeggiatas in Calabria.
There are sights to see, nevertheless. The Museo Nazionale holds the most important collection of archeological finds in Calabria, with examples from all the major Greek sites in Calabria.
The most renowned exhibits in the museum are two bronze statues retrieved from the Ionian Sea in 1972, when they caused a minor sensation. Now they seem almost forgotten in the basement they share with another prize exhibit, a philosopher's head from the fourth century BC.
The most intriguing sight of the area is, in fact, a mirage - an optical phenomenon-cum-legend known as the the Fata Morgana. Shimmering, magical city of turrets and towers appear just beyond the horizon on the Straits of Messina.
It's named for the superstitious belief among ancient sailors that Morgan le Fay, the half-sister of King Arthur, created the illusions to lure men into a false port and certain death.
Vacations to Enjoy in Calabria:
While our specialists work on creating wonderful vacations to Calabria, we think you will enjoy one of these vacations:
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