travel guide calabria italy

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If a Vespa-riding, siesta-loving, unapologetically chaotic Italy still exists, it's in Calabria. Rocked by recurrent earthquakes and lacking a Matera or Lecce to give it high-flying tourist status, this is a corner of Italy less globalised and homogenised. Its wild mountain interior and long history of poverty, Mafia activity and emigration have all contributed to its distinct culture. Calabria is unlikely to be the first place in Italy you'd visit. But if you’re intent on seeing a candid and uncensored version of la dolce vita that hasn’t been dressed up for tourist consumption, look no further, ragazzi (guys).

Attractions

Must-see attractions.

Museo Nazionale di Reggio Calabria

Reggio Calabria

Over several floors in Southern Italy's finest museum you'll descend through millennia of local history, from Neolithic and Palaeolithic times through…

L'Ecomuseo del Pollino

This excellent museum focuses on the historical, cultural and natural heritage of the park. Highlights include the use of interactive video screens to…

Museo Nazionale di Locri Epizephyrii

Situated 3km south of modern-day Locri, the Greek colony of Locri Epizephyrii was founded in 680 BC, later subsumed by Rome and finally abandoned…

Parco Nazionale dell'Aspromonte

Most Italians think of the Parco Nazionale dell’Aspromonte as a hiding place used by Calabrian kidnappers in the 1970s and ’80s. It’s still rumoured to…

Santa Maria dell’Isola

Tropea's number-one photo opp is Santa Maria dell'Isola, a medieval monastic church given several facelifts over centuries of wear and tear (mainly…

Capo Vaticano

There are spectacular views from this rocky cape, around 7km south of Tropea, with its beaches, ravines and limestone sea cliffs. Birdwatchers' spirits…

Parco Nazionale del Pollino

Italy’s largest national park, the Pollino National Park, straddles Basilicata and Calabria. It acts like a rocky curtain separating the region from the…

Museo Archeologico Nazionale delle Sibaritide

Founded around 730 BC and destroyed by the Krotons in 510 BC, Sybaris was rebuilt twice: once as Thurii by the Greeks in 444 BC, and again in 194 BC by…

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Wildlife & Nature

Oct 30, 2020 • 2 min read

Kalabria Coast to Coast is a newly-inaugurated hiking trail in the south of Italy that connects both shores of Calabria passing through beautiful scenery, rich…

Jun 29, 2020 • 2 min read

Calabria and beyond