Calabria

Overview:

CALABRIA: One of the most mountainous regions of Italy, Calabria, at the “toe” of the boot, is a peninsula flanked by two seas, the Ionian and the Tyrrhenian. Agriculture remains its mainstay even though the mountains are arid and the terrain subject to landslides. The rugged highlands of Aspromonte and the wooded Sila areas in the center are sparsely inhabited. Our favorite cities include: Catanzaro, Cosenza, Reggio di Calabria (ferryboats to Sicily) and Crotone. Damage from four major earthquakes and the effects of bombing in World War II have left these cities with few historic monuments. The National Museum of Magna Graecia in Reggio di Calabria (colonized by the Greeks in 750 B.C.) contains the most important art collection in southern Italy. When exploring this region, take the coastal road from Maratea going south towards Sicily which is far more scenic than the autostrada. There are gorgeous cliffs at Capo Vaticano, near Tropea, on the road from Vibo Valentia. One long beach with clear blue water runs along the Gulf coast from Reggio di Calabria all the way up to Taranto (500 km).