Calabria: travel guides

A perfect holiday surrounded by nature

Calabria is the southernmost region of the Italian peninsula. Located opposite the Sicilian coast, washed by both the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian Sea, Calabria’s capital city is Catanzaro, but its most densely populated city is Reggio Calabria. Nearly half of its territory is covered with mountains (Calabrian Apennines), but its long coastline is a great tourist attraction. Here, in the past, the Greeks started their colonies making it one of the most significant territories of Magna Graecia.

Places to visit

Calabria’s main tourist attractions are its coast and its mountains, as they offer the two opposite natural environments in fascinating and harmonic contrast. At the same time, the crystal water of its sea is considered one of the best in Italy. The most popular mountain destinations are Aspromonte and Sila, with the National Park and its many rivers and lakes. Other unmissable destinations include Reggio Calabria, with its old Aragonese Castle and the National Museum of Magna Graecia that hosts the magnificent Bronzi di Riace, and Scilla, an area on the Tyrrhenian coast, known as the “pearl of the Violet Coast”. Tropea, with its beautiful and well-looked-after beach and the sanctuary of Santa Maria dell'Isola, and Gerace, a lovely and mysterious medieval town with a Norman castle, are among the most famous tourist destinations in Calabria. Anyone passionate about history and art, will appreciate a visit to the old temples dedicated to Roman gods, on the hills of Catanzaro; while Samo, with its spring waters, is a place to relax and recharge.

Calabrian cuisine

In the kitchen, Calabria is famous across the world for the Sweet Red Onions of Tropea and its chily peppers, used to prepare many local specialities, and in all cured meats, such as salame and 'nduja. As it’s on the sea, Calabria is also the ideal place to enjoy good fresh fish, such as swordfish and other traditional dishes: Caciocavallo cheese, Frittuli e Curcùci, a dish of fried pork, liquorice, Lagane e Cicciari, a kind of pasta with chickpeas, Pecorino Crotonese, cheese from Crotone, and Pignolata, a soft sweet pasty.

Campsites in Calabria

The best way to enjoy nature in Calabria is to go camping or stay in a holiday village. Most accommodation facilities can be found along the coast, both on the Tyrrhenian and Ionian coasts; however, there are facilities further from the coast, ideally located to offer the opportunity to relax surrounded by nature and have fun on the beach.