General

DAY 1: CAMIGLIATELLO SILANO
For the first leg of this trip I chose the Sila mountains. Camigliatello Silano , in addition to being a famous ski resort, is one of the Sila train stops. An ancient steam locomotive of 1926 that takes you through the pristine woods of this fascinating park, a candidate for becoming Unesco Heritage .
Lower the window and enjoy this slow journey through landscapes as far as the eye can see and the smell of coal.
Tip: do not leave Camigliatello without having tried a sandwich with silana sausage and bought a bag of dried porcini mushrooms.
And now traveling to Civita, the second stop of this Calabria on the road.

DAY 2: CIVITA
Get lost in the alleys of the village in rbëreshë of Civita, in search of the very strange Kodra houses and curiously shaped chimneys . Depart from the town square and go up to the lookout, then descend towards the Devil’s Bridge. Contemplate the splendid view of the Timpa del Demanio and go canyoning among the Gole del Raganello , “walking” among rocks and emerald green water.

DAY 3: FROM PRAIA A MARE TO DIAMANTE
From the mountains of the Pollino National Park to the Riviera of the Cedars , the only corner of Europe where what in the Bible is called “the fruit of the most beautiful tree” is cultivated.
If you pass in these parts between July and August, you will be surrounded by rabbis from all over the world to choose the cedars to use for the Sukkot festival, one of the most important holidays for Jews.

Take a boat tour to discover the island of Dino , take a trip to the Caves of the Arco Magno in San Nicola Arcella and then join Diamante to pay tribute to his majesty “the Calabrian chilli”, to photograph the splendid murals and to discover the tiny island of Cirella.

DAY 4: FROM CETRARO TO FIUMEFREDDO
Hot air, the smell of salt and cedar await you in the first maritime city of bruzia: one of the least known destinations of this on the road in Calabria.
Cetraro rhymes with crispelli (fritters), pisci salati (salted fish) and vajanelli (peppers). A small town that is divided between the marina, a small Calabrian Miami with its modern tourist port, and the medieval old town, rich in history and maritime traditions, such as the one carried out by Valentina with the preparation of “salty pisci”.
A brief stop at the Brettii and the Sea Museum and then in a hurry to admire the Rienzo Tower , one of the 339 cavalry towers that protected the Kingdom of Naples.
Do you want to enjoy a dreamlike view? Go to Lampetia beach and look for the features of the Scoglio del Leone , difficult not to be enchanted by this landscape. Now stop at Fiumefreddo Bruzio: a labyrinth of alleys that smell of art and history.
I will never stop loving the enchanting views overlooking the Stromboli from its panoramic squares or Castello della Valle, guardian of the paintings of the famous Sicilian artist Salvatore Fiume .
Relax on the walls of Piazza Torretta and enjoy the moments approaching sunset. It will be a blaze of lights and colors that you will not easily forget.

DAY 5: FROM TROPEA TO ZUNGRI
Before arriving in the pearl of the Tyrrhenian Sea, make a gourmet stop at the Bar Ercole di Pizzo to taste a high-calorie bomb, the artisanal truffle . A heart of melted dark chocolate wrapped in hazelnut ice cream.
Tropea and Capo Vaticano certainly do not need my presentation. Do you know the Caribbean, the Seychelles or Mauritius? Count on being there already. White beaches, crystal-clear waters, uncontaminated coves with intense blue: this is what awaits you on the coast of the Gods .
Explore the alleys of the village of Tropea , among ancient buildings covered with bougainvillea, the ubiquitous red onion, fashion shops and small craft shops. Start from the main course and arrive on the splendid balcony overlooking the sea. You have no idea what your eyes will see. Go down and reach the sanctuary of Santa Maria dell’Isola.

It is difficult to choose between the enchanted sea of Tropea and the dream bays of Capo Vaticano. A must-see excursion is the lighthouse of Capo Vaticano, built in 1870 on one of the most beautiful promontories in Calabria.
Now it’s up to the timeless charm of the Caves of Zungri, the city of stone. A rock settlement that closely resembles the Tunisian village of Matmata, where the movie Star Wars was filmed.

DAY 6: FROM SCILLA TO REGGIO CALABRIA
From the coast of the Gods we pass to the Viola Reggina coast. The unmissable stop in Scilla is the seaside village of Chianalea , called the small Venice of the South. A maze of alleys where houses and boats merge into a single enchanted picture, where the smell of salt water creeps into the houses, where to eat a sandwich with swordfish is a normal routine.
Reggio Calabria is the city where you find yourself walking on the most beautiful kilometer in Italy, a natural balcony that winks at nearby Sicily, between the curious works of Rabarama and the athletic Riace Bronzes, jealously guarded in the National Museum of Magna Grecia.

DAY 7: FROM PENTEDATTILO TO BOVA
Pentedattilo is surreal. Everything you see in front of you is not fiction but simple reality. I believe that there are no places in the world like this little jewel of the Grecanic area. A cliff similar to a cyclopic hand that protects a crib from houses built between rocks.
Do not leave Pentedattilo without having tasted the two top liqueurs of the territory, the kephas and bergamot, called “the green gold of Calabria”.
Halfway between the deep blue of the Ionian Sea and the Aspromonte mountains is Bova . Besides being one of the most beautiful towns in Italy, it is the absolute synthesis of an ancient civilization. The Greeks never left here, they speak Greek and are very attached to their roots.
Take a look at the original museum of the Greek-Calabrian language, dedicated to the German scholar Gerhard Rohlfs and try absolutely the lestopitta , the unleavened bread typical of Bova.
If you are around here in August you can also participate in the Paleariza Festival, which is one of the most important summer events in Calabria.

DAY 8: FROM BRANCALEONE TO LOCRI
In Brancaleone you breathe sea air, jasmine and culture. Immerse yourself in the creative atmosphere of the residence of Cesare Pavese’s political confinement, a salute to the caretta caretta turtles of the recovery center, a trip to the Museo del Mare and then up to the abandoned village of Brancaleone Vetus.
Leave Brancaleone to take a dip in the Roman era with the beautiful floor mosaics of the Roman Villa of Casignana, defined the Piazza Armerina of Calabria and then off to the pearl of Magna Grecia, the town of Locri Epizephiri.

DAY 9: FROM MAMMOLA TO STILO
From the Ionian coast go up towards Mammola to discover the Musaba : the most original contemporary art park in Calabria. An open-air museum created by the artist Nik Spatari who, after having traveled around the world knowing characters like Picasso, Le Corbusier, returns to his Calabria and together with his faithful companion Hiske create a unique museum experience in the world, in which they express the own creativity by recycling local materials.
Lunch in one of the restaurants in the area to taste the stocco fish, the top of the territory and then stop at Stilo , where the absolute protagonist is the famous Cattolica, one of our Byzantine treasures.
If you have time immerse yourself in the nature of the Ferdinandea , the former hunting estate of the Bourbons, then transformed into the iron and steel center that built the tracks for the first Italian railway, the Napoli – Portici.

DAY 10: FROM BADOLATO BORGO TO SCOLACIUM ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK
This road trip in Calabria is almost over. Now abandon the city stress in Badolato , climb up and down from its alleys, take a gourmet tour in the various “catoi” and then visit the Mondo X Community.
Before arriving at the Scolacium Archelogical Park, I recommend a quick swim in the crystal clear waters of my Soverato.
Listen to their engaging stories and witness the magic of silk thread extraction from the cocoon. Taste the organic blackberry jam and not leave this little oasis of paradise without having bought a unique jewel created with their hands.
The Scolacium Archelogical Park of Roccelletta di Borgia is the last stop on this road-based holiday in Calabria, started by the Sila and arrived on the Ionian coast.
Stroll through the green of ultra-centuries-old olive trees and observe the remains of the Greek city Skylletion and the Roman Scolacium, from the Basilica of S. Maria della Roccella to the Archaeological Museum, passing through the Roman Theater and the Amphitheater.