NSFW unless You are a Lifeguard
Italy’s Little Known Calabria Region
Little known Calabria, located on Italy’s “toe”, offers holiday-makers the chance for new discoveries and a fresh choice of Italy’s southern beaches and bays.
Calabria features the beach resort of Tropea on the Mediterranean sea and the whole of the Capo Vaticano promontory has less crowded swimming spots and various land expeditions. Tropea itself is known in Italy for its red onions, so much so that the town even has a gelato flavoured by them.
The region of Calabria has numerous natural reserves, including the Aspromonte and Silo National Parks, and is a predominantly mountainous region of Italy. With its valleys, hills and sea views it offers great hiking options.
The cultural centres of Crotone and Cosenza on the other hand provide a glimpse of Calabria’s rich history. The Palazzo Arnone of Cosenza is an art gallery that has some of the region’s most treasured historical art and the town also hosts an open-air museum with modern art works by Dali and Greco.
The town of Crotone also made a special contribution to vegetarianism via the famous mathematician, Pythagoras, and his select school of followers. Nearby the town of Ciro is famous for its wine, served up to the Ancient Greek Olympians and still in production today.
If that’s not enough to tempt you south on your Italian holiday, then add Reggio di Calabria to the list, the birthplace of the Versace children and an art deco city on the region’s coastal tip. The local museum holds the prized Riace Warriors, two statues found underwater and dating back to the height of the Greek classical era.
By Rhiannon TB