TROPEA / CAPOVATICANO / PIZZO CALABRO

Tropea, nicknamed the ‘pearl of the Tyrrhenian’, is one of the most popular holiday resorts in Italy. Along with the town of Gerace near Locri, it was occupied by the Saracens, the Angevins and the Aragonese, whose buildings and traditions have left a unique imprint on the town. Near the charming little harbour, remains of necropolises and Greek and Roman buildings have been found dating back as far as 3000 years ago. An international tourist attraction on a level with Taormina and Portofino, Capo Vaticano is the best equipped tourist area, where there are numerous holiday villages and accommodation facilities. Pizzo Calabro, a famous resort situated right in the centre of the Gulf of St. Euphemia, is one of the most beautiful and well-known towns in the province of Vibo. Its very picturesque old town perches on the slopes of a striking promontory which falls sharply into the Tyrrhenian sea and it is renowned for its splendid coast and its mild climate. Home to numerous businesses serving the tourist industry, it produces an excellent and well-loved homemade ice-cream called ‘tartufo’ (truffle). There are also many restaurants serving typical, speciality fish dishes, as well as a thriving tuna-canning industry

Go back

SILA / CAMIGLIATELLO

Since the time of the Greek occupation of Southern Italy (Magna Graecia), Calabria and mountains have meant Sila, the boundless, imposing Sylva Bruttia, whose impenetrable, age-old forests covered the whole of the central region of Calabria. Even today visitors and tourists are still amazed to find only a few kilometres from both the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts such a huge variety of woodland (larches, beeches, oaks and chestnuts) interspersed with meadows and pastureland, full of torrents and lakes, so much so as to render this vast upland, often likened to the regions of Northern Europe, the true green heart of the Mediterranean. The Sila area is a tourist destination throughout the year. During the winter numerous ski-lifts make downhill skiing possible, while the innumerable ski runs which crisscross the uplands make Sila into a paradise for lovers of cross-country skiing, which is becoming increasingly popular. In summer Sila offers one of the most extensive networks of paths which can be followed on foot, on horseback or on mountain bikes, allowing you to discover sun-drenched valleys, torrents cascading over rocks and superb woodlands sloping gently down to lakes frequented by lovers of water sports.

.

Go back

CORIGLIANO / ROSSANO / ALTOMONTE

At the heart of the plain of Sibari, between the slopes of the Sila mountains, the bulk of Mount Pollino and the waters of the Ionian sea, there lies an area whose morphological characteristics are extremely variegated: Corigliano Calabro. In the space of only a few kilometres you can pass through Mediterranean countryside, where the air is impregnated with the scent of orange-blossom, followed by alpine landscapes, smelling of ferns. Throughout the year the town hosts lively displays, festivals and feasts which give visitors the chance to discover forgotten customs and reveal a corner of Calabria rich in history and traditions, where the Greeks, Latins, Byzantines and Normans all left their mark on the way of life. Rossano has had a long and varied history. About 1000 BC, it was inhabited by the Enotri, after which it became Ruskiané, the port and arsenal of Thurii during the thriving period of Magna Graecia (VIII-II BC). From being the strategic ‘fortress-city’ (Roscianum), commanding the whole of the plain of Sibari and Sila, under the Romans, it gained even greater importance for over five centuries under the Byzantines (VI-XI). Rossano was at that time one of the most important urban, military and spiritual centres of the Byzantine Empire and of Southern Italy. Together with Nilo and Bartolomeo, famed for their sanctity and doctrine (X-XI century) it resisted every attempt on its title of City. From ‘Free University’ under the Normans and Swabians (1059-1266) to ‘Principality’ under the Angevins, the Aragonese, the Spaniards and the Bourbons; from ‘City of Culture’ from the Renaissance to 1700 (with its Academies) and ‘City of Ionian Sila’, Rossano has been once again a protagonist from the French Revolution to the present day. Rossano is …..a memorable journey along the pathways of taste, where tradition and authenticity combine to evoke long stories of family rites, of hands that work the soil, of humble tables laid with good humour and hospitality. The small town of Altomonte has a population of 4,800 and covers 65.29 square kilometres. It is situated in the centre of a natural amphitheatre formed by the foothills of the Sila mountains to the south, the Pollino chain to the north and by the gentle hills that slope down towards the plain and gulf of Sibari to the east. From the mediaeval town, which is 496 metres above sea level, there is a wonderful view of the Ionian sea, ringed by splendid mountains. In 1980 plans were drawn up to build an amphitheatre and on its completion in 1988, it was inaugurated with the foundation of the Mediterranean Two Seas Festival (Festival Mediterraneo dei Due Mari) in July and August. This is reckoned to be one of the most important summer festivals in Italy and has the aim not only of developing the cultural initiatives necessary for attracting different kinds of tourism, but also of improving internal resources. Other initiatives of interest are the Theatre-School Festival (Festival Teatro Scuola) in May and June, the Dancing Schools Festival (Festival delle scuole di danza) in June and July and the Altomonte Rock Festival in August.

Go back

REGGIO CALABRIA / SCILLA

Ancient Rhegion was destroyed several times during its history by men and by devastating seismic events. It was then rebuilt around the old part of town and extended mainly along the coast. Reggio’s seafront has been called the most beautiful kilometre in Italy. In the city centre there are the notable remains of the castle rebuilt by the Aragonese in the sixteenth century. There is also the National Museum of Magna Graecia, one of the most important in Italy which houses a very rich collection of objects from all the cities in Calabria, not to mention the world famous Bronzes of Riace from the fifth century BC. Along the seafront you can also visit the remains of some Greek walls and Roman baths and in the old part of town there is also the Chiesetta (small church) of the Ottimati and the Little Museum of St. Paul. Scilla is the best known tourist resort on the ‘Costa Viola’ (Violet Coast). Its craggy, jagged coastline full of rocky outcrops is very striking. The castle of the Ruffo family, which perches above a dizzyingly sheer drop to the sea, is very beautiful, as is the Chianalea district where the foundations of the fishermen’s houses are built directly into the water which laps between them.

Go back

STILO / VIBONGI

Stilo is situated on the slopes of Mt. Consolino, said to be the birthplace of Tommaso Campanella. It is one of the most representative historical and cultural centres in the whole of Calabria: it has old suburbs, churches, monuments and the tiny cathedral the ‘Cattolica’, a unique example of Byzantine art, as well as the ‘Palio of Ribusa’, a historical enactment. In the photos you can see the castle, the Cattolica and views of the old town. Bivongi stands in a valley 270 metres above sea level on the right bank of River Stilaro and covers 25.3 square kilometres and is surrounded by Mt. Consolino and the range of the Serre Calabre. It was founded in 1000 and was connected to the convent of the Apostles, an outpost of the Greek monastery of Arsafia which Roger the Norman conceded to the Certosa of Serra San Bruno. Its ruins can still be seen high up on a hill beyond the river. Recent restoration work carried out on the original church has uncovered the remains of a crude church with an altar dating from 1300: it is known that in 1325 the chaplain of this church paid the sum of a tenth of a tarì to the diocese. The current church dedicated to San Giovanni Decollato (St. John the Beheaded) dates from the seventeenth century and was completed after the earthquake of 1783. In 1985 it was raised to Sanctuary of Holy Mary Our Mother (Santuario di Maria SS. Mamma Nostra), to whom many miracles have been attributed and who is highly venerated by the people of Bivongi, including those who have emigrated. Bivongi also produces renowned agricultural products and its Doc wine is marketed by the Cantina Sociale of Bivongi.