Calabria Holiday
Remote and rugged, Calabria forms the 'toe' of the Italian peninsula. A world away from the Baroque churches, lavish art galleries and gently rolling hills of 'traditional' Italy, the region offers a very different experience. Undiscovered by tourists until relatively recently, Calabria has successfully retained a real sense of 'southern' authenticity and over the years has made little concession to modernity. Wandering through its towns and villages is like stepping back in time - you are just as likely to meet a flock of sheep in village alleyways as you are a Fiat Cinquecento. Whilst sparsely populated and slightly impoverished, Calabria is, however, rich in natural beauty, idyllic beaches and fascinating historical sights that simply demand investigation. Immortalised in the 19th-century drawings of Edward Lear, Calabria boasts an almost savage-looking landscape - the jagged Aspromonte and Sila mountain ranges give way to deep caves and dramatic valleys cloaked in woods and pines of deep forest green. Calabria's vast seaboard, meanwhile, plays host to a collage of tranquil sandy bays and hideaway grottoes.
Calabria Holiday - Beaches
Jagged cliffs tumble down into the cobalt blue sea offering exclusive little beaches to the intrepid explorer or the odd local and his jet ski. Pizzo has a small, swooping sandy beach overlooked by a castle - a lovely spot to soak up the sun. Set between the Gulfs of Lamenzia and Gioia Tauro is the resort of Capo Vaticano. Aptly nick-named Costa degli Dei, or Coast of the Gods, it's a seemingly endless parade of white sands, rocky grottoes and turquoise seas. If you're looking for large, family-orientated beaches there are plenty to choose from. The cliffs of Praia di Fucoco tumble in to the soft water and provide an ideal place for a spot of snorkelling, while Tropea's beach boasts glistening white sands that gently spill into the glittering blue waters. From the shore, there's an impressive view of the church of Santa Maria dell'Isola. This church is a former Benedictine sanctuary and is built on a crag of land jutting out to the sea. Not only is it the perfect spot if you're looking for some shade from the midday sun but it's a lovely sight to behold when it's all lit up in the evening.
Shopping
Unlike other Italian regions, Calabria isn't renowned for its profusion of designer clothes shops, however if you want to take back home some gastronomic souvenirs you're in the right place. Olives, balsamic vinegar, honey and local wine are cheap but also delicious and many of the small local shops will let you try before you buy. In Pizzo you'll find a number of Italian boutiques in the main piazza and hidden away in some of the quaint side streets. Good-quality shoes, linen suits and dresses are particularly popular.
Nightlife
Evenings tend to be low-key and give you a tantalising taste of the real Italy. The Italians have a wonderful culture surrounding food - they like lots of it! Therefore evenings can generally be spent sampling many different courses of fish, pickled vegetables, pasta and pizza. Of course if you're still feeling peckish after all that, take a romantic stroll to the local gelateria where you can try one of the many flavours of traditional Italian ice-cream, or sit back, relax and unwind with a glass of Agliatico, one of Italy's finest red wines.
Local Specialities
Glorious sunshine and a fine climate undoubtedly help the Calabrese people to cultivate superb, fresh produce. Bright red chillies, polished green peppers and cippola di rossa, red onions, are often hung from greengrocer shop doorways before finding their way into local recipes passed down through the generations. The food here is both lively and exquisite. A spicy meat sausage called ndjua is a firm favourite among locals and often used in pasta sauces or served as a paste on crusty bread as an antipesto. Tuck into sagne chine, lasagne with artichoke and meat balls, or zuppa di cipolle, onion soup with Italian brandy. The Calabrese have an appetite for hefty soups and pastas laden with vegetables, including aubergine, peppers and tomatoes. And you simply can't visit Pizzo without sampling its famous tartufo ice-cream. Tartufo is a ball of chocolate ice-cream with a zagbaglione centre, dusted with cocoa powder. Simply 'delizioso'!