Calabria occupies the long, mountainous toe of the Italian peninsula, washed on one side by the Tyrrhenian and on the other by the Ionian, with the Strait of Messina narrowing toward Sicily.
Go in May to June and September, for warm sea and lighter crowds.
- Fly into
- Lamezia Terme (SUF), Reggio Calabria (REG)
- Capital
- Catanzaro
- Size
- 15,222 km² (5,877 sq mi), about the size of Connecticut
- People
- 1.8 million
Two great uplands define its interior: the high pine forests and lakes of the Sila, where snow falls in the deep south, and the rugged Aspromonte rising steeply behind the coast. Between them lie 800 kilometers of shoreline, from the cliffs of Tropea to the fishing houses of Scilla.
This is one of Italy's oldest inhabited corners, settled by Greeks who left their mark from Reggio to Crotone, the city of Pythagoras. The Calabrese character is proud and fiercely hospitable, and the table runs hot, with 'nduja, the spreadable chilli salami, alongside soppressata, Caciocavallo Silano cheese and the citrus that grows nowhere else as it does here, the bergamot of Reggio and the great cedri of the Tyrrhenian coast.
Come in late spring or early autumn, when the sea is warm, the mountains are walkable and the coastal towns belong to those who linger.
What to see in Calabria
Save the ones you want and we'll find which of our routes reaches the most in the fewest nights.
Tropea
Tropea’s sandstone cliff carries a historic centre of palazzi, narrow lanes and a Norman-period cathedral, above the Marina and Santa Maria dell’Isola.
Scilla and Chianalea
Scilla’s castle divides two distinct shores: Chianalea, the historic fishing quarter, and Marina Grande, the main beach.
Sila National Park
Camigliatello Silano Calabria's high plateau of giant pines, lakes and mountain air.
Le Castella
Isola di Capo Rizzuto An Aragonese castle adrift on its own islet off Calabria's Ionian coast.
National Museum of Magna Graecia
Reggio Calabria Home to the Riace Bronzes, two Greek warrior statues pulled from the sea off Calabria in 1972.
Cosenza Cathedral
The cathedral consecrated before Emperor Frederick II in 1222, home to Isabella of Aragon’s tomb.
Gerace Cathedral
Calabria’s largest church, a Byzantine-Norman basilica built with columns from ancient Locri.
Murat Castle
Pizzo The seaside keep where Murat, king of Naples, was executed by firing squad in 1815.
The short answer
- At least
- 10 nights
- Within a day out
- 7 of these 8
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How many nights in Calabria?
Choose your nights and the route redraws: where to sleep, what to see, and the towns an easy day out from each base.
3 nights in Calabria: Tropea for 2 and Scilla for 1.5 nights in Calabria: Tropea for 3 and Scilla for 2.7 nights in Calabria: Cosenza for 2, Tropea for 3 and Scilla for 2.10 nights in Calabria: Cosenza for 2, Tropea for 3, Scilla for 3 and Gerace for 2.
Add your first day and each link opens on that stop's dates.
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Where to stay in Calabria
Each stop with what to see and, where we have them, a day out and the hotel we'd book.
An ancient inland city below the Sila, its old town climbing a hillside in a tangle of stepped lanes.
- Day out
- Camigliatello Silano
The cathedral, consecrated before Frederick II in 1222, holds the tomb of Isabella of Aragon and anchors the medieval centro storico.
75 km from Cosenza as the crow flies
Calabria's most famous resort, a cliff-top old town poised above white-sand beaches and clear Tyrrhenian water, with Stromboli smoking on the horizon.
- Day out
- Pizzo
A nine-room bed and breakfast on Largo Migliarese in Tropea's historic centre, near the cathedral, with a terrace and breakfast included.
Check dates: La Dolce Vita in TropeaMore in Tropea
Sui Generis Tropea Luxury Rooms
A small guesthouse of balcony rooms in Tropea, with a seasonal pool and parking, about 600 metres from Rotonda beach.
Check dates: Sui Generis Tropea Luxury RoomsResidenza Tropea Luxury & Charm
A guesthouse-style stay in Tropea within walking distance of the Norman cathedral and the beach.
50 km from Tropea as the crow flies
The rock of Homer's sea monster, where the Ruffo castle stands on a cliff above the Strait of Messina.
Below it lies Chianalea, a fishing quarter whose houses rise straight from the water, with swordfish boats moored at the doorsteps.
45 km from Scilla as the crow flies
A medieval borgo perched like an eagle's nest above the Ionian plain, its lanes opening onto Calabria's largest Romanesque cathedral.
- Day out
- Stilo
Consecrated under the Normans in 1045, it rests on a forest of ancient columns.
Other places to stay
Popilia Country Resort
A countryside resort inland from Pizzo with a pool, spa and restaurant, suited to a restful base a short drive from the beaches.
Hotel della Piazza
A hotel on Piazza della Repubblica, a short walk from Pizzo's Murat Castle, with balconies and sea views from some rooms.
Check dates: Hotel della PiazzaA five-room bed and breakfast in a restored baronial family house in Pizzo's old centre, with a terrace and garden near the castle.
Check dates: Casa AngelieriB&B "Nido degli Ulivi"
A small bed and breakfast in Contrada Mula, a few kilometres outside Catanzaro, with a garden, free parking and a shared kitchen.
Check dates: B&B "Nido degli Ulivi"
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A traditional dinner from Calabria
Every course is one the region actually serves. Change any of them and the wine, the timing and the shopping list follow.
Antipasto
Olive ammaccate, dressed for the table
Calabrian-style cracked green olives dressed with olive oil, garlic, chili and oregano, using ready-cured olives for a quick antipasto.
First course
Fileja alla ’Nduja
Calabria’s rod-rolled pasta in a sauce of melting ’nduja: Spilinga’s fiery spreadable salume dissolved into tomatoes until the heat glows instead of burns.
Main course
Melanzane ripiene alla calabrese
Eggplant shells filled with their own soft flesh, bread, egg and pecorino, then browned in the oven.
Side
Patate ’mpacchiuse with Tropea onion
Thin potato slices cooked with red onion in a covered skillet, then browned in soft, lightly clinging layers.
Dessert
Tartufo di Pizzo with a cocoa centre
Hazelnut and chocolate gelato shaped around a soft cocoa centre and finished with a dry dusting of cocoa.
What to pour
A Cirò Rosso, made from Calabria's Gaglioppo grape: it has the structure and acidity to meet the chile without the alcohol tasting hot.
Ciro
Start the Tartufo di Pizzo with a cocoa centre the day before: 11 hr 55 min, most of it waiting.
Taste it there
Cook in the hills above Tropea
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What Calabria is known for
You will find these here and nowhere else.
Seven metres a side, five brick domes, four Roman columns, one upside down: the Cattolica has sat above Stilo for about a thousand years.
That scent in your Earl Grey is bergamot, and Calabria grows more of it than anywhere on earth, on the coast from Scilla to Monasterace.
Cirò and the Ionian wine country
Cirò provides a focused introduction to Calabria’s wine geography, with Gaglioppo an important red grape of the area. Farther south, Greco di Bianco belongs to a different territory around Bianco and Casignana. Keep those places distinct: wine offers a way to read Calabria through local names rather than one uniform coastal landscape.
Wines from CalabriaSources and citations (2)
At Christmas
Pitta ’mpigliata brings the Christmas baking of San Giovanni in Fiore and the Sila into view, with open pastry roses and a dried-fruit filling. Soriano’s honey mostaccioli offer another shape and method; Mammola’s stockfish preparation gives the savoury table a different centre. Choose the dishes you want to make, then read each recipe’s preparation state and timing before combining them into a meal.
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