Calabria
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By Dion Protani
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Latest update: 21 November 2023
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If you were looking for just a brief headline to describe Calabria then you might say something like "a land of sea and mountains" but there's much more to this southern region of Italy than that.
There are a total of twenty regions in Italy and Calabria occupies the area affectionately known as the "toe of Italy", if we think of the country as the shape of a boot. Calabria shares a border with Basilicata to its north while to the south west it's separated from Sicily by the Strait of Messina. |
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Distinguishing Calabria
Read any old historical novel set in Italy and you might get confused when you look at the maps from those times. Back in the 3rd century BC, Calabria was the name given to what is now the region of Puglia, the heel of Italy's boot.
This was at a time when what we now call Calabria was called Bruttium, named after the Brutii, the early settlers to the region. Nowadays however, when there are two Italian towns with the same name in different regions, the suffix Calabro/Calabra is used to distinguish them, such as in the cases of Bagnara Calabra or Belmonte Calabro for example.
This was at a time when what we now call Calabria was called Bruttium, named after the Brutii, the early settlers to the region. Nowadays however, when there are two Italian towns with the same name in different regions, the suffix Calabro/Calabra is used to distinguish them, such as in the cases of Bagnara Calabra or Belmonte Calabro for example.
Magna Graecia - Ancient Greek settlements in Southern Italy
Calabria, along with the regions of Basilicata, Puglia, Campania and Sicily once made up a region that was known as Magna Graecia during the time of the Romans. Meaning something along the lines of 'Kingdom of the Greeks", it was an important part of Europe, affluent due to the success in part of the Greek traders who settled there.
Throughout these regions in Italy there are incredible archaeological sites and two such examples in Calabria are Sybaris and Capo Colonna. However, by far the most famous artefacts in Calabria are the so-called Riace Bronzes: two larger than life bronze statues of warriors that were dug up off the coast of Riace in 1972 but date back to the 5th century BC.
The Riace Bronzes are on display in a specially-created environment within the National Museum of Magna Graecia in the city of Reggio Calabria, the most populous city in the region.
Throughout these regions in Italy there are incredible archaeological sites and two such examples in Calabria are Sybaris and Capo Colonna. However, by far the most famous artefacts in Calabria are the so-called Riace Bronzes: two larger than life bronze statues of warriors that were dug up off the coast of Riace in 1972 but date back to the 5th century BC.
The Riace Bronzes are on display in a specially-created environment within the National Museum of Magna Graecia in the city of Reggio Calabria, the most populous city in the region.
The five provinces of Calabria
Although Reggio Calabria has the largest population in the region, it isn't the regional capital; that accolade belongs to the city of Catanzaro. The capital lies close to Calabria's Ionian coast, on the eastern side of the region.
Head west from Catanzaro and after 40 kilometres or so you reach the western, Tyrrhenian coast. The region is made up of five provinces which are named after the most important towns: Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria, Catanzaro Province, Cosenza Province, Vibo Valentia Province and Crotone Province.
Head west from Catanzaro and after 40 kilometres or so you reach the western, Tyrrhenian coast. The region is made up of five provinces which are named after the most important towns: Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria, Catanzaro Province, Cosenza Province, Vibo Valentia Province and Crotone Province.
Diverse landscapes
The spine and interior areas of Calabria are dominated by mountains and valleys that comprise three of Italy's National Parks. In the north, Calabria and Basilicata share the Pollino National Park while further south are the Sila National Park and Aspromonte National Park. It's commonplace to think of Calabria as an arid, sun-baked landscape but nothing could be further from the truth in the national parks which occupy high altitudes and can even offer ski resorts during the winter. The Sila National Park is particularly beautiful all year round and offers some great hiking routes around its lakes and forests.
Stunning coastal towns
With one of the longest stretches of coastline of any Italian region, Calabria is of course a major destination for sun-worshippers who want to be cooled by the sea during the long, hot summers. There are countless seaside towns, beaches and beach resorts in Calabria, something that incidentally made it very difficult to include them all on this website.
Of the seaside towns, three of the most popular are situated on the Tyrrhenian Coast: Tropea, Pizzo and Scilla. Ranking these towns is always a matter of opinion but for me, Tropea is one of the quintessential Italian seaside towns with a little bit of everything. The town's beach is fringed with crystalline water that takes on an even brighter hue around the huge rock that splits the beach in half. You can get some of the best views in the region by climbing the rock to the sanctuary that sits above it.
As there are so many coastal areas in Calabria, I've used different categories to make them all visible whilst still keeping the pages to a manageable size. So apart from the Seaside Towns, you'll find what I've called Beach Resorts; slightly smaller towns dominated by a beach and of those, the best include Capo Vaticano, Marina di Belvedere and the oddly-named Le Castella (I say oddly as it breaks all the Italian masculine and feminine grammar rules) with its iconic castle. In the Beaches of Calabria section you'll find further gems such as Caminia, Tonnara di Palmi and Copanello.
Of the seaside towns, three of the most popular are situated on the Tyrrhenian Coast: Tropea, Pizzo and Scilla. Ranking these towns is always a matter of opinion but for me, Tropea is one of the quintessential Italian seaside towns with a little bit of everything. The town's beach is fringed with crystalline water that takes on an even brighter hue around the huge rock that splits the beach in half. You can get some of the best views in the region by climbing the rock to the sanctuary that sits above it.
As there are so many coastal areas in Calabria, I've used different categories to make them all visible whilst still keeping the pages to a manageable size. So apart from the Seaside Towns, you'll find what I've called Beach Resorts; slightly smaller towns dominated by a beach and of those, the best include Capo Vaticano, Marina di Belvedere and the oddly-named Le Castella (I say oddly as it breaks all the Italian masculine and feminine grammar rules) with its iconic castle. In the Beaches of Calabria section you'll find further gems such as Caminia, Tonnara di Palmi and Copanello.
Calabria's hilly interior
The interior valley and mountain areas of Calabria are studded with dozens of hill towns that seem to come from another time. Of these, some of the most characteristic include Altomonte, Palizzi and the ghost town of Pentedattilo. A regular topographical feature throughout Calabria is a medieval hill town such as Squillace that has a seaside equivalent, in this case called Squillace Lido. You can have a lot of fun exploring some of these coastal hill towns during a morning followed by the seaside version later in the day.
Transport connections
There are three airports in Calabria but of those three, the most useful is at Lamezia Terme. Reggio Calabria Airport and Crotone Airport offer a limited range of domestic flights whereas Lamezia Terme Airport is connected to a larger number of European as well as Italian destinations.
The road system in Calabria is generally very good; in most Italian regions you have to pay to use the motorways but the E45 which runs from the town of Salerno in Campania, all the way down to Reggio Calabria is completely free. Public transport options include trains and buses; the coastal areas are well-served by the rail network and you'll often find the railway line right behind the beach or in the centre of a seaside town.
The road system in Calabria is generally very good; in most Italian regions you have to pay to use the motorways but the E45 which runs from the town of Salerno in Campania, all the way down to Reggio Calabria is completely free. Public transport options include trains and buses; the coastal areas are well-served by the rail network and you'll often find the railway line right behind the beach or in the centre of a seaside town.
Regione Calabria
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Regional capital: Catanzaro
Population: 1,860,601 (source: ISTAT 1 January 2022) Size: 15,080 km² Provinces: 5 Highlights: Tropea, Scilla, Pizzo, Le Castella, Capo Vaticano |
Calabria Gallery
Provinces of Calabria
Catanzaro Province
Squillace, Catanzaro Province
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Cosenza Province
Praia a Mare, Cosenza Province
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Crotone Province
Le Castella, Crotone Province
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Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria
Scilla, Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria
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Vibo Valentia Province
Tropea, Vibo Valentia Province
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