Calabria, Italy, the destination of your holidays

Hi everyone,

I just want to introduce you to Calabria, Italy, the land where I live in.

Many of you may have heard several bad things about it, but I'd like to focus on the beautiful and amazing sides of Calabria you may not know. The reasons to visit Calabria are far more than the ones to avoid it.

However, I want to be honest and start with the wrong side of my land. As you can see on the map above, Italy has got the shape of a boot and Calabria is the final part of it: in addition we can say that, if Italy is known as "lo Stivale", it's due to the shoe-shape of Calabria (impressive, isn't it?).

So, if you want to reach it you need to pass thorugh the whole Peninsula of Italy and, if you come by car, you'll probably have to drive on the famous Highway "A3 - Salerno-Reggio Calabria": do you know it? No? For real?

Ok, I give you some clue to figure out what it's like: it's named Highway but it's narrow and some traits are still under construction. So you may have to make more than one detour: unless you have a long time to spend, it's not so great dodging building sites and construction workers like in a video game!!! This means that you're not unlikely to be stuck in a traffic jam in some "hot" days.

But, once you've arrived here, well...Let's see what you'll get!

Calabria has got wonderful Sea resorts all over its shore: it is a Peninsula so most of its borders are delimited by the Mediterranean Sea.

Sea Resorts in Calabria are a lot. Let's mention some: Tropea, close to Pizzo, Ricadi (Capo Vaticano) and Zambrone in Vibo Valentia; Scilla (Chianalea) and Palmi in Reggio Calabria; Paola, Diamante, Praia a Mare in Cosenza. These resorts are all on the Tyrrhenian shore, which is characterized by deep sea-beds full of rocks and with great white sand beaches. Tyrrhenian sea towns are also easier to reach by car thanks to higways and freeways. Moreover, if you are looking for fun, don't miss the discos and pubs of Sangineto, Belvedere Marittimo, Mandatoriccio, Paola and Lamezia Terme.

On the Ionian shore you can find also great places such as Locri, Marina di Gioiosa Ionica and Roccella Ionica in Reggio Calabria; Isola di Capo Rizzuto, Le Castella and Cirò Marina in Crotone; Catanzaro Lido, Soverato, Montepaone or Borgia in Catanzaro; Cariati, Sibari and Rossano in Cosenza. Calabria's Ionian Beaches are assumed to be cleaner and more comfortable for families: you cannot take the highway to get there, but there are some freeways linking cities to sea-resorts. Furthermore on the Ionian shore waters are not as deep as on the Tyrrhenian one, so they are safe for children and people who can't swim. As far as fun is concerned, there are lots of pubs, discos and bars on the beaches, too, but we want to mention as a real local attraction the huge Aqua Park of Rossano: it's one of the largest in Italy!!!

So, choose Calabria as the destination of your summer vacations, choose a land with more than 700 km of beaches...are they enough?

If you answered that more than 700 km beaches are not enough for you (impressive!), well, we have some more to offer: Mountains, Hills and Nature Parks.

Yes, in spite of all that sea, the most of Calabria's territory is made of mountains and hills: Pollino Massif, Sila (one of the largest ones in the South of Italy), Serre and Aspromonte. Here you will find amazing vegetation, evergreen trees, forests, rare plants, mushrooms and all sorts of animals.

If you like fishing but not at the sea-side, Calabria has got three large artificial lakes, Cecita, Arvo and Ampollino, where fishing is allowed, even if controlled and limited too. You know, we love nature and animals and we try to respect the wonderful environment we have been given: these three artificial lakes were made in order to start Hydro-electric power stations, which provide with energy the whole area, now.

If you prefer trekking, bird-watching, biking or simply explore the forests, you are welcome as well: Calabria's National Parks and Protected areas are especially thought for tourists.

So, come and visit Calabria: every kind of nature and sea tourism is waiting for you!!! Is it enough, now?