Five villages that will make you love Calabria
I am an Italian northerner, born in a small town 60km south of Milan, so it might be surprising hearing this from me — but peninsular southern-most Calabria, the toe of the Italian boot perennially trying to kick off Sicily, is where the magic is at.
Why?
You may have visited Italy a dozen times before, but if you’ve never stopped at any of these five Calabrian villages, it’s time to go back and trade the touristy with the beautifully undiscovered … for now.
Scalea Old Town
Few like Scalea, even though it’s a very handy entry point into north-west Calabria, as it’s connected to Naples on Rome via Italy’s high-speed railway. Do you know why? Because all they see at first sight is a barrage of overdevelopment resulting from years of uncontrolled real-estate bonanza. Take a look behind the hideous holiday homes, though, as Scalea’s locals suggest. They have actually mapped it out for you with Explore Scalea (explorescalea.it), a series of QR code-enhanced ceramic plaques handmade by local artisans and affixed to the old town’s most evocative buildings. Start at Palazzo dei Principi, a short walk to Piazza Maggiore De Palma from where Via De Bonis (also known as Crocevia) snakes up to the upper Piazza Cimalonga, where the ancient Cimalonga Tower watches over the coastline. For more stunning views, climb to the very top of the town, where the ruins of a Norman Castle dominate the hill. This is where you can see the scenic Talao Tower, built in 1578 as one among a series of defensive coastal watchtowers. To visit, the Info Point Scalea has available guides from 9am to 1pm or 4pm to 8pm.
Camera IconScalea. Credit: Kit Yeng Chan/The West AustralianPentedattilo
Meaning “five fingers” in old Greek, Pentedattilo is a beauty dramatically set amidst five finger-like pinnacles on the slopes of the rugged and dry Mount Calvario. Don’t believe who tells you it’s dead because it’s quite the opposite: with charming homestay-style accommodation, volunteering opportunities and even a film festival (pentedattilofilmfestival.net), Pentedattilo is ready to become a suitable budget traveller hotspot. It’s also from here that the six-day hiking route Sentiero dell’Inglese starts (sentierodellinglese.wordpress.com). The route is based on the travels of mid-19th century British explorer Edward Lear, and connects Pentedattilo to Staiti via Bova and other villages like Bagaldi, Amendolea and Palizzi.
Camera IconStilo cathedral. Credit: Kit Yeng Chan/The West AustralianStilo
You may think that the less-touristed Ionian Coast has nothing more than jaw-dropping, cerulean blue sea and white sand. But look east inland, and you’ll see the mighty Aspromonte massif rise between Calabria’s two coasts. The area has incredible little towns, including Stilo, a Byzantine beauty with a dramatic mountain backdrop and charming churches. The most interesting is the clay-brick Cattolica, an octagonal-shaped Greek-Byzantine temple perched atop a cliff with perfect sea views. It gets better if you climb up Mount Consolino, a peak scattered with the former grottos of Basilian hermits. Near the village of Bivongi, 8km outside of town, is also the atmospheric Monastero di San Giovanni Theristis, and not far away, the 114m-tall Marmarico Waterfalls, the highest in Calabria, which can be reached only by driving for half an hour in a four-wheel drive from Bivongi.
Camera IconPapasidero rafting. Credit: Kit Yeng Chan/The West AustralianPapasidero
While the beautiful gorges of the Gole del Raganello near Civita — a UNESCO Geosite and one of the 10 deepest canyons in Europe — remain closed after a river flood killed 10 people in August 2018, whitewater rapids enthusiasts can still get their adrenaline rush in the scenic mountain village of Papasidero. Several local operators run expeditions lasting between five and seven hours and covering up to 26km of the local, crystal-clear Lao River. When visiting this area, visit the nearby Romito Caves, a very important archaeological site featuring a stunningly preserved carving of an auroch (a type of large prehistoric bull). Also, don’t miss the stunning shrine of Santa Maria di Costantinopoli, a rock-hewn monastery at the bottom of Papasidero’s hill, featuring an ancient and curved access bridge over a bend of the Lao river.
Camera IconLorica zipline. Credit: Kit Yeng Chan/The West AustralianLorica
Certainly the most happening village within La Sila National Park, tiny lakeside Lorica hugs the northern bend of picturesque Lake Arvo, created between 1927 and 1931 as a hydroelectric dam. Lorica has recently emerged as a hotspot for water sports and mountain activities in Calabria. From May to October, Loricaly rents kayak and bike boats (bicycles mounted on two buoyant platforms) and runs a 30-minute lake cruise using an eco-friendly electric boat (loricaly.it). You can also strike along the lakeside trails on horseback with experienced outlet Horses Lorica (@horses_lorica) or rent pushbikes, electric rickshaws and e-bikes for solo or guided tours with trekking agency and bike point Il Chiosco Rosso (ilchioscorosso.it). Interesting for those with kids in tow, nearby Silavventura Adventure Park offers several tree-top obstacle courses dedicated to all ages and levels, a climbing wall and a thrilling 600m-long zipline, the first to span across the entire width of a lake in Italy (silavventura.it).
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