Calabria holidays

Pizzo, Calabria, Italy, San Francesco church

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Holidays to Calabria paint Italy in a different light. In this part of the country – the lesser-trodden toe of the boot – getaways are all about the beach and the sea.

Italy’s new kid on the block

The curtain has only just come up on Calabria. This region of southern Italy, just across the water from Sicily, has always been relatively unknown. Italians from the north spend their summers here, but it's starting to make a name for itself further afield. Traditional seaside towns are spread out along the clifftops, and the coves and beaches below are some of the best in the country.

Eye-catching coastline

The main reason for Calabria’s growing popularity is its beaches. The region’s home to some of the best stretches on the Italian mainland. On the west coast, Capo Vaticano is sprinkled with dinky coves and bays. Tropea, meanwhile, takes a leaf out of the Caribbean's book. Vanilla-coloured sands are lapped by the bluest waters around, and there's an idyllic hilltop church overlooking the shoreline. Elsewhere, castles, churches and teetering townhouses watch over the waterfronts in sleepy towns like Pizzo, Scilla and Parghelia.

Clifftop towns

Beaches aren’t Calabria’s only forte – the towns out-shine the rest, too. Lots of them are rooted on top of cliffs, meaning sweeping sea views are the norm. There’s plenty to explore, as well. Tropea’s old town is home to a Norman cathedral and a Benedictine monastery. Meanwhile, Pizzo’s historic heart is a maze of narrow lanes, winding down to a 15th-century castle. And at the tip of the toe you'll find Reggio Calabria, which is the city slicker of the bunch. Grand architecture and a smart seafront corniche are among the highlights, and you can spy Sicily across the water.

Foodie haven

Calabria’s all about good old-fashioned Italian food, just as mama used to make. And it just so happens that the region’s sunny climate guarantees top-of-the-range, fresh produce. Cipolla di rossa – sweet red onions – are a speciality in Tropea. You’ll see them hung from shop doorways all over town. Plus, they’re thrown into bowls of zuppa di cipolle, onion soup with Italian brandy. Bowls of fileja pasta – a cross between penne and tagliatelle – are loaded with piccante peppers and blobs of spicy nduja sausage. Then there's Pizzo's famous tartufo dessert, where spheres of gelato are wrapped around a fruity core and given a chocolate shell.

Popular hotels in Calabria

Top things to see and do in Calabria

Beaches

Podium-position beaches

The prize for Italy’s best mainland beaches goes to Calabria. The region is surrounded on three sides by sea, and its 500-mile coastline is split up into areas with poetic names like the Violet Coast and the Citrus Riviera. What’s more, most of the beaches in this part of Italy are sandy. Some are soft and white, others are flecked with small pebbles, and there are a few that are just pebbles. But wherever you go, you can expect the sands to be the cleanest in the country. Most of them receive fie ‘sails’ out of five from the Italian environmental group, Legambiente.

The big beach

Tropea Beach is Calabria’s celebrity stretch of sand. It’s the name that you’re most likely to know from this unpublicised part of Italy. Towering granite cliffs act as the backstop to the white sand here. And you don’t have to stray far from the sand before you find a cosy cafe or traditional trattoria.

The secret beach

There are anonymous coves and bays all over Calabria’s coastline. Hire a boat from Capo Vaticano Beach and sail towards the lighthouse and you’ll find a string of them.

Shopping

Bargain buys

On the last Friday of every month, bargains are to be had at Sovareto flea market on Corso Umberto. More than 50 stalls are set up for this monthly sale, half an hour’s drive from Simeri Mare, and the traders flog everything from paintings to antiques. For food-themed buys, head to Catanzaro, 20 minutes from Simeri Mare. There are lots of artisan shops in the village centre selling local olive oils, wines, meats and cheeses.

Mid-range buys

The biggest shopping mall in Calabria is just a 35-minute drive from Simeri Mare. The 60 shops at the Dui Mare are owned by big names like Zara and Benetton. There’s an entire floor devoted to restaurants and fast food outlets here, too. Reggio Calabria is also well-stocked with shops. Mooch down Corso Garibaldi and you’ll pass everything from clothing stores to pottery shops.

Designer buys

If you like your clothes to have labels, head to Reggio Calabria, an hour and a half’s drive south from Capo Vaticano. The boutiques here are high end, which is only fitting of Versace’s home town. Vibo Valentia has a designer shopping mall, too. It’s on Via SS and it’s stocked with brands like Versace and Valentino.

Nightlife

Laid-back evenings

Going out and staying in are one and the same thing in Calabria, because evening entertainment is usually taken care of by the hotels. Properties like the Barcelo Simeri Village in Simeri Mare have a range of restaurants and a cluster of cocktail bars. If you have to get out, you can head to the Due Mari mall, 35 minutes from Simeri Mare, where there’s a bowling alley and a cinema.

Lively evenings

A casino or nightclub in Calabria would stick out like a sore thumb. This kind of nightlife doesn’t really exist in this part of Italy. Instead, people congregate in town squares, like the one in Tropea, 20 minutes from Capo Vaticano, and they hop from restaurant to café to gelato shop. In summer, people tend to eat at the beachside restaurants on Lungomaredel Convento.

Food & drink

Ndjua

This lightly spiced sausage is Calabria born and bred. It looks a little bit like chorizo, but its texture is completely different. This stuff is so soft you can spread it on bread a little bit like pate. Some varieties come with a spicy kick, too.

Pepperoncino peppers

It’s not just some that like it hot in Calabria, it’s most. These peppers are so esteemed in Calabria that the village of Diamante holds a festival in their honour. They’re versatile things, and can be added to pasta, pizzas or eaten in antipasti platters.

Tartufo

This dessert is ice-cream for grown-ups. Shaped like an igloo, it’s a core of syrup or fruit wrapped in two layers of gelato. To serve, the whole thing is smothered in a chocolate or fruit sauce. The best tartufo in Italy is said to be served in the Calabrian town of Pizzo.

Bergamot orange

This citrus fruit is the symbol of Reggio di Calabria and 80 per cent of the world’s supply is grown in the area. You can’t eat it raw, in half-time-orange-style. Instead, it’s made into marmalade and spread on fresh bread, or it’s squirted into tea to flavour it.

Ciro

Calabria has been producing wine since ancient Greek times. The grape of the moment is Ciro, which is grown in the foothills of La Sila region. It’s usually turned into red wine, which is full bodied and fruity. But you’ll also find the odd bottle of white floating about.