| If you are looking for a European tourist destination, | | | | Century B.C. There are also Roman baths. Other |
| consider the Calabria region of southern Italy on the | | | | sights include the church of Saint Gaetano Catanoso, |
| Tyrrhenian Sea and the Ionian Sea. Calabria is the toe | | | | named for the first saint from Calabria in five hundred |
| of the Italian boot. There are excellent tourist | | | | years, and the Byzantine-Norman Chiesa degli Ottimati |
| attractions, and you won't have to fight crowds, but | | | | (Church of the Optimates) initially destroyed by the |
| you may have to fight hot, hot summers. With a little | | | | Saracens towards the end of the Sixteenth Century. |
| luck you'll avoid tourist traps, and come back home | | | | Make sure to see the Venetian-style Villa Zerbi and |
| with the feeling that you have truly visited Italy. This | | | | the Pinoteco Comunale (Town Art Gallery). |
| article examines tourist attractions in southern Calabria. | | | | The mile-high (actually more, about two kilometer-high) |
| Be sure to read our companion article on northern | | | | Aspromonte mountain range provides a real change |
| Calabria. | | | | of pace from the Calabria seacoasts. What a view. |
| We begin our tour of southern Calabria at Pizzo on | | | | The name means "sour mountains." As you may well |
| the western Tyrrhenian coast. We proceed south and | | | | imagine its steep terrain and rocky soil are difficult to |
| west along the coast to Tropea. Then we continue | | | | cultivate. You can find a ski resort at Gambarie east |
| mostly south along the coast to the capital, Reggio di | | | | of Reggio di Calabria and an absolutely spectacular |
| Calabria. We leave the coast to visit the Aspromonte | | | | sanctuary Madonna di Polsi with an annual fair in late |
| mountains and then continue east and north to Locri on | | | | August and early September. Would you believe that |
| the eastern Ionian coast. We head inland to Gerace | | | | some locals still speak a Greek dialect? Perhaps not |
| and then go and west along the coast before finishing | | | | surprisingly the local grape is Greco. Accompanied by |
| our tour a bit inland at Stilo. As always in this part of | | | | some three thousand volunteers the hero of the |
| the world directions are approximate; you have to go | | | | struggle for Italian unification, Giuseppe Garibaldi, was |
| where the roads go. | | | | defeated and captured in 1862 in the Battle of |
| Pizzo, population about eight thousand, is a seaport and | | | | Aspromonte. But he had the last laugh a few years |
| resort situated on a steep cliff overlooking the Gulf of | | | | later. |
| Santa Eufemia. Its main attractions are the Baroque | | | | Locri, population thirteen thousand, was founded about |
| Church of San Giorgio (St. George's Church) and the | | | | twenty-seven hundred years ago by a Greek tribe. Its |
| Castle in which the French general Murat, an ex-king of | | | | famous lawmaker was the first to devise the written |
| Naples, was killed in 1815 after attempting to rouse the | | | | Greek code of law. He suggested that whoever |
| populace against the Bourbon kings. | | | | proposed changing a law should do so with a noose |
| Tropea, population about seven thousand, is one of the | | | | about his or her neck, and be hanged if the |
| most beautiful seaside towns in Calabria. It lies | | | | amendment failed to pass. Talk about a sense of |
| between the gulfs of Sant' Eufemia and Gioa | | | | justice. The original city was abandoned in the Fifth |
| overlooking the sea. And yet it is still relatively | | | | Century and later destroyed. You can see some of |
| undiscovered. You'll love its untamed white sandy | | | | the city walls and ruins of a Greek theater. |
| beaches, old houses, and ancient churches. Its Norman | | | | Gerace, population three thousand, sits on a hill |
| Cathedral has a special feature, unexploded U.S. | | | | composed of sixty-million-year old fossils from the sea. |
| bombs from the Second World War, each bearing a | | | | The site has probably been populated for about ten |
| note of thanks to the Madonna. Near the main square | | | | thousand years. Believe it or not, this little town once |
| is the medieval Santa Maria della Isola church and | | | | contained more than one hundred twenty churches. |
| monastery, remodeled in Gothic style and touched up | | | | Among those remaining churches are the Norman |
| a bit after an earthquake slightly over one hundred | | | | Cathedral, the largest church in Calabria includes the |
| years ago. If you fall in love with the town you may | | | | Eleventh Century Prison of the Five Martyrs of |
| want to sign up for some Italian language classes. And | | | | Gerace, the Thirteenth Century Church of St. Francis |
| don't forget the onions, the local onions are so good | | | | with a beautiful Baroque altar, and the Tenth Century |
| that Italians call red onions Cipolla di Tropea (Tropea | | | | San Giovannello (Little St. John). You'll enjoy Gerace's |
| Onion). | | | | medieval town and the remains of an old castle, |
| The city's most famous citizen, Umberto Anastasio, | | | | probably dating from the Tenth Century. |
| was born in 1902 but left for New York City about | | | | Stilo, population three thousand, was founded by the |
| 1919. There he lived under the name Alberto Anastasia, | | | | Greeks. In 1940 the area was the site of the Battle of |
| a leader of Murder, Incorporated. He died in a hotel | | | | Calabria, also called the Battle of Punta Stilo, one of |
| barbershop in a hail of bullets. Anastasia's fictionalized | | | | the biggest naval encounters of World War II. The |
| story was a part of the Oscar winning movie On The | | | | Italian navy and the combined forces of the British and |
| Waterfront. | | | | Australian navies both claimed victory but the battle |
| Reggio di Calabria, population about two hundred | | | | was considered to be a draw. |
| thousand, is the oldest and largest city in Calabria. It sits | | | | This town's most impressive sight is the Ninth Century |
| at the base of a long mountain range running through | | | | Byzantine Cattolica di Stilo which is really beautiful |
| the center of the region. Over the centuries the area | | | | inside and out. Other churches include the Cathedral, |
| has been subjected to multiple several earthquakes | | | | the Church of San Domenico, and the Church of San |
| and tsunamis. Furthermore, the soil is difficult to work. | | | | Nicola da Tolentino. And don't forget to see the |
| The city was founded by Greek settlers in the Eighth | | | | Norman Castle and the Fountain of the Dolphins. |
| Century B. C. and passed from one hand to another | | | | What about food? There's lots of it in Calabria. Reggio |
| over the centuries. Interestingly enough it was home to | | | | di Calabria 's best gelateria, Tonino in the Corso, makes |
| the first dated Hebrew book, printed in 1475. The | | | | a red onion ice cream (as well as others based on |
| worst earthquakes were in 1783 and then in 1908 | | | | squid ink and nduja, the local spicy salami). Let's |
| when an estimated 80% of its buildings collapsed and | | | | suggest a sample menu, one of many. Start with |
| thousands of people were killed. It took a full generation | | | | Spaghetti al Ragù di Totano (Spaghetti with |
| for the city to recover. | | | | Squid and Tomato Sauce). Then try Cinghiale |
| Reggio di Calabria contains many interesting sights. We | | | | all'aspromonte (Wild boar Aspromonte style). For |
| will start with arguably the most unexpected one, the | | | | dessert indulge yourself with Passulate (Spicy Nut and |
| Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia (The National | | | | Sultana Biscuits.) Be sure to increase your dining |
| Museum of Greater Greece), a very important | | | | pleasure by including local wines with your meal. |
| archeological museum. Make sure to see the two | | | | We'll conclude with a quick look at Calabria wine. |
| Bronzi di Riace (Riace Bronze) statues of bearded | | | | Calabria devotes about sixty thousand acres to |
| warriors whose origin is subject to debate among the | | | | grapevines; it ranks 13th among the 20 Italian regions |
| experts. While they were discovered by an amateur | | | | for the acreage devoted to wine grapes. About 91% |
| scuba diver in 1972, they didn't go on display for almost | | | | of its wine is red or rosé, leaving 9% for white. |
| ten years. | | | | The region produces twelve DOC wines. DOC stands |
| The famous poet Gabriele D'Annunzio called the | | | | for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be |
| Falcomatà promenade by the sea the most | | | | translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, |
| beautiful kilometer in Italy, and, believe me, it has a lot of | | | | presumably a high-quality wine. Only 2.4% of Calabria |
| competition. The old city is proud of its Greek walls; the | | | | wine carries the DOC designation. |
| section near the promenade dates back to the Fourth | | | | |