View of the Mediterranean from my balcony

Ciao Bellis!

Anyone who knows me knows I have a special place in my heart for Southern Italy. It is an undiscovered paradise and if you are a traveler as opposed to a tourist, you will be enchanted.

Let me clarify exactly what I mean so that I do not offend. When I say “traveler” I mean someone who wants to get away from their home turf and experience something completely different than what they have at home. These are the people who like to expand their comfort zones and create new ones.

Tourists are those who want to see someplace new but not leave the comforts and familiarity of home behind.

There is nothing wrong with either type of traveler and some people can be travelers at one time in their lives and tourist at other times.

I cannot imagine going much out of your comfort zone with several small children for example. If I were a young mom with lots of tots I would definitely want something designed to give me a break from challenges because God knows, there are plenty of challenges for someone in those circumstances.

Additionally a person who is wheelchair bound would find much more accommodation readily available in the larger cities and hotel chains found in the more Northern cities.

For people in tourist mode, Southern Italy might be something they plan later in life or not.

Italy itself is a country like none other. It is made up of 20 regions and each one, until recently was autonomous. The regions, a disparate collection of city states, only came together at the unification of Italy in 1870.

Each region has its own unique personality, food and character. Each has so much to love as they are individual combinations of art, culture, language, architecture and cuisine.

When one is in tourist mode, the bigger cities like Rome, Florence and Milan with their hotel chains and tourist attraction budgets can much more easily accommodate those who are in a position where they need a little extra help while traveling. There is much to see in any of those cities, especially if you brush up on your European history before you go. You will not be disappointed if you stick to those areas.

Southern Italy is different than the more northern parts of Italy and perhaps this is why it has been ignored by travel writers and guide books. While it does cater to tourism, there are not many big hotel chains and in many places, it can be difficult to find someone who speaks English well enough to assist you when you need help.

That said there are a few BnB’s scattered about in Calabria who are run by people who either are English or speak it well. Casa Cielo, run by my friends Clive and Kathryn is one of them. They are in Scalea , just down the hill from us and provide everything you need for a wonderful experience. You can be intrepid and have someone there in case you need something out of the ordinary.

When guide books describe Italy, they completely skip over Southern Italy after talking about Napoli. They miss almost half of the Italy between Napoli and Sicily and in doing so, they do the intrepid traveler a grave disservice.

While it is a bit more work to get here, there is so much to see and so much history right at your finger tips that it is worth the extra effort to arrive.

Magna Graecia

Calabria, Puglia and other Southern regions were the home to the Magna Greacia. Greece was the birthplace of so much of the knowledge we have today, coming before the Roman Republic and being a model for much of the Roman classical education and government.

Ancient Vase

The Greece 0f history extended well beyond modern day Greece and covered much of Southern Italy. You have heard of Horace and Pythagorus. These two learned philosophers both lived in Southern Italy for a large part of their lives.

Last Summer as my husband and I were driving to the furniture warehouse, we came upon what looked like an archeological site. We went in and found that it was the ancient Greek city of Laos which was extant in 510 AC.

The archeological site itself covers a few acres. There are modern houses and out buildings in the area so there may be much more waiting to be discovered under the present day structures.

Nonetheless there is enough there to get a good idea of how the city was laid out. In some of the ruins you can see the remains of terra cotta drainage pipes revealing that plumbing existed even back then.

A short train ride North takes you to the ancient Greek city of Paestum which was vibrant in the period between 800 and 650 BC.

Paestum still boasts of some of the best preserved Greek temples anywhere and they are striking to behold. A day spent in Paestum walking the ancient streets and recreating in your mind how the city buzzed with life is a delight. Not only are the temples well preserved but you can easily make out how the streets and markets were laid out and get a good idea of how people flowed in and around the city.

The best way to enjoy Paestum is to go early before it gets hot, see the ruins in the morning and in the afternoon, see the museum as it is much cooler inside and the Southern Italian sun is famous for its intensity. Wear sun screen and a hat wherever you go in Southern Italy in the Spring, Summer and Autumn months.

This is NOT Barilla!

The Food

I have traveled throughout most of Italy and, although I still have more treasures to seek there and some places yet to discover, I can tell you that Italian food is arguably the best on the planet. Those who are versed in the art of cooking in Italy are true artists in the most profound sense of the word.

Of all Italian food, I love Calabrian the best. There is something about pepperoncini (or little peppers)  singing in your mouth and home made pasta with spicy sausage that makes me feel like I am home.

For the best of Calabrian cuisine, drive up from the coast to a hill town by the name of Tortora. There you will find a restaurant called Il Caminetto and Rose Angela who creates the best Calabrian food ever placed on this earth by the gods.

Rose Angela is an artist of great talent. We have had several meals there, guests of our friend Giacomo and his lovely family.

Rose Angela has even given us a pasta making demonstration. I muffed the noodle pretty well but it was great fun and we learned a lot. If you want to see me completely massacre a piece of fusilli pasta, click on the above link.

Happily, on that day, Rose Angela was cooking and we had a wonderful meal, perfect in every way and such a fabulous time with friends.

Calabrian antipasti

Each time we visit, we are treated to Calabrian specialties including an assortment of fried specialities like arancini which are rice balls filed with cheese and rolled in bread crumbs then deep fried (Oh. My. God!) And Bakhala which is salted and dried fish and which sounds unpalatable but when cooked by the angelic hands of Rose Angela, they are delicious.

Stunning view in Maratea

The Scenery

Calabria is a wild and wonderful place. On the coast you have the deep blue, clear Mediterranean, Inland you have giant jutting cliffs, lush beautiful landscape and the prettiest flowers anywhere.

The beaches are spectacular and vary from small pebble beaches to white sand beaches. In all cases they are beautiful and the water is warm and calm.

The best memory I have to date of a Calabrian Summer was lying on an air mattress and bobbing in the sea, looking up at the lapis blue sky and puffy white clouds. From the water you could see an old palace that had been turned into residences but retained its antique exterior. Beyond that I saw the wild mountains sharp against the sky. The water was warm and the sounds of people playing in the water created a happy little bubble. It was perfect.

The Markets

In our area there are several markets that travel around to the various villages selling cheese, clothing and other house hold items. They are not big but they can be fun.

The most fun, however is the Monday market in Scalea. I love this market. Vendors comes from Africa and the Middle East selling everything you could possibly ask for.

Tabelware, toothbrushes, bed linens, shoes, clothes and jewelry are all on display in the various stalls with the proprietors all vying for your attention and Euros.

One Summer when I went, there were people from Morocco selling silver and stone bracelets and earrings. They were very inexpensive and lovely. You never know what you find and you can always find little treasures at the one euro table.

Be warned however that when you purchase bright green bed sheets you have to wash them several times or you wake up the next morning with a greenish tinge and looking like an alien as my husband found out.

Santa Domenica Talao

The Hill Towns

When my husband and I first visited Calabria we were house hunting. Our agent took us to all of the local villages showing us properties there so we could get a feel for where we wanted to be. We fell in love with Santa Domenica Talao.

Each hill town had a very specific personality. Maiera is gorgeous but reverent.  Grisolia is high on a mountain with sweeping views of the sea and the mountains. Santa Domenica Talao is communal and loving. They welcomed us into their community without a second thought and we love them all. Santa Domenica also has beautiful sea views as well as a gorgeous tiled piazza where the locals hang out in the evenings, where strolling villagers dress up to take their passeggiata and where festas take place often in the Summer months. The festas in the piazza are like a big family gathering and so much fun.

Paizza in Santa Domenica Talao

The People

What can I say? Calabrians are wonderful people. They are full of life and compassion. They love family and community and although sometimes they may have a rough exterior, underneath, from what I have found, there is a kind and generous heart.

Southern Italy is not like Rome or Florence or Venice. It is a bit wilder, a bit more passionate, a bit more Italian despite the regional dialects you may hear.

There are those travellers who don’t necessarily want to experience the touristy cities, who want to experience an undiscovered paradise. If you are that traveller, than Southern Italy is your next destination.

If you take the opportunity, you will be richly rewarded. And if you are there in Summer, you may run into me. Most likely I will be up at Nunzia’s store having a coffee or exploring the other beautiful hill towns around the area, or at the beach bobbing in the sea.

If you are interested in a trip in the future, please contact me. I would be glad to help you.

XO Chris

For more stories about Southern Italy check out my article entitled San Giuseppe and Dog the Blaspemer

And for a mini mental vacation to Santa Domenica Talao, read my book Chasing La Bella Vita.

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