Italy, virtually without tourists? Welcome to Calabria!

The historic fishing village of Scilla ^{_{Photo: stock.adobe.com/nata rass}}

From of our editorial team

When you think of Italy, you think of Florence, Rome, Venice. And forgets the part that surprises the most. Calabria lies at the very bottom of the boot - geographically, touristically, economically. But this is perhaps where the most fascinating Italian feeling of all begins: unadorned, original, a little unruly - and that is precisely why it is so appealing.

The most famous town? A village of just under 6,000 inhabitants called Tropea. Famous for its spectacular architecture on a steep coastline. And that's almost the end of the list of nationally famous places on the sole of Italy's boot.

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Coasts like from a pirate film

Travelling through Calabria doesn't require a selfie stick, but rather good shoes, open eyes and time. In return, you get coastlines like something out of an old pirate film, lemon groves that stretch as far as the eye can see and village cafés where even the espresso is served in a village café. Espresso doesn't need any frills - just character.

Scilla, for example: Here, people practically live in the water (see photo above). In the Chianalea neighbourhood, boats sail through alleyways where fishermen repair their nets - not for tourist photos, but for the next morning on the sea. On the other side poses Sicily. And yet you are alone here.

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Kilometres of beaches, deserted

Reggio Calabria, the largest city in the region, scores not with beauty, but with history. The bronzes of Riace, two ancient statues from the sea, stand here as if from another world. Anyone who stands alone with them in the museum knows what Calabria can do: Awe, not scenery.

And then there are the beaches. Kilometres long, golden-coloured, deserted. Anyone who has ever laid down in the bay of Capo Vaticano, with a view of the crystal-clear water, wonders why everything here hasn't been built up long ago. The answer is simple: Calabria is too far away from mass taste.

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The original hinterland

The region also has a lot to offer culturally: Byzantine churches, Norman castles, small monasteries in the mountains. The villages in the Aspromonte mountains tell stories that hardly anyone knows - of Greek settlers, Albanian minorities and rural pride.

And when you sit in a small trattoria in the evening and have a plate of 'Nduja pasta in front of you - savoury, honest, homemade - then you understand what makes Calabria so special in culinary terms. It has character.

Calabria does not want to please. It is slow. It doesn't stage itself, it simply shows itself. For anyone looking for authentic Italy.

More info

• The Calabria region: The official tourism page
• The City of Reggio Calabria: The official tourism page
• The coastal town Tropea: The official tourism website

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