Calabria and Basilicata: beaches, mountains and ancient cultures

Two regions between mountains and two seas

Calabria and Basilicata form a deeply rural corner of southern Italy. Calabria is the slender toe, Basilicata the wedge between Campania and Puglia. Together they offer about 800 km of coast, the Pollino, Sila and Aspromonte parks, Lucanian Apennine villages, Greek and Byzantine remains, Arbëreshë communities and food shaped by local produce. Roads can be difficult, but the slower pace keeps the landscapes and small-town culture unusually intact.

Two ways to use a week

1. 01Give Matera a full day for the Sassi, then walk the Gravina and reserve a separate visit to the Cripta del Peccato Originale.
2. 02For Basilicata, continue through Potenza, Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa, then choose Vulture wine and Monticchio Lakes or the Pollino rivers.
3. 03For Calabria, start at Tropea, continue to Capo Vaticano and Scilla, then use Reggio as a base for the Bronzi and Aspromonte before moving east to Locri.
4. 04If time remains, follow the Ionian coast north through Isola Capo Rizzuto, Le Castella, Capo Colonna, Cirò and the Costa degli Achei.

Matera: the Sassi and the Murgia

Matera, la città sotterranea, grew as residents hollowed dwellings from the walls of a steep ravine. Medieval and Renaissance prosperity added a cathedral and decorated facades, but poverty after Italian unification and the impact of Carlo Levi's 1945 writing gave the Sassi a reputation as Italy's shame. The districts were emptied in the 1950s, later restored with public works and EU investment, listed by UNESCO in 1993 and chosen as European Capital of Culture in 2019. Today cave rooms, churches, galleries, restaurants and contemporary art occupy the same geological fabric.

Arriving in Matera

Bari Palese Airport is about 55 km away and has rental cars and shuttle buses. Ferrovie Appulo Lucane trains connect Matera with Bari FAL station on Corso Italia 8; FAL carries the timetable. The closest Trenitalia link is Stazione Ferrandina-Scalo Matera, about an hour away with few onward buses. FlixBus and Itabus also serve Matera. Cars are not allowed in the old town, so the Sassi are explored on foot. Matera Welcome carries current transport and event details.

A walk through deep time

Allow about 2.7 km and one hour from Piazza Vittorio Veneto to Chiesa San Pietro Barisano. Start at Belvedere Guerricchio above Sasso Barisano, then see the 15 m Palombaro Lungo cistern. Continue to the 13th-century Basilica Cattedrale della Bruna, Casa Noha's multimedia account of Matera's recent past, Piazza del Sedile, Museo Ridola and Palazzo Lanfranchi with Carlo Levi's panoramic Lucania '61. Cross into Sasso Caveoso for Santa Lucia alle Malve and Santa Maria di Idris, then follow Via Madonna delle Virtù to MUSMA and the cave church of San Pietro Barisano.

Art in the caves

MUSMA is housed in the wine and olive cellar of Palazzo Pomarici and lists adult/child and senior admission at €7/4. Casa Ortega, dedicated to the Spanish artist José Ortega's papier-mâché work, lists €5/3.50. The Chiesa di Madonna delle Virtù is a rupestrian church complex and exhibition centre with a permanent Salvador Dalí display. TAM-Tower Art Museum in the 12th-century Torre del Capone lists adult admission at €6, free below 12, and opens 10am-8pm Wednesday to Sunday. Casa Cava is a 200-seat theatre in a cave. MUSMA, Casa Ortega and TAM publish current schedules.

Ecoverticale offers co-working and events in the Sassi, including cooking classes, urban sketching and visits to an original olive mill. Casa Netural connects Materans with visitors and innovators through co-living spaces in Matera and Grottole. Le4uadre Atelier, Studio d'Arte Raffaele Pentasuglia, Kéramos Studio, Geppetto and Materia Lab are places to look for local fashion, illustration, ceramics and goldsmith work. Al Jalil Yoga lists classes at €50.

Cripta del Peccato Originale

The cave was discovered in 1963 after local shepherds preserved a story about a church larger than the known rupestrian sites. The former Lombard Benedictine monastery contains about 41 sq m of vivid 8th- and 9th-century frescoes in a distinctive Byzantine style. It lies 7 km south of Matera; Cripta del Peccato Originale lists the guided visit at €10.70 and requires booking at the Azienda Agricola Dragone ticket office.

Across the Murgia canyon

Parco della Murgia Materana protects about 80 sq km of plateau, abandoned caves and roughly 150 rupestrian churches. The Gravina is about 200 m deep. From Via Madonna delle Virtù, a walk of around two hours follows Sentiero 406 to the Tibetan Bridge, passes the church of St Agnese and climbs towards San Falcione and Madonna delle Tre Porte. Much of the park is private and inaccessible; Crea Experience is the listed operator for the most secluded areas.

Basilicata beyond Matera

Potenza and the Lucanian Apennines

Potenza is about 1 hour 15 minutes from Matera. Its moving escalator system, one of Europe's longest, links the lower city with the older fortified centre. Museo Archeologico Nazionale della Basilicata Dinu Adamesteanu in Palazzo Loffredo lists adult/child admission at €4/2 and presents Greek-colonisation finds from Metaponto and Lucania. Torre Guevara is the remnant of a castle, Chiesa della Santissima Trinità reopened in 2023, and Teatro Stabile and Officine Macondo provide evening culture.

Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa lie about 1 hour 10 minutes from Matera in the Gallipoli Cognato forest. Pietrapertosa is Basilicata's highest village at 1088 m and means pierced rock. The 7 km Cammino delle Sette Pietre uses multimedia installations based on a story of forest witches. The Volo dell'Angelo zip line between the villages costs €35 and runs from mid-June to October. Via Ferrata Salemm and Via Ferrata Marcirosa add a Tibetan bridge; Dolomiti Discovery rents equipment. A climb of 54 rock-cut steps reaches Castelmezzano's Norman Castle.

Vulture wine and lakes

Rionero in Vulture sits below the collapsed cone of the Vulture Volcano. Cantine del Notaio makes Lucanian wine in about 500 sq m of underground volcanic-rock tunnels below its office; visits with local food start at €25 per person. A second cellar is almost 2 km long and holds about 1,000 barrels. Cantine del Notaio handles visits.

The turquoise Monticchio Lakes formed about 130,000 years ago in the dormant volcanic crater. Museo di Storia Naturale del Vulture is free. Between the lakes, the ruins of Abbazia Sant'Ippolito date to around 1000 CE, when monks from Europe and the Middle East lived together. Badia San Michele sits above the smaller lake on a cave once used for pre-Christian rituals; its windows look across both lakes. Parco del Vulture carries local information.

Venosa, Melfi, Craco and Acerenza

At Venosa, the Roman baths, mosaics, houses and unfinished Incompiuta church stand beside Abbazia della Santissima Trinità, built over a Roman temple around 1046 and containing the tombs of Robert Guiscard and Drogo. Melfi's Norman Castle holds Rapolla and Atella sarcophagi with Greek-mythology scenes. Near Pietragalla, the round Palmenti wine cellars look like Hobbit houses because winemakers kept carbon dioxide away from the town.

Cava Pontrelli near Gravina preserves more than 30,000 dinosaur footprints from at least five species, both herbivores and carnivores. The tracks date to the Cretaceous period, about 70 million years ago. Oppido Lucano's Cineteca Lucana preserves Gaetano Martino's archive of 35 mm films, posters, projectors and memorabilia; it is not normally open to the public, but the Pro Loco sometimes arranges guided visits through Visit Oppido Lucano.

The Pollino core

Parco Nazionale del Pollino links southern Basilicata with northern Calabria. At 1,960 sq km it is Italy's largest national park. Monte Pollino reaches 2,248 m, Serra Dolcedorme 2,267 m and Serra di Crispo 2,053 m. The latter is known as the Garden of the Gods for its Loricato pines, a relict species from the last Ice Age. Italus, a tree estimated at about 1,300 years old, is among the park's natural symbols.

Rotonda, Viggianello, Latronico and Terranova di Pollino make practical bases. Rotonda's Mugepa museum lists admission at €2 and displays the fossilised skeleton of a straight-tusked elephant from about 800,000 years ago. Bosco Magnano and Cascate della Frida are accessible starting points. Pollino Adventure organises day hikes and the Basilicata Coast to Coast route by foot or e-bike between Nova Siri and Maratea.

Mercure, Lao and river days

The 51 km Lao River begins as the Mercure near the 2,181 m Serra del Prete and passes Viggianello before entering Calabria. Infopollino starts river trekking, acquatrekking and 4-7 km tubing trips at €35. Autumn adds chestnut, mushroom and truffle hunting; winter brings snowshoe walks to Loricato-pine plateaus. On the Calabrian side, Lao Rafting offers rafting, canyoning and kayaking.

Arbëreshë villages and mountain culture

San Paolo Albanese and San Costantino Albanese preserve Italo-Albanian culture and Greek liturgy. Albanian refugees settled in these mountains mainly between the mid-15th and mid-17th centuries after fleeing Ottoman expansion. Easter and the second week of May bring the Festa della Madonna della Stella and Festa dei Nusaziti, whose giant papier-mâché figures explode as part of the celebration. The Pollino also keeps older rituals, including the Marriage of the Trees, when a village symbolically marries two trees in its main square.

The Romito Cave near Papasidero contains a 12,000-14,000-year-old carving of an aurochs; Grotta Romito lists admission at €4. Latronico's five Calda Caves show settlement from 8000 BCE to 1300 CE, and a nearby 2 m fish fossil dates from 7 to 11 million years ago. In the Calabrian Pollino, Santa Domenica Talao, Orsomarso and Verbicaro add Basilian churches, karst caves and the Argentine River Valley Nature Reserve.

Northern Tyrrhenian Calabria and Maratea

The northern Tyrrhenian coast runs from Maratea through the Riviera dei Cedri, a line of steep villages, watchtowers, pine forests and pebble or sandy beaches. Dino and Cirella are Calabria's only two islands. Praia a Mare, Scalea and Diamante are the main coastal bases, while the hills behind them open into the western edge of Pollino National Park.

Maratea and Scalea are reachable by fast Italo trains and FlixBus. Regional trains continue south to Diamante, Paola, the Costa degli Dei and Reggio di Calabria. Preite buses connect the main towns and Cosenza but are infrequent. If you stay beside the sea, trains and walking are enough; for secluded beaches and the hills, rent a car in Scalea. August is especially crowded around Scalea and San Nicola Arcella, while May, June and September are calmer.

Maratea's coves and high villages

Fiumicello has a polished lido on a pebbled beach, while Acquafredda has deep grottoes and small coves. U Monachicchio runs kayaking from Lido L&C. Monte Coccovello rises to 1,500 m and takes three to four hours to climb. Mountain and climbing guides Oreste Bottiglieri and Riccardo Quaranta can help with the three official climbing cliffs, and Domenico Acquaviva organises paragliding. Families often choose the broad sandy beach at Castrocucco. Nautilus Escursioni runs boat trips to quiet swimming places, and Centro Sub Maratea organises diving from the port.

Maratea itself has no large town beach. Its small yacht-filled port is ringed by restaurants, the historic Maratea Borgo has pastel churches and Piazza Buraglia is made for a gelato break. Rivello's frescoed Convento di Sant'Antonio is another worthwhile detour. Above town, Maratea Superiore is the ruin of the original settlement beneath the Christ the Redeemer statue on Monte San Biagio at 644 m. A beginner-level via ferrata with two suspended Tibetan bridges reaches the statue, while Ivy Tour rents equipment and offers bike tours.

Scalea, San Nicola Arcella and Diamante

Scalea's overbuilt new town hides a medieval upper town. The Explore Scalea project uses QR-coded ceramic plaques made by local artisans to mark a route from Palazzo dei Principi Spinelli to Piazza Maggiore De Palma, Piazza Cimalonga, Cimalonga Tower and the Norman Castle ruins. Talao Tower, built in 1578 as part of the coastal defences, stands between the old town and the sea. Ask at Info Point Scalea, open 9am-1pm and 4-8pm, and leave a voluntary donation to visit.

San Nicola Arcella has the striking Arcomagno cove, a natural rock arch above turquoise water. Access to Arcomagno Beach costs €3, is regulated from 8am to 8pm and allows stays of up to 30 minutes. Crawford Tower is named for the American writer Francis Marion Crawford, who lived here. In July and August the Pro Loco organises sunset visits; the town also holds Note del Borgo, an August festival of poetry, painting and music.

Diamante built its modern identity through street art. Since 1981, artists have painted the town's walls, including a large work by Jorit on Via Pietro Mancini. Walk through the older lanes to the Church of the Immaculate Conception for murals, installations and small surprises. The local Diavolicchio Diamante chilli averages 40,000-50,000 Scoville Heat Units. The Museo del Peperoncino in Maierà, 4 km from Diamante, explains the history and cooking of the peppers. The five-day Festival of Peperoncino takes place in the second weekend of September and attracts more than 200,000 people.

Pollino on the Calabrian side

The Calabrian edge of Pollino lies on the western spurs of the Apennines a few kilometres from the Tyrrhenian coast. Santa Domenica Talao grew around Chiesa di San Giovanni, whose crypt contains skulls and nativity scenes. Orsomarso was once a Roman fortress and a centre of Basilian monasticism; its 10th-century Torre dell'Orologio and rock church of Santa Maria di Mércuri lead towards the Argentine River Valley Nature Reserve. Verbicaro's Chiesa di Santa Maria ad Nives preserves frescoes from several periods.

In Papasidero, the Lao River cuts through karst and the Romito Cave preserves an aurochs carving dated to 12,000-14,000 years ago. The Gole del Raganello near Civita remain closed after a 2018 flood killed 10 people, but operators around Papasidero still offer whitewater trips. Happy Rafting Calabria lists five- to seven-hour, up-to-26 km expeditions from €45. The Tratto Alto passes the Romito Cave, gorges and rapids; nearby Chapel of St Sofia and the Shrine of Santa Maria di Costantinopoli add a cultural stop.

La Sila: the dark forest

La Sila is a protected plateau of about 130 sq km at the centre of Calabria. Sila Grande has the highest peaks and forests of beech, white fir and Calabrian pine, the wood once used for Greek and Roman ships. Sila Greca carries strong Albanian influences, while Sila Piccola near Catanzaro is dominated by holm oak. The area feels alpine in summer and supports skiing, mushrooms, truffles, wildflowers and lakeside activities.

Getting around and hiking

Ferrovie della Calabria buses reach Camigliatello Silano and San Giovanni in Fiore from Cosenza or Crotone. The historic narrow-gauge Treno della Sila runs from Camigliatello to San Nicola-Silvana Mansio in 19th-century carriages. A car is the best way to explore the wider plateau. English information is limited, so use visitors centres in Lorica, Cupone, Villaggio Mancuso and Cotronei, or the tourist office in Camigliatello for maps.

There are 66 trails totalling about 600 km. A guide listed by the park is recommended, and Cammina Sila joins visitors to outdoor activities. Montenero at 1,881 m gives broad views across the valleys and lakes. Sentiero CAI 312 reaches Monte Gariglione at 1,772 m through ancient larch pine and silver fir. From Longobucco, Monte Sordillo at 1,551 m is an easier hike. Parco Sila carries route information.

At Camigliatello Silano, the Giganti della Sila preserve Calabrian pines up to 50 m tall; admission is €6/3 for adults and children. Valle Piccola offers e-bike, horseback and water trekking. Monte Curcio has winter skiing, while the six slopes on Monte Botte Donato at 1,928 m remain snowy into April.

Lake Arvo

Lake Arvo was created between 1927 and 1931 as a hydroelectric dam and lies at 1,370 m beside Lorica. Lakes Cecita, Ampollino and Ariamacina add birdwatching and trekking. From May to October, Loricaly rents kayak boats for €10 per 30 minutes and runs a 30-minute electric-boat cruise for €7. Horses Lorica lists rides at €20 for 40 minutes or €25 for 1 hour 15 minutes. Chiosco Rosso rents bikes and e-rickshaws. Silavventura costs €25 and combines tree-top obstacles, a climbing wall and a 600 m lake-spanning zip line.

Lorica Fishing Experience organises assisted catch-and-release trips for two people from €250 and can arrange outings of up to a week for Lake Arvo's redfish perch, whose median length reaches 40 cm. La Locomotiva, Il Brillo Parlante Brewing, Agriturismo Camigliatello Fattoria Biò and Silafunghi Campanaro are useful food stops for mountain dishes, fried caciocavallo, patate m'pacchiuse, porcini, cold cuts and cheese.

Textiles, art and Valli Cupe

La Sila's hand-loomed blankets use brightly coloured weft brocading over wool, giving them the look of embroidered Oriental rugs. Mario Celestino in Longobucco has made pieces for royal households and keeps a Camigliatello showroom. Caruso Tessiture Artistiche e Scuola Tappeti in San Giovanni in Fiore runs a weaving school. At the foothills, Cosenza's MAB displays outdoor works by Dalí, de Chirico and Modigliani, Taverna's museum and cathedral show Mattia Preti, Rossano's diocesan museum holds the illuminated Codex Purpureus, and Abbazia di Santa Maria del Pàtire has a Norman-Romanesque floor mosaic.

The Valli Cupe Natural Reserve near Sersale is a series of deep tufa ravines with ferns, waterfalls and translucent pools. A cooperative guide is compulsory and can add donkey rides, 4WD excursions, monasteries and churches. San Giovanni in Fiore's Abbazia Florense is 50 m long and contains the remains of Joachim of Fiore. The free Museo Demologico covers shepherding, cheese and wool, while the Cammino Gioachimita follows the theologian's life between Lamezia Terme and Lake Arvo.

Costa degli Dei

The Costa degli Dei is a 34.2 km peninsula of Mediterranean scrub, pine trees, cliffs and translucent water. The wider coastal spur from Pizzo to Nicotera covers about 56 km. Tropea sits on a cliff above crescent beaches and Santa Maria dell'Isola, while Parghelia, Zambrone, Briatico, Ricadi and Capo Vaticano spread the summer demand along the coast.

Arriving and choosing a base

Lamezia Terme International Airport is about 60 km, or one hour, from the beaches. Shuttle buses to Lamezia Terme Centrale cost €1.50, run every 30 minutes from 6am to 11.30pm and connect with regional and high-speed Trenitalia services. A taxi between airport and station is listed at €10. Tropea and Pizzo work without a car, thanks to the scenic coastal railway, but a car makes day trips to coves, villages and inland caves much easier. In July and August, consider Pizzo, Parghelia, Capo Vaticano or Vibo Valentia instead of using crowded Tropea as the only base.

Tropea's central beaches are warm and easy to reach, and boats can enter Grotta del Palombaro, Grotta di San Leonardo and Grotta Azzurra. Capo Vaticano gives views towards the Aeolian Islands; hire a pedalo from Grotticelle Beach and walk to Faro di Capo Vaticano for sunset. Parghelia's Spiaggia Michelino is open access, while Vardano, La Grazia and Vardanello are other options. Zambrone's Paradiso del Sub is known for rocks and corals. Briatico adds Trainiti, Safò Bay, the Cocca cliffs, San Giuseppe and Sant'Irene.

Pizzo and the cave chapel

Pizzo is famous for tartufo ice cream, a chocolate and hazelnut truffle ball, and the Chiesetta di Piedigrotta. The chapel is a kilometre north of town in a sea cave, where legend says a Madonna saved sailors from a 17th-century storm. Sculptor Angelo Barone added life-size religious figures in the early 20th century. Chiesetta di Piedigrotta lists admission at €5, with €3.50 for children under seven and seniors, and free entry for younger children. The beach outside is pleasant; Lido Pescespada and Ristorante Da Agostino continue north.

Serre: forests, monasteries and the coast-to-coast trail

The Natural Regional Park of Serre narrows the peninsula between Pizzo and Soverato to about 43 km. This corridor historically carried people and armies across the toe, leaving Vibo Valentia's castle and the Carthusian monastery at Serra San Bruno. Roads penetrate the Archifòro woods, but public transport is scarce; use a car or motorbike.

Serra San Bruno

Serra San Bruno is surrounded by pine and fir woods and has trails for hiking, cross-country skiing and mountain biking. The Bosco di Archifòro or Baden Powell trail reaches Pietra del Signore, a monolith that seems suspended above the forest. Certosa di Serra San Bruno was founded by Bruno of Cologne at the end of the 11th century and is Italy's first monastery, second in Europe only to Grenoble. The monks still require seclusion, so visitors see the Charterhouse Museum rather than the working monastery.

Two kilometres south, Santa Maria nel Bosco Sanctuary stands near Bruno's original hermitage. In the surrounding hills, carbonai still make charcoal with a century-old technique: a wood pile is covered with hay and soil to form a burning dome. The Serra San Bruno Pro Loco can arrange visits through its Facebook page.

Kalabria Coast-to-Coast

The georeferenced Kalabria Coast-to-Coast Trail is a 55 km, three-day route from Soverato to Pizzo. It crosses olive groves, pastures, beech woods and simple rural accommodation. Day one leaves Soverato's Lungomare Europa via TaMaDà Beach and Calaghena for Petrizzi. Day two passes San Vito sullo Ionio, Lake Acero, Monte Coppari, Pozzetti and Monterosso Calabro. Day three reaches Lake Angitola, where grey herons may appear, then Rocca Angitola and Pizzo. Kalabria Trekking publishes the waypoints and route.

Nardodipace, Polia and Mongiana

Near Nardodipace, two groups of 6-8 m megaliths form trilith-like structures in the forest. Both sites are about 20 minutes on foot from the parking area. Polia's Milo River canyon shelters Italy's largest colony of Woodwardia radicans, a prehistoric fern. Kalistratia guides a 200 m upstream walk through cascading plants. Nearby Gigliara hosts the free Kalabria Eko Fest at the end of July, with permaculture, eco-gastronomy and a do-it-yourself market. In Mongiana, the free Museo delle Reali Ferriere Borboniche occupies an iron factory closed in 1872.

Reggio di Calabria and the Strait

Reggio is the main ferry and rail gateway to Sicily. The 1908 earthquake and tsunami destroyed most historic fabric and killed more than 100,000 people, but the Art Nouveau centre and Lungomare Falcomatà remain striking. The promenade faces the Strait and Mount Etna and is one of the best places in the south for an evening walk.

Arrive, cross and walk

Reggio has a passenger port at Stazione Marittima and a train-ferry and car-ferry hub at Villa San Giovanni, 14 km north and reachable by train. Porti dello Stretto lists the crossings. Reggio's Stazione Lido is useful for foot passengers, Stazione Centrale sits at the southern edge, and regional trains run to Scilla, Tropea and Catanzaro. The airport at Ravagnese is about 5 km south, with flights to Rome, Turin and Milan. Bars on Via Zecca generally open around 6pm or 7pm; Lievito and Vesper are more polished choices.

The Bronzi di Riace

Museo Nazionale di Reggio Calabria is the best place to understand Calabria's Magna Graecia colonies, from Neolithic communities through Greek, Byzantine and Roman periods. Admission is €10 for adults, €2 for visitors aged 18-25 and free below 18. The museum's centrepiece is the pair of bronze Greek warriors found near Riace in 1972 and dated to about 450 BCE. Their makers, original setting and missing shields, spears and helmets remain uncertain. Museo Archeologico di Reggio Calabria carries visitor information.

L'A Gourmet L'Accademia puts Calabria on the plate through swordfish from Scilla, sweet Tropea onions, liquorice from Rossano and bergamot from Reggio. For a more casual stop, Malavenda Cafe, Malto Gradimento, Kalabrillo and Piro Piro are listed local addresses. Gelato Cesare has served from the Lungomare since 1918; its bronzato flavour uses caramel and salty butter in a pistachio-filled cannolo cone. Cremeria Sottozero, founded in 1974, serves gelato in brioche, while Gelateria Trebottoni is known for Terramia, More di Condofuri and Nero Tre Bottoni.

Scilla, Palmi and Aspromonte Grecanico

Scilla and the Costa Viola

Scilla is about 30 minutes from Reggio. Painted houses climb from the fishing district Chianalea to Castello Ruffo and Chiesa Maria Santissima Immacolata. The Greek myth of Scylla, a nymph transformed into a six-headed sea monster by Circe, still shapes the town's identity. Chianalea sits almost in the water, with terraces on pontoons and Italy's last felucca boats, which retain an observation tower and harpoon platform for swordfish.

Chianalea is walkable or served by small Ape taxis. The sandy beach works for swimming, while Scilla in Barca lists excursions from €15 along the Costa Viola. Scilla Diving Centre organises dives. The Sentiero dell'Aquilla is an 18 km circular hike taking eight to nine hours. Seafood stops include Gelateria Zanzibar, Civico 5, Bleu de Toi and Glauco.

Palmi and bergamot

On the last Sunday of August, Palmi's main square fills for Varia di Palmi, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage event since 2013. A giant sacred chariot topped by a 16 m tower is carried by 200 bearers and represents the universe and the Assumption of the Virgin. Outside festival time, Sentiero del Tracciolino follows the coast for 7 km to Bagnara Calabra in about 2.5 hours. Monte Sant'Elia and the Belvedere of the Three Crosses are best at sunset.

Calabrian bergamot grows on the lower Aspromonte foothills between Villa San Giovanni and Gioiosa Ionica. Its essential oil fixes perfumes, while the fruit also goes into tea, sweets and cakes. Il Bergamotto is a plantation and agriturismo run by Ugo Sergei, with country cooking, citrus and olive groves; excursions into Aspromonte can be arranged on foot or by donkey.

Grecanico villages

Aspromonte has dry fiumare, conifer forests, spring flowers and a Calabro-Greek culture descended from western Byzantium and Magna Graecia. Gambarie is the easiest base, about an hour from Reggio. Aspromonte Wild offers trekking, canyoning, kayaking and Nordic skiing. In Bova Superiore, the free Museo Gerhard Rohlfs explains Greek-Calabrese language.

The SS106 leads to the Byzantine Castle of Sant'Aniceto and Pentedàttilo, a village beneath five finger-like pinnacles. The six-day Sentiero dell'Inglese follows Edward Lear's route from Pentedàttilo through Bova, Bagaladi, Amendolea, Palizzi and Staiti. Naturaliter in Condofuri can arrange guides, accommodation and GPS coordinates. Gallicianò contains San Giovanni Battista, the Orthodox Church of Santa Maria in Grecia and the Ethnographic Museum Anzel Bogasari-Merianoù. Giovanni Maesano can organise stays and meals.

The Ionian coast and Locride

The Ionian coast from Brancaleone to Catanzaro has long sandy beaches and a quieter atmosphere than the western shore. The 70 km Jasmine Coast between Capo Spartivento and Punta Stilo is the historical heart of Magna Graecia, with Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Norman layers below the Aspromonte and Serre. Locri is the most useful base because trains and buses serve both coasts.

Regional trains run from Reggio to Roccella Ionica and beyond, and from Catanzaro Lido to Soverato and Locri. Autolinee Federico has one infrequent bus between Locri and Bivongi, stopping at Siderno, Caulonia, Riace, Monasterace and Stilo. It is easy to get stranded between inland sites, so a car remains the practical option.

Brancaleone and the sea turtles

Brancaleone Marina lies near Cape Spartivento and its lighthouse. Writer Cesare Pavese spent three years in exile here after being accused of antifascism in 1935 and began The Burning Brand: Diaries 1935-1950.The local Pro Loco can arrange visits to the Dimora del Confino and themed walks. The Museo del Mare, operated by Caretta Calabria Conservation, explains Caretta caretta nesting and offers information about research camps and volunteering. Brancaleone Vetus, founded by Byzantines in the 9th or 10th century, has cave dwellings and traces of 16th-century frescoes at Madonna del Riposo.

Locri, Kaulonia and underwater archaeology

Locri Epizephyrii lies about 3 km south of modern Locri. Greek colonists from Locride, Opuntia and Oziolia founded the city at the end of the 8th century BCE. The ruins include the Ionic Temple of Marasà and the Thesmoforion sanctuary of Demeter; the Museo e Parco Archeologico Nazionale lists admission at €5 and closes Monday. The Greek Theatre of Portigliola is about 1 km west of the ruins.

Kaulonia lies about 50 km north near Monasterace. Its Museum and Archaeological Park lists admission at €4 and protects a seafront Doric temple from 450 BCE, three sacred areas and a dragon mosaic from a wealthy house. Punta Stilo Lighthouse stands on a 16th-century watchtower. Megale Hellas and Punta Stilo Diving Centre can advise about archaeosub dives near Monasterace and Gioiosa Ionica.

Gerace, Stilo and MuSaBa

When Saracen attacks emptied Locri in the 10th century, residents moved uphill to Gerace. Its Basilica Concattedrale is the largest church in Calabria and contains tapestries by Jan Leyniers. Chiesa di Santa Maria del Mastro, Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi and Castello Normanno make the town worth a full wander; July brings the Borgo di Incanto street-art festival. An hour north, Stilo's Cattolica is a Greek-Byzantine temple with views from Monte Consolino, while six Orthodox Romanian monks keep Monastero di San Giovanni Theristis near Bivongi. Marmarico Waterfalls fall 114 m and are usually reached by 4WD from the village.

Near Mammola, MuSaBa is an open-air art park and laboratory created by Nik Spatari and Hiske Maas. The €10 ticket covers works including the giant mosaic lizard and Jacob's Dream, a three-dimensional painting on the ceiling of a medieval monastery often called the Sistine Chapel of Aspromonte.

The central-northern Ionian road trip

The one-way drive from the Costa degli Aranci to the Achean Coast can take three days or a fortnight. Start in Badolato and Santa Caterina dello Ionio, where We're South organises cultural visits to the Avamposto Agricolo Autonomo donkey farm. Continue to Soverato for Caminia, Pietragrande or Copanello beaches, then visit the Archaeological Park of Scolacium in Roccelletta. The first drive is about 30 minutes from Badolato to Soverato and another 20 km to Scolacium.

From Catanzaro Lido, detour to the regional capital's Parco della Biodiversità, an open-air sculpture museum with works by Jan Fabre, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Wim Delvoye, Mimmo Paladino and Tony Cragg. The park also includes the CRAS rescue centre, while Museo del Rock is Italy's only museum dedicated to rock memorabilia and history. The drive from Scolacium to Catanzaro takes about 30 minutes, with a winding climb into the city.

Follow the Costa dei Saraceni to Isola Capo Rizzuto Marine Reserve, the Aragonese Castle at Le Castella and Le Cannella beach. Continue to Capo Colonna and the last standing column of the Hera Lacinia temple, then to Cirò Marina for local wine and Kahlua Beach. From Catanzaro Lido to Le Castella is about 40 minutes, another 30 minutes reaches Capo Colonna and the drive to Cirò Marina takes about an hour.

The final 112 km from Cirò Marina to Roseto Capo Spulico crosses the Costa degli Achei. Stop at Rossano's Diocesan Museum for the Codex Purpureus, the Archaeological Park of Sybaris and the Sibari Lake Oasis. Finish at Roseto Capo Spulico's beachside Norman castle, or swim at Trebisacce and Villapiana. Along the way, the Archaeological Park of Scolacium, Armonie d'Arte, the Codex Purpureus and the vineyards of Cirò give the coast a cultural spine.