CALABRIA long tour

1° Day

Your group will arrive in the late afternoon in a place along the Calabrian coast. Accommodation in hotel and evening meal.

2° Day Tropea - Pizzo

Breakfast in hotel, then departure for Tropea. Here you will visit the Norman Cathedral, the Church of Sant’Alfonso dei Liguori Barocca, then go for a walk through the old part of the town in search of the “glorious civilizations” that in the past have helped to make this town great. Transfer to Pizzo for lunch. In the afternoon a visit to the Church of Piedigrotta, considered a unique, religious masterpiece, and inside you will be able to admire statues that represent scenes from the Holy Works that have been carved out of the rocks by the two local artists Angelo and Alfonso Barone. A short walk, then off to the old part for a visit to the XVI century Castle that is famous because of a sad event that took place here: Gioacchino Murat, King of Naples, was shot and killed here on October 13th 1815. You will enter the cell where Murat spent the last “long” hours of his life. The tour ends with some relaxation and time to taste a truffle in one of the numerous bars that can be found in the town’s “sitting room” and where the Pizzo ice cream makers are absolute masters. Return to hotel, evening meal and accommodation.

3° Day Sila – Cosenza

Breakfast in hotel, then departure for Sila where you will visit the characteristic mountain centre of Camigliatello, followed by a walk in the National Park along the animal path on the banks of Lake Cecita. Lunch in a typical, Calabrian restaurant. In the afternoon you will visit Cosenza: a walk through the old part with a visit to the Cathedral, Rendano Theatre, and finally some shopping in the MAB open air Museum in Corso Mazzini. Return to hotel, evening meal and accommodation

4° Day Serra San Bruno - Vibo Valentia

Breakfast in hotel then departure for Serra San Bruno. The history of Serra has always been linked to the Certosa San Bruno, one of the highest and most spiritual places in Calabria. The Museum is actually in one of the wings of the Certosa. You will get the chance to see the cell of one the monks, which gives you a good idea of where the monks held mass both night and day, and helps better understand just how these hermits lived. Once the visit is over you will go to Santa Maria del Bosco where San Bruno, during the winter when the water in the lake was ice cold, used to kneel and ask for forgiveness for his sins; a statue of him keeling is in the centre of the lake. The magnificent old part of Serra has numerous interesting Baroque churches that hold works of art considered very important from both a historical and cultural point of view, many of which are from the ancient Certosa completely destroyed in the 1783 earthquake, so a visit here too is an absolute must. Lunch in a restaurant. In the afternoon you will go to see Vibo Valentia: an ancient colony founded by Locri in the V century BC under the name of Hipponion. The castle stands at the top of the old acropolis of this Magna Grecia town and offers a great view of the Tyrrhenian Sea. It was built around 1070 by Ruggero the Norman as a watchtower of the whole area, and today, it is home to the Archaeology Museum of Magna Grecia where you will see many relics from the town of Hipponion and the Roman Valentia. The small, metal sheet in gold that is engraved in Greek dating back to the beginning of the IV century BC is priceless, because it is thought to be the most antique and complete version of Orphic work to have ever been found. In Vibo Valentia you will also go and see the Dome where there is the magnificent marble Trittico del Gagini, then a walk in the town centre. Return to hotel, evening meal and accommodation.

5° Day Gerace Locri

Breakfast in hotel then departure for Gerace. The name comes from Hierax, a type of sparrow hawk that used to make its nest up here. The town was probably founded around the IX century by the refugees of Locri who, in an attempt to escape from the Arab attacks, followed the sparrow hawk up to the top of the rocky massif where the town of Gerace came to be. You will get to the old part through the “Porta del Sole” and go for a walk where the atmosphere will take you back to the Medieval times as you visit churches and other buildings of unique beauty. Then as if by magic, the XI century Cathedral will appear before you. It is the biggest Church in all of Calabria and the treasure that once belonged to the ancient bishops of Gerace is kept there, so it is well worth a visit. Lunch in a restaurant. A visit to the archaeological area of Locri Epizephiri, one of the most important centres of Magna Graecia, will take place in the afternoon. Return to hotel, evening meal and accommodation.

6° Day Reggio Calabria – Scilla

Breakfast in hotel, then departure for a visit to Reggio Calabria-Scilla to the National Museum where about a hundred years of relics can be seen. After the earthquake in 1908, Paolo Orsi wanted a museum built so that the collections from the old Civic Museum of 1882 could be put together with everything that had been found after his excavation campaigns carried out in Calabria. The famous “Bronzi di Riace” statues, original Greek sculptures that date back to the V century BC, found in the waters of the river bearing the same name in 1972 and brought here to be restored in 1981, are on show here. Before leaving this city that looks on to the Strait of Messina you will go for a walk along the sea front that Gabriele D’Annunzio described as Italy’s most beautiful kilometre, and where, thanks to recent renovation work, its previous splendor has been given a new lease of life. Lunch in a restaurant. Transfer to Scilla in the afternoon, one of the most famous places par excellence: according to Omero the monster who attacked the ships lived here.. and this is how the legend of Scilla and Cariddi came to be. The Castle, sitting high up on the rock, is very suggestive, and the view from the terrace is without a doubt one of the most beautiful in Calabria. The houses and other buildings from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries are somewhat in contrast with the fishermens’ small houses in the area known as “Chianalea”, that look so much as if they are sitting on the water that you feel they’re going to be swallowed up from one moment to the next. Return to hotel for evening meal and accommodation.

7° Day Santa Severina – Le Castella

Breakfast in hotel, then departure for Santa Severina where you will visit the Castle of Santa Severina and the Greek Battistero, one of the oldest in Calabria. Lunch in Le Castella then in the afternoon a visit to the Castle that stands on a stretch of land that joins the mainland to a tiny island (Mother Nature in all her beauty!). Return to hotel for evening meal and accommodation.

8° Day Paola

Breakfast in hotel then departure for Paola, once homeland of Saint Francis who created the Order of the Minimi. Patron Saint of Calabria, he was born here on 27th March 1416, and the fate of this town is directly connected to this great, mystic man. The original seat of the Order is where Francesco used to go and pray in 1435 when he was only 13. The first church, called Santa Maria degli Angeli, was built near his hermitage, and other smaller buildings were added as the years went past so his followers could pray with him. The enlargement work to the church started in 1452, but had to come to an end because of the frequent pirate attacks that threatened the Calabrian coast, so it wasn’t until much later that the daughter of the viceroy Pedro da Toledo had the work completed, giving the building the aspect it has today.