Calabria

Beautiful Isola di Capo Rizzuto - Calabria, Italy

Explore the Cities and Towns of Calabria

Overview

 
Calabria is the region in Italy where many members of the team at Italy Vacation Specialists, still call home and lead guided tours and experiences for travelers from all over Italy and the world at large.   On our siste site, VisitsItaly, which is quite literally an encyclopedia about Italy, we have written about over 50 different towns and cities in the region that you can read about here:  http://www.visitsitaly.com/calabria/ 

Because of advances in technology our old website based on Html code became like a dinosaur and we had to re-build with Italy Vacation Specialists, where we are currently listing many of our new experiences in this area which is an exciting one to discover in terms of geography, food, wine, adventure, culture and history.    You can read about many of the towns and cities we have written and photographed on the right hand corner, though for various reasons we really urge you to get in touch with us to see some of these places for without local guides many of these destinations are difficult for English-only speaking clients to access and because of sometimes difficult terrain, locals who still don't speak very much English we really urge you to consider when traveling here to reach out ot us or even another company who can assist you with possible language barriers and truly making the most out of this area of the world which has been slower in some instances to evolve than other areas in Italy, though this is partly the beauty of travel here and something many people who really want to slow down and appreciate authentic Italy, savour and lover during their travels here, for while the rest of the world has seemed to evolve time here for the most part has stood still and traditions, local culture and the way of life has been lovingly preserved and kept in tact.  In fact, mostly Italian toursists come to places like Praia a Mare, Scalea, Soverato, San Nicola and many others because it's a truly Italian holiday destination where authenticity and a very relaxed style to the day evolve naturally and entirely authentically, something we ourselves as the ownes of the company love. 
 
It is easy to understand why this land is one of myth and incredible history.  Home to 'Magna Grecia' or greater Greece - this is where Homer, the Greek author of The Odyssey and The Illiad, Calabria was a far-off magical and dangerous place, where heroes rose to spectacular challenges and overcame Olympian odds.  Ulysses and his crew sailed through the monstrous pass of Scilla and Charybis, which in reality was the narrow, turbulent strait between the Calabrian mainland and the Island of Sicily.
 
The Greeks were not the first here.  When they arrived they encountered settlements of pre-historic tribes such as the Sabines, whom they called the Enotrians, or "lovers of wine".  In this word, etymologists find the origin of the country's name, "Italia", as well as the root of the Italian people's love of life.
 
Praia a Mare, Calabria Italy - Photo by Jesse Andrews 
 
Over the centuries, successive empires invaded Calabria and asserted their domination.  The Byzantines, the Romans, and the Normans duing their quests to and from the Crusades in far-off Jerusalem. Even Hannibal and his army came through, on the backs of elephants after sacking Rome. The Nazis hunkered down in Calabria in World War II befor being driven out by the massed forces of the Allies, who pushed them north, and eventually back into Germany itself.
 
Thousands of years ago, the local people, no fools, removed themselves from the vulnerable coastal areas and onto the mountain tops, where they built improbable towns and villages along canyons and mountain peaks; thus making conquest difficult, and sometimes impossible.  There they scratched out a living on small farms, growing figs, olive and lemon trees, while tending to small herds of goat and sheep. They mined the streams and rivers for gold. They carved roads and trails which are still in use even today.
 
For millenia, the people here have made pottery, spun wool, knitted plain garments.  They've milked their goats, made bread, rolled pasta, fermented wine and distilled limoncello, a sweet lemon aperitif.  They have gone about their business, shop-keeping, worshipping in their numerous churches and duomos, and observed holy days and feast days around the year with pious gusto.
 
Diamante, Calabria, Southern Italy - Photo by Jesse Andrews
 
And they still do all this today; a self-sufficient, self-reliant, practical, stubborn, no-nonsense people whom other Italians say are "testa dura" - hard headed.
 
In ancient times, there were periods when Calabria could boast wealth and importance, but by the end of the 16th century, Calabria fell into decline, its people are some of the poorest in all Italy.  Their poverty propelled the mass immigration of the late 19th and early 20th century, when millions of Calabrese came down from the mountains and clamoured onto ships that took them to "new worlds", particularly to the USA and Canada.
 
But now...Calabria is reclaiming its past glory and pride, tired of being the forgotten and neglected part of Italy it grew accustomed to being during the last 500 years or so and are ready to transform itself into a premier destination. Why not;  it's got everything going for it.
 
When you come to the "new" Calabria, a place that has been inhabited for over 3,000 years, you will be dumbfounded by its scenery - whether you stay up in the mountains, or find your way along the winding coastal highways to it's seaside towns and beaches.  You will find resorts, hotels, inns, hostels, bed and breakfasts, campgrounds, lidos and tourist parks of every quality catering to people with small, medium or large budgets.
 
And once you've arrived and settled in you will have the opportunity to savour the hearty, tasty, Calabrese cuisine all made from local produce, meats, fish and fruit.
 
It's true that the Calabrese are not quite ready for masses of English-speaking tourists.  Indeed, you won't find too many people who converse confidently in English.  Nor will you  find many signs printed in English or be able to buy English books, newspapers or magazines.  But, so what?
 
Visit Calabria now - before the crowds arrive.  You will get by with relative ease if you are patient and respectful, and all your needs will be met while you enjoy the vacation of a lifetime!
 

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  • Jesse, There are no words to describe the fabulous time we had in Italy. Everything went as you promised. Absolutely no problems! The venues were fabulous. The guides were punctual and helpful. It couldn't have worked out better. You and your staff deserve high praise for the quality and efficiency of your work. BTW, Guiseppe was an absolute delight. We enjoyed his informative and effervescent per ... [Read More]

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  • In August 2018, my family of four and myself travelled from Vancouver, BC to Rome Italy and spent 3 weeks touring Italy with IVS. This company had come highly recommended by many friends and associates of ours who had used them before and indeed to say they do an outstanding job is an understatement. You can tell while being in Italy that it is one complicated place to run tours in, just by the ... [Read More]

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  • We're home now from the most amazing trip to Italy! I can't thank you enough for your efforts and coordination of what was without question the finest vacations I've been on to date. ... [Read More]

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  • I am a travel agent with All About Honeymoons and I would highly recommend Italy Vacation Specialists. Jessica was wonderful in helping us plan in a last minute anniversary vacation during high season without any issues. She even checked on our clients while on vacation to make sure things were going well. I plan on using them again soon for all my future bookings! ... [Read More]

    - Tammy Joyce, All About Honeymoons

  • Jesse & Giuseppe,Sandy and I have been looking through my slides of our trip to Southern Italy. We had such a good time with you and Giuseppe that we wanted to let you know again. You were the best guides ever. ... [Read More]

    - Bob & Sandy

  • I went to high school with the owner of the company who organized my honeymoon for myself and my now wife from Tokyo. We spent three short weeks seeing Piedmont and experiencing wine paradise there, then heading to Nice in France with our private driver and flying to Rome where honestly 4 days is NOT enough. They keep saying to spend more time and we could not agree more! You need to spend more ti ... [Read More]

    - Robin and Kumi Bruun, Tokyo Japan

  • The trip was great we appreciate all the hard work you and your team invested to make our experience a once in a lifetime trip. We appreciate all the attention to the details in particular Giuseppe spending the time and the focus with us on the road and as we were exploring your great country. ... [Read More]

    - Leon and Michele

  • I have traveled to Italy 2x with the IVS for my own pleasure trips and 2x for business with IVS. These guys really pay attention and make your trip go like clockwork. Italy is nuts, just saying! There are so many rules and restrictions now, so we did not want to drive ourselves. Having traveled with them many times and done business on several occasions, most definitely USE this company. They k ... [Read More]

    - JoAnne Beaudoin, Retired Nurse

  • Dear Guiseppe and Jesse, We just returned from our most wonderful vacation to Italy and wanted to first thank you for putting together such a wonderful trip, and second to provide some feedback for the future. Hotels 1. Hotel Sovestro in San Gimignano was wonderful. The staff were very friendly and helpful and made the first portion of our journey very stress free. They made us feel like we wer ... [Read More]

    - Ron and Deb Crosby

  • I am a travel agent from Lebanon and have organized several group tours as well as individual tours of Italy with Italy Vacation Specialists. I highly recommend them as one of the very best tour operators in Italy to work with, given their professionalism and work ethic which I feel is second-to-none in the travel industry. All of the staff, the guides, the coaches and even the meals we enjoyed we ... [Read More]

    - Nicole Haddad, Lebanese Travel Agent

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