Calabria with Local Hosts: Food, Coast & Village Life

Today you arrive in the seaside town of Praia a Mare, where your local hosts, Gaetano and Antonella Calabrese, will be waiting to welcome you.

You will settle into your private accommodation at Villa Vecchia, the Calabrese family home located right in the center of town. Once you've unpacked, take some time to relax, walk down to the sea or have your first espresso along Praia's lively central promenade, known locally as the Viale.

There is deliberately no formal sightseeing planned for this afternoon. This is your chance to arrive, get your bearings and begin settling into the slower rhythm of southern Italy.

This evening, join Gaetano and Antonella for your first dinner together.

Expect generous Calabrian hospitality, local wine and plenty of food as you get to know your hosts and talk about the days ahead. This is not a formal hotel welcome dinner — it's your introduction to Calabria around the family table.

And that's exactly where we think a journey through Calabria should begin.

Getting to Praia a Mare

Praia a Mare is well connected by rail, with direct and connecting services from Rome, Naples and other major Italian cities. We can also arrange private transfers from Naples, Lamezia Terme or other destinations in southern Italy as part of your customized journey.

Overnight: Villa Vecchia, Praia a Mare

Meals Included: Welcome Dinner

This morning begins with a homemade breakfast at the villa, prepared by Gaetano and Antonella, before setting out for one of the highlights of your time in Calabria — exploring the extraordinary coastline surrounding Dino Island and the Arcomagno by private boat.

Rising dramatically from the sea directly in front of Praia a Mare, Dino Island is one of the natural landmarks of the Cedri Riviera. Its limestone cliffs are filled with caves and grottoes that are best experienced from the water, and with our private boat we will circle the island and enter the caves whenever sea conditions allow.

From Dino Island, we continue along the coast toward San Nicola Arcella and the Arcomagno, an enormous natural rock arch sheltering a tiny cove between the cliffs.

During warmer weather, there will be opportunities to stop for a swim in the clear waters along the coast. In the cooler months, the focus is simply on enjoying this remarkable stretch of coastline from the sea.

We return to Praia a Mare around lunchtime, leaving the afternoon free to enjoy at your own pace. Have lunch along the seafront, spend some time on the beach, wander through town, enjoy an espresso or aperitivo on the Viale, or simply relax back at the villa.

Tonight, Pizza with Pino

This evening we head out with Gaetano and Antonella to Pizzeria Amici, where their friend Pino Deni will prepare one of Calabria's favorite foods — pizza.

This is exactly the kind of evening we want this experience to include: casual, local and shared with people who live here.

After dinner, enjoy a passeggiata along Praia a Mare's promenade before returning to Villa Vecchia for the night.

A Note About the Weather

Because this is a private journey with local hosts, we have the flexibility to work with the weather rather than against it.

Days 2, 3 and 4 may be rearranged according to local sea and weather conditions. If another day offers better conditions for the Dino Island and Arcomagno boat experience, Gaetano will simply adjust the order of the itinerary.

This gives us several opportunities during your stay to choose the best day to be out on the water — one of the many advantages of experiencing Calabria privately with people who know the area.

Overnight: Villa Vecchia, Praia a Mare

Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner

Experience Included: Private Dino Island & Arcomagno Boat Experience*

*Boat excursions are subject to suitable sea and weather conditions.

Santa Maria del Cedro · Diamante · Maierà · Local Flavors · Hands-On Cooking Experience

After breakfast at the villa, we set out with Gaetano to explore the Riviera dei Cedri, traveling south along the Calabrian coast through San Nicola Arcella and Scalea toward Santa Maria del Cedro.

The Cedro: The Fruit That Gave This Coast Its Name

The cedro — citron — has been cultivated along this stretch of Calabria for centuries and is so closely connected to the territory that the entire coastline takes its name from it.

Today we'll stop to discover this unusual local fruit and meet one of the area's producers, learning how the cedro is grown and transformed into traditional products ranging from candied fruit and preserves to liqueurs and other local specialties.

Depending on the season and availability, the exact experience may vary — which is part of traveling with local hosts rather than following a fixed sightseeing circuit.

From here, we continue south to Diamante, known throughout Italy as the City of Murals. Hundreds of works of art cover the walls, doorways and buildings of its historic center, turning the old town into an extraordinary open-air gallery overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Take some time to wander through its narrow streets, browse the local shops and enjoy the atmosphere of one of the most colorful towns on the Calabrian coast.

From the sea, we then head into the hills toward the small village of Maierà, home to the Peperoncino Museum and another ingredient synonymous with Calabria: the fiery peperoncino.

By the time we return to Praia a Mare, you'll have encountered two ingredients that tell very different stories about this region — the fragrant cedro and Calabria's famous peperoncino.

And tonight, we put the emphasis firmly on food.

Tonight, We Cook

Join Antonella in the family kitchen for one of the highlights of the journey: a hands-on introduction to Calabrian home cooking.

Together you'll prepare fresh pasta and traditional sauces and work with local, seasonal ingredients to create the kinds of dishes Antonella cooks for her own family and friends.

This isn't a formal cooking demonstration or commercial cooking school.

It's an evening in the kitchen with Antonella.

And once the cooking is finished, everyone sits down together with Gaetano, opens the wine and eats what we've made.

Come hungry. This is Calabria, after all.

Overnight: Villa Vecchia, Praia a Mare

Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner

Experiences Included: Cedro Producer Visit & Tasting · Hands-On Cooking with Antonella

The Coast of Maratea · Cristo Redentore · Historic Maratea · Final Evening in Praia a Mare

After breakfast at the villa, we set out with Gaetano for our final full day together, traveling north along one of the most beautiful stretches of the Tyrrhenian coast.

Today we briefly cross from Calabria into neighboring Basilicata to explore Maratea, where forested mountains tumble toward the sea and the coastal road winds past tiny coves, beaches and dramatic cliffs.

Our first destination takes us high above the coast to Monte San Biagio and the Cristo Redentore, the enormous statue of Christ that watches over Maratea and the Mediterranean below. From here, the views stretch for miles along the coastline — a spectacular perspective on the landscape you've spent the last few days exploring.

We then descend into Maratea's historic center, a beautiful hill town of stone lanes, small churches, cafés and piazzas tucked into the mountains above the sea.

There is no need to rush.

Take some time to wander, browse the little shops, stop for a coffee or aperitivo and enjoy Maratea at the relaxed pace that has defined this journey.

Lunch is left open today, giving you the freedom to choose somewhere that appeals to you in Maratea before we make our way back along the coast to Praia a Mare.

One Last Afternoon in Praia

The afternoon is deliberately yours.

Perhaps return to the beach if the weather is warm, do some last-minute shopping, stop for an espresso on the Viale, enjoy a gelato, or simply head back to Villa Vecchia and relax.

After several days here, you know your way around now.

And that's exactly the point.

A Final Evening with Gaetano & Antonella

As the sun begins to go down, we'll meet Gaetano and Antonella for an aperitivo and one final evening together in Praia a Mare.

Tonight isn't about another excursion or another place we need to check off the itinerary.

We'll simply go out together to one of the family's favorite local restaurants for a relaxed dinner — fresh seafood, pasta, local specialties, good wine and plenty of conversation.

After four days of exploring, cooking and eating together, it should feel considerably less like a formal farewell dinner and much more like going out for dinner with friends.

Afterward, take one final passeggiata along the Viale and enjoy your last night by the sea.

Tomorrow, it will be time to continue your journey.

But tonight, we're still in Calabria.

Overnight: Villa Vecchia, Praia a Mare

Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner

Enjoy one final breakfast at Villa Vecchia this morning before it's time to say goodbye to Gaetano, Antonella and Praia a Mare.

We'll take you to the local railway station for your onward journey, or private transportation can be arranged if you are continuing elsewhere in southern Italy.

After several days of exploring the coast, cooking together, sharing meals and getting to know this corner of Calabria through the people who live here, we hope you'll leave with much more than photographs.

You may arrive as guests, but our hope is that you leave as friends.

Continue Your Journey Through Southern Italy

Praia a Mare is wonderfully positioned for continuing through the south, and this five-day experience can easily become part of a longer customized Italian journey.

Continue south toward Tropea and the Coast of the Gods, cross into Basilicata for Matera, travel east into Puglia, continue to Sicily, or head north toward Naples, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast.

Italy Vacation Specialists can arrange your onward transportation, accommodation and private touring, creating a seamless journey before or after your stay with the Calabrese family.

Meals Included: Breakfast