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Maybe it's because I was born there that I have a passion for this ancient and beautiful land. From the Trulli Valley of Alberobello, the lakes of Rionero, the mountains of the Sila Grande and Aspromonte National park to the beaches of the Mediterranean and the majestic Mt. Etna, Calabria, Sicily, Puglia and Basilicata offer a unique experience.
You will be amazed at the historical and mythological legends that belong to these Southern Italian Regions, four of the 20 Regions forming the Italian Republic since 1946, when the Monarchy was abolished after the second World War with a national referendum.
Colonized by the ancient Greeks during the Magna Graecia (Greater Greece) period between the 8th and 2nd centuries BC. Calabria and Sicily flourished and at times surpassed Greece in power and splendour. Cities such as Syracuse, the birthplace of Archimedes, the most important and powerful Greek city for 3 centuries and (according to Cicero) the most beautiful with its temples of Athena and Apollo. Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples perhaps the finest complex of ancient Greek buildings outside of Greece. Here is the Temple of Zeus together with the beautifully preserved Temple of Concord.
The Greek influence, with its temples, culture and philosophy, first took hold between the 8th and 7th centuries BC when they founded the cities of Reggio, Sibari, Crotone and Locri in Calabria. Crotone was the most advanced city in the Mediterranean in the days of Pythagoras, it was the cradle of the first school of medicine in the world and had the world's first philosophical-scientific university.
A succession of different dominators ruled Calabria and Sicily and after the Greeks came the Romans, the Normans, the Spanish and the French, not forgetting the Saracens' invasions. These events have left indelible traces on the Calabrian and Sicilian people. Today we can witness these influences in everyday life from the dialects spoken, the foods they eat to the traditions and customs still carried out as they were thousands of years ago.
Stroll along the promenade in Reggio "the most beautiful kilometre in Italy", eat gelato while gazing across the Straits of Messina towards the lights of Sicily. Visit ancient Scilla written about in Homer's Odyssey with its pastel hued houses squeezed in between the mountain and the beach. Stand atop the Greco-Roman theatre in Taormina and look out over the Mediterranean and towards Mt. Etna just as the ancient Greeks would have done.
Walk through enchanted forests on the hunt for Porcini mushrooms. Enjoy a meal of the local produce with freshly baked bread and a glass or two of home made wine.
This is the Italy I would like to share with you, with all its history and natural beauty. A land of folklore and legends handed down from generation to generation, where the Italians go to holiday and rejuvenate.
Join me on a Calabrian Affair Holiday!
Just imagine... you, the sun, the beach, the food and wine... a Mediterranean dream
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