I’ve always been interested in Calabria. But its location at the tip of the Italian boot made it challenging to get to, without a good amount of extra time for logistics.
This trip, though, time was not a problem, to an extent it may never be again. I had to grab my chance.
We stayed in two different locations: Tropea, a beach town I wrote about previously, and Reggio Calabria, the city that is the region’s capital.
Calabria is one of the three poorest regions of Italy, with more than 20% of its population under the poverty line, and for this reason, it was one of the greatest sources of immigration to the Americas, going back to the mid-nineteenth century. The lack of economic progress is often linked to its antiquated agricultural system and the stifling effects of the ’Ndrangheta, its homegrown version of organized crime, considered the most brutal in Italy.
I’ve been to Italy dozens of times, so I have a reasonably good instinct for how things normally look. But as soon as we crossed the border into Calabria, it was a very different scene. The Autogrill, Italy’s web of highway rest stops, is so esteemed that Stanley Tucci featured them in a recent episode of his Tucci in Italy show. I have been to countless Autogrills, and have consistently found them to be sparklingly clean and stocked with an array of products and foods that make them a highlight of any Italian road trip. Yet when we crossed into Calabria and stopped at the Autogrill, we found a dank, unappealing structure, with a few sad sandwiches on offer and toilets that didn’t flush. Similarly, in the city of Reggio Calabria, there were bags of trash and garbage everywhere, often spilling out onto the sidewalks. Sporco, the Italian word for filthy.
The people I encountered there were, without exception, terrific. Hardworking, friendly, helpful, great-looking — certainly not sporco. I am sure they are not thrilled to be living in worse conditions than their fellow Italians up north. As in the US, and pretty much everywhere in the world, the poorer sections just don’t get the resources they need, and to add insult to injury, they get blamed for it too, as if it were a personality failing and not a byproduct of an unfair economic system.
But here are the wonderful things about Calabria. It is spectacularly beautiful, boasting three national parks, the most of any region of Italy. We spent a day hiking in one, Aspromonte, and from the mountain we climbed, we could see the island of Sicily in the distance.
In the city of Reggio Calabria, you can see Sicily across the four-mile Strait of Messina, so close I felt I could swim it if need be. Turns out, I didn’t swim, but I did take a ferry over to have lunch there, just because it was so easy.
The downtown featured a Main Street of gracious buildings perfect for the nightly passeggiata, and there was a mile-long lungomare along the water that was ideal for a morning run.
Calabria also has a rich cultural history, having been conquered and settled by people coming from every possible direction during its many millennia of existence. The Museo Archeologico Nationale della Magna Grecia has artifacts going back to 5000 BCE. It houses the famous two Riace bronzes, dated to the fifth century BCE.
Calabria is known for its distinctive style of ceramics, particularly in the small town of Seminara, where several ceramicists live and work.
In looking at their work, one can see a direct line to the forms apparent thousands of years ago, now on display in the Museo, particularly in the masks, meant to ward off evil spirits. Of course, I had to buy one for my wall at home.
In the food department, it was all about ‘nduja, the bright red pork product that shows comes in spicy or sweet versions and shows up in every dish you can imagine. If you think you’re going to order something somewhat healthy, they will quickly disabuse you of that notion by adding ‘nduja to it.
Would I recommend a side trip to Calabria to the casual traveler to Italy? Probably not. It doesn’t have some of the charms of the more commonly traveled areas, and it’s a little rough around the edges. Am I glad I went? Absolutely!
Gigi's Italia 