Program
1st day: Arrival in Calabria. Transfer to the hotel with dinner based on typical Calabrian products. Overnight stay in reserved rooms.
2nd day: Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to Cirò, with a short stop first at Le Castella, an ancient Aragonese castle perched on an islet connected to the coast by a thin strip of land. Cirò: ancient historic center, enriched by ancient noble palaces with large doors with the coats of arms of the families. Visit some cellars with a tasting of wines and agricultural products. Defined as the Barolo of the South by a famous author of the Atlas of Wines, Hugh Johnson, Cirò wine is the oldest produced in Calabria, a direct descendant of the famous Krimisa. In the afternoon visit Santa Severina, a small town rich in art and history: the Carafa castle is one of the major milestones in Calabria. In addition to the architectural beauty of the manor, dating back to the 16th century, the presence of numerous museum sections is worth mentioning. Worth seeing is the Cathedral dating back to the 13th century, of which the ancient door of the original construction is still preserved. In the evening return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.
3rd day: Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer and visit to the historic center of Tropea and the Sanctuary of Santa Maria dell’Isola located on a rock overlooking the sea. Tasting of some typical products (Tropea red onion, ‘nduja, chili pepper, and more). Not far away is Capo Vaticano, a modern tourist center, offering a natural setting of incomparable beauty. We continue towards Pizzo Calabro characterized by the Aragonese castle built in 1486 by Ferdinand of Aragon where Gioacchino Murat was locked up. Visit to the small church of Piedigrotta entirely dug into the tuff. Tasting of the famous “Pizzo ice cream” PGI. In the evening return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.
4th day: Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to Bivongi, a small medieval-looking village, inhabited since Greek times, Bivongi enjoys an excellent panoramic position with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. Not far from the town center is the Sacred Greek-Orthodox Monastery in the Byzantine style of S. Giovanni Theristis (reaper). A suggestive excursion that we suggest is to the Marmarico Waterfall, the highest in Calabria (about 114 meters high), which can be reached by jeep (the cost of the ticket is at your own expense) and with a 20-minute walk. Lunch in a trattoria based on typical products (homemade pasta with goat ragù, cured meats, Bivongi DOC wine). In the afternoon transfer to Stilo, a town rich in art and history; it preserves precious treasures of Byzantine art, such as the Catholic church dating back to the 10th century. In the evening, return to the hotel, dinner, and overnight.
5th day: Breakfast in the hotel. In the morning we offer a cooking course for the preparation of typical Calabrian and Mediterranean dishes. Lunch with tasting of the prepared products. Free time to relax or optionally visit an oil mill that produces some of the best Calabrian olive oils and cellars for wine tasting in the Lamezia Terme area. In the evening, return to the hotel, dinner, and overnight.
6th day: Breakfast in the hotel. Departure for Reggio Calabria with its splendid seafront defined as “the most beautiful kilometer in Italy” by Gabriele D’Annunzio and the recently renovated National Museum of Magna Grecia, where among the numerous finds you can admire the famous Riace Bronzes. We continue to Scilla, a well-known seaside resort, whose thousand-year-old castle belonging to the Ruffo family of Calabria, juts out over the sea. The Chianalea neighborhood is beautiful, an ancient fishing village developed entirely on the sea, with small houses piled up on the rocks and lapped by seawater that reaches right under the door. Lunch in a seaside restaurant based on local fish from the Strait of Messina (blue fish). In the evening, transfer to the hotel in Reggio Calabria with free dinner and overnight stay in reserved rooms.
7th day: Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Pentedattilo, from the Greek name “penta dactyls”, meaning “five fingers” is remembered by the shape of the mountain rock, Mount Calvario, which dominates and protects this ancient village. Its history dates back to several centuries before Christ, to the times of the Greek colonists, and falls within the Grecanica area a few kilometers from Reggio Calabria. After Pentedattilo, a short visit to the Ruffo Castle of Amendolea. Lunch based on typical local products in Bova, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy; an ancient village forming part of the Greek area of Aspromonte, a colony of Magna Graecia besieged by Saracens, Arabs, and Normans of which the Castle remains. Ancient episcopal seat, it followed the Greek rite which was then replaced by the Roman rite; numerous churches remain with stone portals and streets written in Greek and Italian. Return to the hotel in the evening. Free dinner.
8th day: Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to the airport and conclusion of the food and wine tour of Calabria. End of our services.
