• Where the language in remote mountain villages is still the ancient Greek of 2000-year-old ancestors?
• Where the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea kiss ribbons of pristine, white sandy beaches?
• Where fishing villages harken back the to the mythology of the Odyssey?
• Where there is pride in the fresh garden-to-table food served to locals and travelers alike?

Beach Calabria

All of this and more can be found in, delight your senses to the brim, Calabria.  Located between the Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas in the toe of the boot, Calabria is still mostly untouched by the outside world.  Gentle sea breezes cool the sun-drenched air near the beaches while majestic mountains shelter byzantine churches and perched villages.  It is home to the Riace Bronzes from the Age of Pericles and pepperoncini gelato. (What?)  If you have been to Sicily and liked it, you will love Calabria.  You can even see Mt. Etna from Calabria’s southern most city, Reggio Calabria.

Riace Bronze Warrior

A very special tour is planned to give you a real sense of what this region is like.  You will meet local people, wander age old fishing villages, take a passeggiata in the late afternoon with the locals, sit in a café overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and linger over your favorite aperitivo, paint your own pottery and learn first hand how to make a genuine Calabrian meal with a hands-on cooking class, all the while sipping delicious local wine (which is said to be made with the same grape as the wine given to the Olympian winners).

This trip is scheduled from September 5th, 2012 to September  14th, 2012.  We will be staying in family run B & Bs and an agritourismo – a house in the country.  This is a customized itinerary designed especially for Unique Backroad Journeys. This is truly a unique destination and one I hope you will join us on.  See itinerary here.

Calabria, Italy