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Calabria
The region of Calabria in the southern tip of the Italian peninsula is a mountainous region dotted with wooded highlands and rocky sea coasts. The main tourist draws in Calabria are the coastline and the mountains, which the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio once referred to as"the most beautiful mile in all of Italy" (il pił bel chilometro d'Italia).
The regional capital is Catanzaro is known in the region, with other important areas such as Reggio Calabria (seat of the council for the region), Cosenza, Crotone, and Vibo Valentia.
Visitors eyeing the soaring mountaintops are invited to visit Aspromonte and La Sila with its gorgeous natural reserve and scenery on lakeshores. The Norman castles and Byzantine Church is found in Stilo, the home of Tommaso Campanella, while Gerace is a quaint medieval village with ancient cathedrals and winding stone paved streets.
Those wanting to get closer to the seaside are invited to visit the strait between the mainland and Siciliy, the oldest village in the region called Reggio Calabria. Its gorgeous seaside vistas are set against modernist art nouveau buildings, fine sand beaches as well as an old Aragonian castle that stands guard.
The village Sibari on the Ionian sea is close the the ruins of the Greek colony Sybaris, while Scilla on the Tyrrhenian Sea has been immortalized by Homer in his poetry. While the town of Tropea on the Tyrrhenian Seas has the famed Santa Maria dell Isola sanctuary, as well as its sweet red onions.
Calabria cuisine is spicy highlighting fresh fish, pasta and vegetables, as well as cheeses. An example of such wonderful fiery combinations is the rosamarina (tiny spicy-oil marinated fish eaten with bread).
