Calabria Location

Calabria, long considered the “poor south” of Italy is becoming one of the country’s desirable areas to buy property and is poised for prosperity.

Remote and rugged it forms the “toe of the boot” with a mountainous interior covered in dense woodland, which dramatically drops down to over 800 km of coastline where you will find some of the cleanest beaches in Italy.

In amongst the lush vegetation of the mountainside there are many ancient villages boasting an abundance of churches, monasteries and other historical sights just waiting to be explored. Wandering through these villages is like stepping back in time and there is a real sense of the true Italy. You can still see many traditional crafts being carried out and markets selling local produce and while driving around this area it is not unusual to see farmers grazing their sheep at the side of the road.

Moving down the winding roads you will arrive at the coast where there are many beaches to choose from ranging from small private coves to longer sweeping beaches. All benefit from cobalt, clear waters and provide the ideal place for a spot of snorkelling with sand that varies from white sand to fine shale. Visit the many fishing villages dotted along the coast and it is possible to see the fishermen bringing in their catch to be cooked in the local restaurant that evening – you can’t get fresher than that!!

If you want to take home souvenirs there are many gastronomic delights to try from olives, local wine, various types of olive oil and the only to be found in this region of Italy “Rosamarina,” which are very small fish preserved in a chilli paste. In many places you can try before you buy. Local ceramic and jewellery can be found in many of the small villages alternately, you can splash out on exquisite Italian shoes and other designer clothing not quite at UK designer prices.

Food is both diverse and lively with spicy sausage, fresh fish and the more traditional pastas dishes to name but a few. Chilli pepper feature quite heavily in the local cuisine too along with aubergine and pecorino cheese made from goats milk.

There are many restaurants and pizzeria, where eating a meal either at lunchtime at the weekend or in the evening, is an occasion to be enjoyed together with the whole family and many animated and lively discussions take place.

Relatively untouched by foreign visitors property remains affordable, but recently there has been much interest by UK investors which is leading to an increase in building of new apartments and villas. There is already an established resale business with many farmhouses in need of renovation that can be bought for reasonable prices along with beach front apartments.

How to get here.

Ryanair (www.ryainair.com) fly from Stansted to Lamezia all year round with almost daily flights in the summer.

Thomson (www.thomsonfly.com) fly from Manchester and Gatwick to Lamezia once a week from May to October.

Easyjet (www.easyjet.com) fly from UK airports to Naples from where it is possible to hire a car and there is a good road route into Calabria.

Trains can also be taken from Rome or Naples to many of the local stations throughout Calabria. (www.raileurope.co.uk)

Related resources

Click HERE to convert your currency

Click HERE to check the weather in Calabria.