Bathed by a fiery summer sun, Calabria, Italy is located in the South, in the toe of the Italian boot, almost touching the tip of Sicily. This southern Italian region is as off the beaten track as you can get in Italy and boasts amazing beaches with turquoise waters.

While the Calabrian peninsula is still one of Italy’s least visited regions by non-Italians, many Italian families like to spend the summers enjoying the Tyrrhenian sea to the west and the Ionian coast to the east.

Avoid August if you can and visit Calabria in September. At this time of the year the temperature of the blue sea water is virtually perfect —still very warm but not as bath-hot as sometimes in August.

Calabria may be one of the poorest regions in Italy, but it is blessed with a superb nature, a rich history and a cultural heritage as diverse as its landscape. Apart from the hundreds of miles (km) of coast and the quaint towns in Calabria, Italy, 90% of this southern region is covered by mountains and hills.

Thanks to the mountainous nature of the territory, the low industrial development and the abundance of protected natural habitats, Calabria has preserved its splendid nature extremely well. Indeed, it has three national parks, a regional park and protected marine areas.

What to Do in Calabria, Italy

If you like outdoor activities like hiking, trekking, mountaineering, paragliding, horse riding, mountain biking, rafting or scuba diving Calabria can feel like a paradise with the added bonus of its unique charm, authenticity, and unspoiled nature. The Sila and Aspromonte National Parks offer skiing facilities in the winter as well.

Want to swim in the summer? Calabria has a plethora of beaches on the Ionian Sea on the east coast and on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the west coast. Apart from lying on the sand, you will be able to explore exquisite coves, gorgeous seascapes, dramatic cliffs and extraordinary rock formations.

Visit Six of the Most Beautiful Villages In Calabria, Italy

Sometimes eating your way through a region is the perfect excuse to explore towns and villages. If you aren’t into food, don’t worry! Just walking around and roaming the streets of these lovely villages with such a remarkable cultural heritage is a pleasant and relaxing activity that can fill an afternoon with joy and peace.

Here is our choice of six Calabrian villages that rightly belong to the club of I Borghi più belli d’Italia, Italian for The Most Beautiful Villages in Itay.

GERACE – Perched on a cliff on the Ionian coast, Gerace is a charming, impressively preserved medieval village inside the imposing Aspromonte National Park. Don’t miss the magnificent Norman Cathedral, the largest religious building in Calabria and the remains of the 10th century Norman Castle at the top of a cliff. Gerace used to be famous for its 128 churches, but only a few remain. The Church of San Giovannello in Piazza delle Tre Chiese is the oldest one standing.

STILO – At the foot of Monte Consolino, Stilo used to be the core of the Byzantine culture in Calabria and you can still sense the oriental atmosphere. Today, Stilo is one of the most important cultural destinations in the region due to the Cattolica di Stilo, an amazingly undamaged Byzantine church built in the 9th century. Not far from Stilo, in Bivongi, the Orthodox Christian San Giovanni Theristis is a rare example of an Italo-Greek monastery.

If you happen to be in Stillo during the first week of August, the Palio di Ribusa is one of the most followed summer events in Calabria. You will be able to witness medieval re-enactments, shows, music and the distinctive Calabria Italy food in the streets of the town.

ALTOMONTE – An almost intact medieval town that offers an awesome panoramic view, Altomonte rises on a promontory about 455 meters above sea level and it is surrounded by a lovely natural scenery that encompasses the peaks of Pollino and Orsomarso, the Ionian sea, the plain of Sibari and the valley of the Esaro.

Not to be missed are the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Consolazione in the upper part of the town and the Chiesa di San Giacomo Apostolo, one of the oldest religious buildings in Altomonte.

MORANO CALABRO – Morano Calabro is a stunning vertical town built over a hill, completely covering its slope. The town falls within the Pollino National Park, the largest national park in Italy with its rare Bosnian pine tree. On clear days you can see the three seas from Monte Pollino —the Adriatic, the Ionian and the Tyrrhenian.

BOVA – Bova is a small town with a population of around 500 that is regarded as the cultural capital of Bovesia, that is, of the Greek culture of Calabria, Italy. The majority of its territory is included in the Aspromonte National Park and it has an Information Center for visitors of this stunning protected area.

SCILLA – In Scilla, it is the coastal district of Chianalea that is included in the Borghi più belli d’Italia. It is also known as the Piccola Venezia del Sud, Little Venice of the South, because the small houses that rise directly from the rocks and very close to the sea are separated from each other by small alleys, similar to canals, which descend directly into the Tyrrhenian sea.

Don’t miss the Ruffo Castle that overlooks the beach and the Scilla Lighthouse located on a terrace of the castle of Scilla.

Explore Tropea and Other Seaside Towns in Calabria, Italy

Overlooking the edge of a promontory on the Tyrrhenian Sea, Tropea is a busy but lovely town divided into two parts: the upper part, where most of the population live, and the Marina, close to the sea and the port of Tropea.

Olive and citrus groves, vineyards, its fishermen and scenic beauty have made of Tropea the vivid pearl of Calabria. Maybe you want to stay in Tropea for its fantastic beaches but it can also be a very good base from where to explore the Calabria region of Italy.

The historic center of the town features many noble palaces of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Of particular interest is the Benedictine Sanctuary of Santa Maria dell’Isola, the Cathedral di Maria Santissima di Romania in Romanesque style and the ancient Convent of the Pietà.

As Tropea, nearby Capo Vaticano and Pizzo, famous for the delicious Tartufo ice cream, are all a part of the awesome Costa degli Dei, which literally translates as Coast of the Gods.

Amantea with its remarkable historic center, Soverato and Caminia (Staletti) on the east Ionian Coast are also totally fabulous places to take a swim and discover more unmissable tourist attractions in Calabria, Italy.

Calabrian Cuisine Is a Tempting Activity

But… Don’t expect anything fancy. The Calabrian cuisine is a poor man’s cuisine with numerous dishes linked to religious events. What makes it even more interesting is that you don’t find every dish across all Calabria or if you find it the differences in preparation are substantial. This is partly due to its history and the ethnic and linguistic diversity that makes Calabria so captivating.

If you are a gourmet that loves traditional cuisine, Calabria is the right place for you. Be aware though that Calabrian cuisine is the spiciest in all Italy due to the iconic peperoncino, the horn-shaped, red chili pepper that doubles as the unofficial symbol of Calabrian cuisine. It even has its own annual festival, the Peperoncino Festival in the town of Diamante.

If you haven’t been to Calabria, you probably never tasted the spreadable salami called Nduja or Nduja di Spilinga, for the Calabrian town where it originated. It is made with sweet peperoncino AND plenty of hot peperoncino. It can be spread on bread, eaten with cheese or added to pasta sauces.

Other valued Calabrian specialties are Caciocavallo, the Calabrian cheese par excellence, and the Red Onion of Tropea that is so sweet and juicy that you can make jam from it.

Discover More Images of Calabria, Italy

Jump to the photo gallery and enjoy awesome images of the towns in Calabria, Italy and its fabulous Mediterranean landscapes before you leave. Your wish to travel to this underrated Italian region as soon as possible will increase manifold. There are so many things to do in Calabria, Italy… Click the button below to start your visual tour.

Below we discuss 5 of the best places to visit in Puglia, Italy, the Italian region that right now seems to fascinate people all over the world. No wonder, as the Puglia region of Italy has it all: the laid-back Italian way of life, great food, amazing beaches, precious works of art and architecture, and a lovely countryside.

Perhaps the first time you heard about Puglia, Italy, was when someone told you about the remarkable trulli of the town of Alberobello, the unique Apulian architecture with the characteristic conical roof.

Located in Southern Italy, in the heel of Italy’s boot, Apulia has been discovered by non-Italians in the last decade or so. Apart from the characteristic trulli, Puglia has many more attractions that make it worth a long visit. The kilometers of sunny coast, the amazing baroque in Lecce and the white town of Ostuni are just a few examples of the Italian beauty that awaits you.

Here are five of the best places to visit in Puglia, Italy, and great suggestions for what to do in Puglia, Italy so that your Italy trip is a resounding success.

Visit the Trulli of Alberobello

Alberobello is in the Itria Valley, a valley with many olive trees, vineyards and the iconic circular houses with the domed roofs that dot the countryside.

The town of Alberobello is the only town in Italy, and the world for that matter, that boasts such a large amount of trulli —about 1500 of them. It was here that the trulli took an urban role. for the first time

Some people skip Alberobello altogether because it’s full of tourists that want to experience the trulli first-hand, but what can you do if everybody wants to see these unique dry-stone dwellings? A firm, positive attitude and avoiding the high season can help you a lot.

In the center of the town you’ll find a large complex of trulli and you can even visit fifteen of them. If you stroll away from the center you’ll see many trulli that are true houses where people actually live.

Bari, the Capital of Apulia on the Adriatic Sea

The historic city of Bari, the San Nicola district, is inserted within the ancient walls and it has the typical medieval urban layout —narrow streets that form an irregular radius. Barinese call it Bari Vecchia that translates as Old Bari, in opposition to the Città Nuova whose construction began in the early 19th century.

In Bari Vecchia people still live in the streets. In the evening, you’ll see entire families happily chatting while the kids are playing. And in the morning the women sit at tables outside their homes busy making, orecchiette, a type of pasta typical of the Puglia region, whose shape reminds that of small ears.

In the center of Bari Vecchia there is the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, an important pilgrimage destination both for Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians, and the Bari Cathedral, an important example of Apulian Romanesque. And on the edge of the old city you’ll be able to see the impressive Swabian Castle, a symbolic building that is now used for exhibitions.

Don’t Miss the Città Bianca of Ostuni

Ostuni is known as the White City because until not so long ago the old city was entirely painted with white lime. It is another maze-like town still fortified by the ancient walls.

The historic center of Ostuni rises on top of a hill about 5 miles/8 km from the Adriatic Sea that features several luxury resorts.

Worth visiting is also the Cocathedral of Santa Maria Assunta with a façade in late Gothic style.

As the Italian journalist Ettore Della Giovanna so beautifully wrote:

“Ostuni is the panoramic city par excellence, every house is a belvedere, […] In Ostuni the houses are white, of milk and lime, they are white until they hurt the eyes, the walls, the windows, the doors, the stairs are white, everything is incredibly white. […] You go to Ostuni to understand what it means to be sheltered from the sun […] to stop thinking about distant journeys, here is the charm of all the towns of the seas of the South, here is the equator at hand.”

The surrounding Ostuni countryside is dotted with typical Pugliese large estate-farms called masserie. Some masserie owned by noble families were fortified and even equipped with defensive walls and towers.

Nowadays, some of them operate as agrotourism and offer accommodation such as the Masseria il Frantoio or the Masseria Ferri where you can experience sleeping in a trullo.

Locorotondo: One of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy

The name Locorotondo derives from Luogorotondo, Round Place, after the characteristic shape of the historic center, a group of small white houses arranged on concentric rings.

Also in the Valle d’Itria, In Locorotondo the whole town is the landmark, the maze of whitewashed houses, the geraniums in the balconies, the immaculate streets… A stroll around this enchanting town is a great way to spend a relaxed afternoon.

The Locorotondo countryside features an abundance of trulli and is part of the Terra dei Trulli. It grew an area of dispersed settlements that originated in the 19th century when many people emigrated from the town to the countryside attracted by landowners that encouraged the development of vineyards.

In 2011 Locorotondo was chosen as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy by the Italian association I borghi più belli d’Italia. As far as we know, it is the only town in the province of Bari that has been awarded such distinction.

Another area of interest is the excellent wine that Locorotondo produces. It produces an excellent white wine that is labeled with the Locorotondo DOC, Controlled Designation of Origin.

Lecce, the Florence of the South

Lecce is in the peninsula of Salento, at the southern tip of Puglia and it has wonderful beaches and a strong Greek heritage that includes the Griko language still spoken today.

Lecce is known for its rich Baroque architecture built in the malleable Lecce stone that reached its peak during the Kingdom of Naples and originated the concept of Lecce Baroque.

Apart from being known as the Florence of the south, it has earned other names like the Signora del Barocco, Lady of the Baroque in English. Lecce is definitely an art city.

Lecce is one of the largest cities in Puglia but even so, the number of churches is amazing. In addition to the Lecce Cathedral, there are forty churches scattered throughout the streets and squares of Lecce.

There is an almost overwhelming number of monuments, palaces, and points of interest. The Palazzo dei Celestini that now is the seat of the Province of Lecce, the Castle of Charles V, the Triumphal Arch or Porta Napoli, the medieval Torre di Belloluogo or the now half-buried Anfiteatro Romano di Lecce are just a few examples. If you like the Baroque the town of Lecce is a dream come true.

If you get tired of architecture you can always head to the Orto Botanico di Lecce or the protected natural areas like the Parco Naturale Regionale Bosco e Paludi di Rauccio or the Riserva Naturale San Cataldo, both in the province of Lecce.

View the Photo Gallery of the Best Places to Visit in Puglia, Italy

We have selected the best photos of Puglia that will make you want to visit the Italian Apulia region right now. Click the button below to enjoy the awesome images of the best places to visit in Puglia, Italy to get a better picture of the Italian region you are about to visit.<(p>