The region of Calabria is a place that will overcome your senses. Its people will captivate you. A cradle of culture, history, and illustrious people, and yet, isolated.

Pythagoras, Cassiodorus, Mattia Preti, Tommaso Campanella, Magna Grecia, Locri Epizefiri, Kroton, Kaulon, Sybarys, Thurii, Scolacium- you won’t find much in the way of these great names. A handful of museums jealously guard priceless treasures. There’s much more that has yet to be uncovered right under our feet.

None of that matters. Calabria’s natural beauty will help you forget anything it might lack. The sea, the sun, the wind- panoramic views of pure heaven are all here where the mountains and the sea are only a half-hour distance apart. All the seasons are pleasant here. Each unique in its own way and offering its visitors an unforgettable memory that will make them come back wanting more.

The Sea

Endless sandy beaches and small coves set below impervious, steep rocky ridges. Crystal clear water that changes its color according to the season- from a deep blue to orange, to silver at dawn and dusk or under the moonlight. Then there are the stars like fireflies that can still be used to guide us. It will take you back to childhood when you first discovered the idea of the universe around us. When you’d look up at the sky and think about the immensity of creation.

The Sila National Park

It’s not really a mountain, even if it is over 2,000 meters, but rather a place of fairy tales and fairies. An enchanted place where nature’s aromas and colors will take you back to childhood. In the heart of the park, there is an old hotel, quaintly named “The Fairy”, currently being refurbished and brought back to its grander days when it was internationally known and even used as a movie set.

Article and Photos by: R. Lo Prete, Hotel 106