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Calabria
is the southern most region of
Italy, the ankle and toe of the
Italian "boot" – a rugged peninsula where
grapevines, fig and olive trees
cling to arid mountainsides, and
where the immemorial sea crashes against the cliffs
and beaches of its long, and
intricate coastline, which faces
east, south and west all at
once.
Of the 10 million or so
English-speaking travellers who
visit Italy every year, not many
make it this far south. But,
Calabria is in the process of
being "discovered" by the "inglese",
so this will change, as more and
more people from the UK and
North America learn about this
astonishingly beautiful part of
the world.
To Homer, the Greek author of
The Odyssey and The
Illiad, Calabria was a
far-off, magical and dangerous
place, where heroes rose to
spectacular challenges and
overcame olympian odds.
Ulysses and his crew, for
instance, sailed through the
monstrous pass of Scilla and
Charybis, in reality the narrow,
turbulent strait between the
Calabrian mainland and the
Island of Sicily.
But the Greeks were not the
first here. They
encountered settlements of
pre-historic tribes, such as the
Sabines, whom they called
the Enotrians, or "lovers
of wine". In this word,
etymologists find the root for
the country's name, "Italia",
and we find the root of the
Italian people's well known love of
life.
Over the centuries, successive
empires have invaded Calabria
and asserted their domination.
The
Byzantines, the
Romans, and
even
the
Normans
on their way to
and from
The Crusades in far-off
Jerusalem.
Hannibal and
his army came through, on the
backs of elephants after sacking
Rome.
The Nazis, supposed
allies of the Italian fascists,
hunkered down in Calabria in
World War II, only to be driven
out by the massed forces of the
Allies, who pushed them north,
and eventually back into Germany
itself.
Thousands of years ago, the
local people, no fools, removed
themselves from the vulnerable
coastal areas to the mountain
tops, where they built
improbable towns and villages in
mountain canyons and on
mountain peaks, making conquest
difficult, and sometimes
impossible. There they
scratched out a living on small
farms, growing figs, olive and
lemon trees, tending to small
herds of goat and sheep. They
mined the streams and rivers for
gold. They carved roads
and trails, which are in use
even now.
For millenia, the people here
have made pottery, spun wool,
knitted plain garments.
They've milked their goats, made
bread, rolled pasta, fermented
wine and distilled limoncello, a
sweet lemon aperitif. They
have gone about their business,
shop-keeping, worshipping in
their numerous churches and
duomos, and observing holy
days and feast days around the
year with pious gusto.
And
they do all of this today, a
self-sufficient, self-reliant,
practical, stubborn, no nonsense
people whom other Italians say
are "testa dura" - hard headed.
In ancient times, there were
periods when Calabria could
boast wealth and importance, but
by the end of the 16th century,
Calabria fell into decline, its
people some of the poorest in
all Italy. Their poverty
propelled the mass emigration of
the late 19th and early 20th
century, when millions of
Calabrese came down from their
mountain redoubts and clamoured
onto ships that took them to
"new worlds", particularly in
the USA and Canada.
But now...Calabria is reclaiming
its past glory and pride, tired
of being the forgotten and
neglected part of Italy it grew
accustomed to being during the
last 500 years or so and ready
to transform itself into a
premier destination. It's
got everything going for it.
When you come to the "new"
Calabria, this place which has
been inhabited for over 3,000
years, you will be dumbfounded
by its scenery - whether you
stay up in the mountains, or find your
way along the winding coastal
highways, to Calabria's seaside
towns and beaches. You
will find resorts, hotels, inns,
hostels, bed and breakfasts,
campgrounds, lidos and tourist
parks, of every quality and
degree, catering to people with
small, medium or large budgets.
And once you've arrived, and
settled in, you will have the
opportunity to savour the
hearty, tasty, Calabrese
cuisine, all made from local
produce, meats, fish and fruit.
It's true that the Calabrese are
not quite ready for masses of
English-speaking tourists.
Indeed, you won't find too many
people who converse confidently
in English. Nor will you
find many signs printed in
English, or be able to buy
English books, newspapers or
magazines. But, so what?
Visit Calabria now - before the crowds
arrive. You will get by
with very few problems if you
are patient and respectful, and
all your needs will be met and
you will have the vacation of
your life! |
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