Calabria, Italy

Coast · Italy

Calabria

Clifftop towns, clear Tyrrhenian water and a more local pace make Calabria a rewarding alternative to Italy's most famous coasts.

Travel by Ildy tip

Hidden places

In Scilla, wander Chianalea, the car-free fishermen’s quarter where houses rise straight from the rocks and boats are pulled up between them on the Strait of Messina.

Best time to visit

Best time to travel

June and September for warm sea and fewer crowds; July and August are hotter and busier.

Travel tips

Travel by Ildy tips

  • Lamezia Terme airport has no railway station, but the Lamezia Airlink bus connects it in a few minutes with Lamezia Terme Centrale, from where regional trains run along the Tyrrhenian coast, for example towards Tropea.
  • Taste Cipolla Rossa di Tropea Calabria IGP, the sweet red onion grown along the Tyrrhenian coast between Nicotera and Campora San Giovanni; it is mild enough to eat raw in salads.
  • Come in late spring or early summer to see the swordfish feluccas of Scilla and Bagnara, with their towering lookout masts and long bow walkways, the passerelle, working the Strait.
  • In Reggio’s National Archaeological Museum, meet the Riace Bronzes, two 5th-century BC Greek warriors spotted by a holiday diver off Riace Marina on 16 August 1972.

Travel by Ildy recommends

Follow the rhythm of the place first, then shape the journey around the experiences that feel most like your own.

Location

Calabria on the map

Italy

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Interactive map: Calabria

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Where to stay

Stay ideas — Calabria

Calabria, Italy

Italy

Calabria

Villa Paola

Boutique monastery conversion above Tropea.

Praia Art Resort

Design-led seaside hideaway on Calabria's Ionian coast.

Capovaticano Resort Thalasso Spa

Beachfront resort close to Capo Vaticano scenery.