Welcome to Calabria

“Travelling in Calabria means retracing one’s steps a great number of times like following the unpredictable path of a labyrinth. “ (Guido Piovene, Viaggio in Italia, 1957). 

Calabria is a unique land of strong contrasts and unusual scenery thanks to its ancient history in which Mediterranean and Europan civilisations are so deeply rooted. Its artistic heritage stands amongst the richest in Italy thanks to its buildings, churches, castles, archaelogical areas, precious sculptures and paintings from every school and age. Among these are the world- famous bronze  statues of Riace, the archaelogical digs of Locri and Sibari, the delightful Cattolica di Stilo, the bestknown Byzantine monument in the region.Calabria is the area that gave its name to the entire Italian  peninsula. “Italia” was infact the name that was first given to Calabria in honour of its king Italo.

The great beauty of nature is amazing. It is a land where the sea and the mountains live side by side: almost 800 km of coastline   lined with beautiful beaches and clear-blue sea  and  suggestive wilder mountainous  areas.

The artistic heritage of the region is closely bound to a strong handicraft tradition: wood-carving, pottery, goldsmiths, weavers, wrought iron and stonework.

No  summary would be complete without mentioning its genuine and imaginative cuisine.  Calabrian food is plain but with a strong flavour. Pasta with  traditional sauces made with pork, beef, lamb or goat's meat; onions and chili pepper; salami and sausages; swordfish and stockfish and also precious wines with a thousand years of history behind them. Numerous are also the traditional products fairs, such as the mushrooms, the chestnut, the harvest and the grape-picking festivals.

The Costa Verde.  

The Costa Verde is the stretch of  coast along the Tyrrenian sea, from Ioppolo to Palmi, where  the coastline is characterised by  a delightful scenery and a strong and incorrupted nature.    The beauty of this part of Calabria is all  in its long beaches of white sand, in its mild climate,  in its plains dotted with citrus orchands, orange and centuris-old olive groves,  in is charming forests of pines, eucalyptus and mimosas  that offers refreshing and relaxing walks.

The long, white sandy beach of Nicotera is one of the first destinations of the international tourism. It offers hotels, camp sites, touristic villages providing the most modern services and set directly on the sea.

The  town of Nicotera with its ancient history  is the centre of the Costa Verde. From here people can easily reach  many important historical sites of Calabria and Sicily and above all the Eolian Islands that stand just in front of the coast.  You  can see them, especially the vulcan Stromboli, in the fascinating sunsets every evening.

Sport, Nature, Holidays, Culture and Gastronomy. The Costa Verde offers all this and more. A place where the holiday has thousands meanings and thousands flavours, where each day is different from the other, where people  and above all children can enjoy  their holiday in the nature.

You will leave Nicotera keeping  in your heart the coulors and the scent of this unique land.