Reggio Calabria

Although the main attraction is the sea, the region is also characterised by Dolomite scenery thanks to the peaks and the lakes of Sila the rich territory that is home to the Riace Bronzes is a perfect destination for a mix of relaxation, history, sport and good food.

Traveling on a steam train like those from days gone by is still possible while on holidays in Calabria: You can catch the Sila Train that crosses the Sila National Park. Going along on this unique stretch of Calabria railway makes this excursion truly special, family holidays will have a whole new feel. The feeling of another era.

A precious collection that documents arts, uses and customs of Magna Graecia, that is, the Mediterranean area of the Italian peninsula that was anciently colonized by the Greeks from the 8th century BC. The museum had already been established in 1882, but the current site was built specifically to a design by Marcello Piacentini in the years before the Second World War. The collections of underwater archaeology are of exceptional interest, for the wrecks of a shipwreck near what is now Villa San Giovanni between the 5th and 4th centuries BC – including on-board pottery, the so-called Portrait of a Philosopher in bronze and another male head called from Basel – but above all for the two well-known Bronzes of Riace, a rare and perfect example of Greek bronze sculpture from the 5th century BC Other sections expose what has come to light in the archaeological areas of Lokroi Epizephyrii (Locri), such as black and red figure vases, bronze mirrors, statuettes, masks, the entablature of a temple, in addition to the finds in the necropolis and ancient sacred areas of Rhegion (Reggio), Metauros (Gioia Tauro), Medma (Rosarno), Laos (Marcellina, near Santa Maria del Cedro), Caulonia (Monasterace Marina) and Crimisa (Cirò). In the rooms dedicated to prehistory, from the Palaeolithic to the early Iron Age, ceramics, obsidian tools and bronze objects such as fibulae and bracelets are exhibited. Finally, there are also collections of Byzantine, mediaeval and modern art, as well as some architectural elements from the Abbey of S. Maria di Terreti.

Tonnara di Palmi beach is one of the most beautiful in Calabria. Its name derives from the antique tonnara, tuna fishing lines used here in the twentieth century.

Miles and miles of untamed coastline that alternate with stretches of sand, suggestive villages facing the pristine sea, and lively, buzzing beach establishments are – in a nutshell – the elements of littoral Calabria on the Tyrhennian Sea. Ideal for every type of vacation, the shores of Calabria offer ways to relax, have fun, and a multitude of other opportunities, even for the most exacting of travelers.

Five-hundred-thousand hectares of highly-singular natural riches: the Sila Plateau expands over parts of the Provinces of Cosenza, Crotone and Catanzaro. Natural and scenic endowments where the diversity of landscapes, the variety of plant and animal species, and the beauty of all of Sila attest to the importance of the Sila National Park and of the treasures it protects. Although it was established only in 2002, Sila National Park is actually part of one of Italy’s oldest national parks, the National Park of Calabria. This zone, with its rugged and wild, yet pristine side, charms visitors with its quaint and welcoming villages, and with the opportunities to practice a number of outdoor sports. Here, any time of year is right to enjoy this multi-faceted Park.