Calabria: the low-profile lady<\/h2><\/div>A wonderful text by Elena Novati <\/b>about Calabria<\/b>, a new approach of slow tourism<\/span><\/b> and<\/span> the possibility to discover the unbeaten tracks<\/b><\/span>!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhen I visited Calabria for the first time ever, I was 8 yo and I travelled with my parents all through the Italian peninsula to reach some friends over the Jonic Coast in Caulonia.<\/span><\/p>\nIn all fairness, I really did\u2019t expect to become what a friend of mine likes to define me \u201cthe Calabria unofficial brand ambassador<\/b>\u201d. More than an ambassador, I would like to be a sincere Calabria storyteller<\/b><\/span>, because Calabria is what I like to call a \u201clow profile lady\u201d, and I wouldn\u2019t like to brag pretentiously.<\/span><\/p>\nCalabria is definitely less touristic if we compare it to other Italian regions, but it\u2019s in the unknown that you can still find hidden gems to enjoy<\/b>: it\u2019s where you can still find history and traditions without all the layers of glitter to create a standardized type <\/span>of hit-and-run tourism. <\/span>All in all, Calabria is the place to visit if you are still looking for an intact experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Hidden Gems in Calabria<\/h2><\/div>![\"National](\"https:\/\/urlaub-an-der-stiefelspitze.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Calabria-Elena-2-Imgur-1-scaled.jpg\" "\\"National")
<\/span><\/div><\/div>![\"Kalabrien\"](\"https:\/\/urlaub-an-der-stiefelspitze.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/dT8nEiP-Imgur-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Kalabrien\\"")
<\/a><\/div><\/div>![\"Greek](\"https:\/\/urlaub-an-der-stiefelspitze.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Calabria-Elena-2-Imgur-2-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Greek")
<\/a><\/div><\/div>![\"Kalabrien\"](\"https:\/\/urlaub-an-der-stiefelspitze.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Calabria-Elena-2-Imgur-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Kalabrien\\"")
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Dry slopes, endless empty beaches in full summer season<\/b>, archeological ruins of a mosaic of the ancient Greek city of Kaulon behind the sparse umbrella on the beach of Monasterace, the fascinating villages where until few years ago the local language was still a Greek dialect dating back to the Magna Graecia era, bergamots <\/span>plantations on a narrow stretch between the villages on the coast overlooking the Strait of Messina, secular woods in the Aspromonte National Park (and by the way, <\/span>did <\/span>you know Calabria is the only region in Italy cherishing three National Parks<\/span><\/b>? Aspromonte, Sila and Pollino National Parks), the rich and savage vegetation of the <\/span>inner areas of Aspromonte, water trekking in the Vitravo River, trekking in the Sila National Park and in the Pollino National Park, a dive into contemporary art with a <\/span>visit to the Musaba Foundation founded by Nick Spatari and Hiske Maas in Mammola – an open air kaleidoscopic museum developed around the remains of an ancient <\/span>monastery -, the <\/span>mouthwatering dishes of the restaurants now popping on the stage of a vibrant yet not banal eno-gastronomic scene<\/b><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Musaba](\"https:\/\/urlaub-an-der-stiefelspitze.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/mZ1kVgE-Imgur-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Musaba")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Drink](\"https:\/\/urlaub-an-der-stiefelspitze.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/mK0eOcu-Imgur-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Drink")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Just to list some of the travelling options.<\/h2><\/div>My passion for wine and food is often what brings me to visit places<\/b>, often for a true wine and food hunt: this doesn\u2019t simply translate into a wine or food tasting. On the contrary, this passion allows to know a territory through its flavours and dishes whose story is tied to a past made of poor ingredients, fatigue, travels, abandonments, <\/span>returns and redemption.<\/span><\/p>\nNow, an ever-growing number of protagonists of the eno-gastronomic and cultural scene is paving the way for a more well thought and authentic experience, <\/b>without giving in to compromises in favor of any short-term extreme exploitationof the territory<\/b>. These people are often young professionals who are back home <\/span>to rediscover and maintain traditions, flavors and crafts; people who decided to come back and invest into their home territory with wisdom, foresight, selection of local <\/span>excellences and a pinch of spirit of adventure.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>These choices required (and still require) time to fully develop,<\/p>\n
but now we can already see the fruits of such seeds in a soil<\/p>\n
which has been little valued for too long.<\/p><\/h2><\/div>
There\u2019s plenty of possible tours to discover places and flavours in this low profile region, starting from the many artisans of the vineyard who brought Calabria on the international wine scene with its autochtonous grape varieties (gaglioppo, magliocco, ansonica and many others). Among these wine artisans we can name the <\/span>pioneer of the Cir\u00f2 Revolution, Francesco De Franco with \u2018A Vita (his cellar) and some other winemakers of the area like Cataldo Calabretta and Sergio Arcuri. <\/span>Calabria, though, is not just all about Cir\u00f2 wine, as if we go up in the area of the Cosenza municipality (Close to the Pollino National Park) we can find Dino Briglio <\/span>with his cellar – L\u2019Acino – making amazing wine from different varieties (magliocco, guardavalle, malvasia, mantonico just to name few) and Giuseppe Calabrese.<\/span><\/p>\nGoing ahead with the many excellent chefs running restaurants that are now destination of gastronomic tourists in the midst of Aspromonte, Sila and Serre Calabresi (another mountain area cherishing a regional park stretching between the municipalities of Vibo Valentia, Catanzaro and Reggio Calabria): among the many interesting <\/span>projects we can list Zenzero ristorante in Serra San Bruno (run by Bruno de Francesco), Qafiz&Aspro cocktail bar in Santa Cristina d\u2019Aspromonte (run by <\/span>Nino Rossi), la Tavernetta by Pietro Lecce in Spezzano della Sila, Donna Nela restaurant&winebar in Polistena (close to the Aspromonte Park) and there should <\/span>be many others. Last but not least, heading towards Petrizzi, a small Village on the hills behind Soverato and facing the Jonian sea, our imagination is completely <\/span>swept away by the reality of \u201cBorgo del Convento\u201d, a wisely restored structure of a 15th Century monastery whose young manager\u2019s (Luisa Fabrizi) project is trying <\/span>to make it a cultural center (for digital nomads, wine passionates and other professionals) after many years spent in Germany, where she was doing a completely <\/span>different job.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>There is so much more to see, to discover and to experience: it is just a matter of organization, but that\u2019s the right place to ask for it :)<\/span><\/h2><\/div>![\"Zenzero](\"https:\/\/urlaub-an-der-stiefelspitze.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Calabria-Elena-Imgur-2-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Zenzero")
<\/a><\/div><\/div>![\"Sonnenuntergang](\"https:\/\/urlaub-an-der-stiefelspitze.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Calabria-Elena-Imgur-3-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Sonnenuntergang")
<\/a><\/div><\/div>![\"Borgo](\"https:\/\/urlaub-an-der-stiefelspitze.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Calabria-Elena-Imgur-4-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Borgo")
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Borgo](\"https:\/\/urlaub-an-der-stiefelspitze.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Calabria-Elena-Imgur-5-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Borgo")
<\/a><\/div><\/div>![\"Cosenza](\"https:\/\/urlaub-an-der-stiefelspitze.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Calabria-Elena-Imgur-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Cosenza")
<\/a><\/div><\/div>![\"Strand](\"https:\/\/urlaub-an-der-stiefelspitze.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Calabria-Elena-Imgur-1-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Strand")
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Text by Elena Novati! THANK YOU for the passion we share! Instagram_Elena Novati<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto credit: Alberto Gangemi: THANK YOU for the beautiful pics! Instagram_Alberto Gengemi<\/a><\/p>\nI started following Elena on Instagram some months ago as I loved her way writing about Calabria! This summer (2021) she was traveling this beautiful region with such a special approach and keen eye for its beauty that I asked her for a text! So happy that she just said yes. This is what Calabria does to us! United in passion! or as <\/span>she writes…truely devoted ambassodors!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>
A wonderful text by Elena Novati <\/b>about Calabria<\/b>, a new approach of slow tourism<\/span><\/b> and<\/span> the possibility to discover the unbeaten tracks<\/b><\/span>!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When I visited Calabria for the first time ever, I was 8 yo and I travelled with my parents all through the Italian peninsula to reach some friends over the Jonic Coast in Caulonia.<\/span><\/p>\n In all fairness, I really did\u2019t expect to become what a friend of mine likes to define me \u201cthe Calabria unofficial brand ambassador<\/b>\u201d. More than an ambassador, I would like to be a sincere Calabria storyteller<\/b><\/span>, because Calabria is what I like to call a \u201clow profile lady\u201d, and I wouldn\u2019t like to brag pretentiously.<\/span><\/p>\n Calabria is definitely less touristic if we compare it to other Italian regions, but it\u2019s in the unknown that you can still find hidden gems to enjoy<\/b>: it\u2019s where you can still find history and traditions without all the layers of glitter to create a standardized type <\/span>of hit-and-run tourism. <\/span>All in all, Calabria is the place to visit if you are still looking for an intact experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> Dry slopes, endless empty beaches in full summer season<\/b>, archeological ruins of a mosaic of the ancient Greek city of Kaulon behind the sparse umbrella on the beach of Monasterace, the fascinating villages where until few years ago the local language was still a Greek dialect dating back to the Magna Graecia era, bergamots <\/span>plantations on a narrow stretch between the villages on the coast overlooking the Strait of Messina, secular woods in the Aspromonte National Park (and by the way, <\/span>did <\/span>you know Calabria is the only region in Italy cherishing three National Parks<\/span><\/b>? Aspromonte, Sila and Pollino National Parks), the rich and savage vegetation of the <\/span>inner areas of Aspromonte, water trekking in the Vitravo River, trekking in the Sila National Park and in the Pollino National Park, a dive into contemporary art with a <\/span>visit to the Musaba Foundation founded by Nick Spatari and Hiske Maas in Mammola – an open air kaleidoscopic museum developed around the remains of an ancient <\/span>monastery -, the <\/span>mouthwatering dishes of the restaurants now popping on the stage of a vibrant yet not banal eno-gastronomic scene<\/b><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> My passion for wine and food is often what brings me to visit places<\/b>, often for a true wine and food hunt: this doesn\u2019t simply translate into a wine or food tasting. On the contrary, this passion allows to know a territory through its flavours and dishes whose story is tied to a past made of poor ingredients, fatigue, travels, abandonments, <\/span>returns and redemption.<\/span><\/p>\n Now, an ever-growing number of protagonists of the eno-gastronomic and cultural scene is paving the way for a more well thought and authentic experience, <\/b>without giving in to compromises in favor of any short-term extreme exploitationof the territory<\/b>. These people are often young professionals who are back home <\/span>to rediscover and maintain traditions, flavors and crafts; people who decided to come back and invest into their home territory with wisdom, foresight, selection of local <\/span>excellences and a pinch of spirit of adventure.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> These choices required (and still require) time to fully develop,<\/p>\n but now we can already see the fruits of such seeds in a soil<\/p>\n which has been little valued for too long.<\/p><\/h2><\/div> There\u2019s plenty of possible tours to discover places and flavours in this low profile region, starting from the many artisans of the vineyard who brought Calabria on the international wine scene with its autochtonous grape varieties (gaglioppo, magliocco, ansonica and many others). Among these wine artisans we can name the <\/span>pioneer of the Cir\u00f2 Revolution, Francesco De Franco with \u2018A Vita (his cellar) and some other winemakers of the area like Cataldo Calabretta and Sergio Arcuri. <\/span>Calabria, though, is not just all about Cir\u00f2 wine, as if we go up in the area of the Cosenza municipality (Close to the Pollino National Park) we can find Dino Briglio <\/span>with his cellar – L\u2019Acino – making amazing wine from different varieties (magliocco, guardavalle, malvasia, mantonico just to name few) and Giuseppe Calabrese.<\/span><\/p>\n Going ahead with the many excellent chefs running restaurants that are now destination of gastronomic tourists in the midst of Aspromonte, Sila and Serre Calabresi (another mountain area cherishing a regional park stretching between the municipalities of Vibo Valentia, Catanzaro and Reggio Calabria): among the many interesting <\/span>projects we can list Zenzero ristorante in Serra San Bruno (run by Bruno de Francesco), Qafiz&Aspro cocktail bar in Santa Cristina d\u2019Aspromonte (run by <\/span>Nino Rossi), la Tavernetta by Pietro Lecce in Spezzano della Sila, Donna Nela restaurant&winebar in Polistena (close to the Aspromonte Park) and there should <\/span>be many others. Last but not least, heading towards Petrizzi, a small Village on the hills behind Soverato and facing the Jonian sea, our imagination is completely <\/span>swept away by the reality of \u201cBorgo del Convento\u201d, a wisely restored structure of a 15th Century monastery whose young manager\u2019s (Luisa Fabrizi) project is trying <\/span>to make it a cultural center (for digital nomads, wine passionates and other professionals) after many years spent in Germany, where she was doing a completely <\/span>different job.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> Text by Elena Novati! THANK YOU for the passion we share! Instagram_Elena Novati<\/a><\/p>\n Photo credit: Alberto Gangemi: THANK YOU for the beautiful pics! Instagram_Alberto Gengemi<\/a><\/p>\n I started following Elena on Instagram some months ago as I loved her way writing about Calabria! This summer (2021) she was traveling this beautiful region with such a special approach and keen eye for its beauty that I asked her for a text! So happy that she just said yes. This is what Calabria does to us! United in passion! or as <\/span>she writes…truely devoted ambassodors!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>Hidden Gems in Calabria<\/h2><\/div>
<\/span><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Just to list some of the travelling options.<\/h2><\/div>
There is so much more to see, to discover and to experience: it is just a matter of organization, but that\u2019s the right place to ask for it :)<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>