5 Days in Calabria, Italy: What to Do, See and Eat

This post was updated on the 23rd of August 2024

Calabria is a region in the South of Italy, situated right next to Sicily and Puglia. My partner, Andrea, is from Catanzaro, the capital of Calabria, so I've visited this little-known place a couple of times, and each time I discover something new and exciting!

There is a lot to see in this region, as well as lots of good food to taste. Calabria is famous for its red-hot chilli's and spicy dishes and delicacies, as well as stunning beaches.

Unfortunately, even though Calabria is a beautiful place, it is not very known around the world as a tourist destination. Calabria is actually one of the poorest regions in all of Europe, which is very sad because it has so much to offer. We hope that this will change one day, and therefore I have written this blog post to show my readers what Calabria is all about!

Quicklinks:

Places to visit

Places To Visit in Calabria

Tropea

Tropea is a beautiful little city on the west coast of Calabria, about one hour drive from the capital, Catanzaro. And the main attraction here is the absolutely stunning beach and amazing old structures, that are truly awe-inspiring. In the summer, a lot of German tourists visit this little gem, and rightly so. It's definitely worth visiting if you're in the area. Tropea is also famous for it's very sweet and juicy onions, in fact, locals eat onions like they are apples! They also make an onion jam, which is quite famous as well.

Pizzo

Pizzo is famous for one main thing - Tartufo from Pizzo. Tartufo is a mouth-watering dessert that consists of an outer layer of hazelnut ice cream, and inside, there is a soft core of melted chocolate. And the Tartufo from Pizzo is the best one in the country. Get the Tartufo from this place: Gelateria Artigianale Dante Pizzo, which is apparently where this mouthwatering dessert originated from!

The town itself is also really cute, and you have a gorgeous view over the bay, as you can see in the picture above.

Capo Vaticano

Capo Vaticano is a beach close to Tropea and is known in the area for being the most beautiful beach. And it truly is! Once you get there, a lovely bay awaits you, with crystal clear water and white sand. Go for a swim around the rocks to find hidden coves!

Scilla

Scilla is a historical town right next to the sea, and when you drive towards the town, you have a gorgeous view of the bay (see picture above!). Scilla is a very cute town, with a small harbor and a little beach. It's really nice to just stroll around and see all the picturesque little houses and see all the cats darting around.

Reggio Calabria

Reggio Calabria is a city just next to Sicily, which lies 5 km further, and can be seen from the shore. It's just separated by the sea, and in fact, many swim between the two landmasses. The city has a beautiful boulevard along the beach, with gorgeous views on the island of Sicily, which locals often refer to as the "most beautiful 1km of Italy". Just parallel to the boulevard is a lovely shopping street, so whether you like beach or shopping, it's all there.

Soverato

Soverato is a little seaside town about 45 minutes from the Lamezia airport. What I particularly love about it is that you have a gorgeous beach with crystal clear and calm waters, a lovely boulevard that goes along the beach as well as plenty of great cafes and restaurants where you can eat delicious food.

Catanzaro

Catanzaro is the capital of Calabria, and the city is situated on a hill and connected by a large bridge, which many consider a landmark of the city. Catanzaro itself is quite small, marked by historical buildings and tiny alley streets and cobblestones. It’s beautiful to walk around and see the historic city centre, located right on top of a hill. On some places, you can find a viewpoint overlooking the beautiful valley of the area.

Things To Do

Hit the beach!

Calabria has probably the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen, easily equaling the more famous beaches of Sicily and Sardinia. One good thing is that because the region isn't very well-known, you won't find the beaches crowded with tourists. One of the most beautiful beaches is Capo Vaticano, mentioned above, as well as Tropea.

Walk around the villages and marvel at ancient buildings

Most of the cities in Calabria are very old, and you will find many buildings that might actually have been built during the middle ages or even before that. So, just taking a walk through the towns and cities is a great way to soak in the Italian culture and history. Sit at a cafe and sip on your espresso while people-watching and marvel at all the historical buildings.

Hike in the mountains and discover the nature

Calabria not only has stunning beaches but also boasts quite some mountainous areas. There are a few nature parks where you can hike and spot wolves, and in the winter you can even go skiing! So, if you're not a beach person, then you can always go to the mountains.

Visit a little mountain village

Calabria has a lot of mountain villages that are kind of undiscovered and rarely get any sort of tourists. The villages are really picturesque and they often have beautiful views on the mountains and valleys. It’s definitely worth hiring a car and visiting some of the gorgeous towns in the mountains!

Other things to do

Check out GetYourGuide for other activities and things to do in Calabria:

What To Eat

Of course, when in Italy you need to eat, eat and eat! Italians love food and cooking and sharing food is deeply rooted in their culture.

Here are some delicacies to try when you are in Calabria:

Cream-filled Cornetti

Southern Italians have their own version of Croissants, and they are so much better than any croissant I have ever tasted! These Cornetti are filled with delicious creams: vanilla cream, hazelnut cream, pistachio cream and nutella! Have them for breakfast with a cappuccino and you will truly feel like a local.

🥐 Check out this Instagram reel to see this amazing pastry

N'duja

This is the most famous delicacy from Calabria: a spicy sausage spread. It's loved all over Italy, and they even put it on pizza!

Pizza

You can't really miss out on eating pizza when in Italy. And in Calabria, you can find really good pizza, like the one in the picture above at Bob Alchimia A Spicchi!

Chilli

As mentioned before, Calabria is famous for its spicy dishes because they grow the best Chilli in the whole country! So if you like chili and/or spicy food, then you will find yourself in spiciness heaven.

Calabrian bomb

The Calabrian Bomb is a very spicy chili sauce, that's often served in a bomb-shaped dish. They also put vegetables in it, such as mushrooms or any other veg.

Murzedhu

Murzedhu is a tripe stew with spicy tomato sauce which they put in something that they call pitta bread, a bread that is shaped like a circle (not to be confused with pita bread, it's with 2 t's!!).

Brioche with gelato

A typical snack/dessert from the south of Italy is ice cream on a brioche! It sounds weird but it's so good! It's quite a heavy kid, but once in a while you can treat yourself ;)

Where To Eat

Napolitan style pizza at Bob Alchimia a Spicchi — *The amazing pizza at Bob Alchimia a Spicchi*

Here are some amazing restaurants that I tried and loved!

Bob Alchimia a Spicchi, Montepaone - Number 19 in the Top 50 best pizza places in Italy, this restaurant is a must for pizza lovers (and to be honest, even non-pizza lovers because it’s just too good). This is hands down the best pizza I’ve ever had. My favourite is the Amatricalabria pizza. And you need to try the Pistachio dessert pizza, which is absolutely amazing.
Brezza fish and chill, Soverato - A fish restaurant that serves amazing fish dishes and snacks.
Moré, Soverato - For breakfast or even a snack during the day, check out this amazing spot in Soverato. They’ve got a vast selection of delicious pastries, including my all time favourite, a cornetto filled with pistachio cream. In the summer, be sure to try their granita with a brioche - a traditional Southern Italian breakfast. Not the healthiest but SO GOOD!
Crunchy Club, Soverato - for a Roman style pizza, visit this restaurant in Soverato.
Abbruzzino, Catanzaro - for a more fine dining experience, try this Michelin- star restaurant. They serve an amazing tasting menu which can also be paired with a wine menu. What I particularly loved about this restaurant was the abundance of amazing bread they served us.

Where To Stay

Calabria is pretty big so choosing where to stay can be quite difficult!

I would say, if you are looking for more of a relaxed holiday, close to the beach and where there is at least some amenities for tourists, stay in Tropea or close to Tropea.

Check out hotels in Tropea:

Alternatively, staying in Soverato would also be a good option, as you’ve got everything close by in this little town: beach, restaurants and shops. Soverato definitely feels a bit more ‘local’ than Tropea, as you’ll find more Italian tourism in this town.

If you are more of an adventurous type, and you’d like to visit places that are really off the beaten track, I’d suggest you stay in Reggio Calabria or Catanzaro.

Check out hotels in Reggio Calabria:

I hope that people will start discovering the gems of Calabria soon, and will start coming more and more.

How To Get There

By Air

There are two airports in Calabria: Lamezia Airport and Reggio Calabria airport. There are various flights flying into these airports, mostly from within Italy, but there are also some international flights from other European destinations.

Check out the flights to Calabria here via Omio.com:

By Train

It’s also possible to get to Calabria by train! One of the biggest train stations is in Lamezia, called Stazione di Lamezia Terme. Trains from Napoli, Sicily and other regions arrive and depart from here. You can also check Flixbus, which my friend took from Sicily to visit us in Calabria!

Check out Trainline for the trains to Calabria.

Other Handy Tips

Getting around

I would definitely recommend you to rent a car when you are visiting Calabria, because public transport is sadly not great at the moment. There are some taxi’s at the airport, but quite honestly, not sure if I would trust it 😅. So stick to renting a car I would say - or travel with someone who has a car!

English level

The level of English in this part of Italy is not super great yet - so definitely brush up on some Italian words! In more touristy towns like Tropea, English is mostly spoken, but in the other towns and cities the amount of people speaking English decreases significantly.