Italy and Calabria holidays: magics of Thyrrhene sea

The most Southern Italian mountain is a magic place for its large woods of pines and beeches, inhabited by a wild and rare fauna. Ideal for an holiday rich in excursions afoot or on mountain bike in the nature beside the sea, the marvellous beaches of the Thyrrhene sea, from Scilla to Gallico Marino.

From the sea to the mountains without stops, in a unique land, unusual and rich in contrasts. We will discover the natural park of Aspromonte, a land of wolves, birds of prey and giant pines, rich in wild nature as it may be rarely seen in our country. Although some peaks reach 2000 meters, the mountain is embraced by the sea so that its Alpine look quickly transforms into Mediterranean. Indeed the sea is just a few kilometers far from Aspromonte and this gives it a special character: it offers the tourist both sea and mountains, in fact from the peaks of Aspromonte you can look at the most beautiful beaches of Thyrrhenian and Ionian sea.

Waters rich in history and culture look at their mountain, silent witness of the environing and social changings of this land. And for relaxing, from Siderno to Riace, from Melito P. Salvo to Scilla, from Bagnara to Gioia Tauro there is plenty of marvellous beaches, some are free and flat, some other have mounts falling in precipice in the depths.

We suggest an excursion from Gambárie to Montalto: the mountain is 1956 m. high and is the highest in the Aspromonte massif. Here the landscape is really grand: Calabria and Sicily seem to touch as if they were the same land and the Etna volcano sticks out of the clouds with its impressive mass. Since 1901 on the peak of this massif rises a monument to the Redeemer, and beside it there is a compass-card pointing the direction of the most important cities in the world. Not far lays the Sanctuary of S. Maria di Polsi, founded by Ruggero the Norman in 1144 and placed in a valley surrounded by magnificent mountains. Ever since venerated by the people of Aspromonte it has also been an important centre of faith for the migrants from Reggio Calabria and Messina.

Going down the Western slope we reach Sant'Alessio in Aspromonte: above the major altar of the church of the Santissima Annunziata hangs a beautiful "Annunciation" by Antonio Catalano da Messina (dated 1558). The history of this village followed the fortune of the many noble families owning it; today its inhabitants live mainly of agricolture and sheep-rearing. The historical centre has a Medieval structure and is rich in beautiful exemples of spontaneous architetures. Going on the valley becomes wider in direction of Laganadi, small village founded by the people of Calanna escaping the advance of Saracens. After the pass of Calanna, in a landscape full of wide citrus groves, the road takes us to the end of our itinerary in Gallico, residential quarter of Reggio Calabria, and to its beautiful beach of Gallico Marina.

Vacanza in Calabria: un tuffo sulle splendide spiagge del Tirreno

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