Calabria - hiking and enjoying

2013

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Visiting the boot tip of Italy
"Our country is poor, yet we are rich in treasures"
Sunbeams dance like goblins on the sea
Info & Tips
Travel and living
"Rural Calabria"
flights

Visiting the boot tip of Italy

Lemons are for eternity, a fruit falls to the ground, a new flower sprouts, "says chef Giuseppe of the hotel" Cannamele ", just a few kilometers from the small town of Tropea, lovingly cutting the besone, the Italian lemon cake, into thick slices. And then I sit on the small terrace overlooking the sparkling blue Mediterranean Sea and just think: I've finally arrived - in paradise.

"Our country is poor, yet we are rich in treasures"

But it's not just the good food that touches my soul on the first day in Calabria . It is this wonderful serene atmosphere that reigns here. The people of the southern Italian province hold it like their lemons. Something old follows something new - life goes on - and the Calabrians always make the best of it. "Although we are a poor country, but rich in treasures, have a wonderful nature and an original, healthy cuisine." The customer review has been automatically translated from German. Giuseppe puts his hand on the proudly swelled man's breast with shining eyes.

How right he is. Calabria almost embodies the culinary south - only the few know that. For many decades, only locals came here to the toe. And the region is still a real insider tip today. Especially at the beginning of September, when Neapolitans, Romans and Milanese left again northwards, the most beautiful holiday season begins in Calabria: it is not so hot anymore, the long white sand beaches are almost deserted, and in the restaurants you do not have to sit down to a table waiting.

Sunbeams dance like goblins on the sea

Eating out is a feast every night. In the idyllic village of Tropea, there is something for every taste and budget - from the simple pizzeria to the gourmet temple, such as the "La Munizione", located directly above the harbor, with fantastic views. What is the same everywhere, are the delicious ingredients from the local region : sun - ripened tomatoes, crunchy zucchini, plump purple eggplant and Cipolle rosse, the red onions that hang in thick grapes in front of the delicatessen shops and taste deliciously unique. It can not be original Italian. I think.

And then experience on a hike on the Costa degli Dei, the coast of the Gods, there is still more! For example, on the farm of farmer Agostino Staropoli on the edge of the small village Spilinga. Together with his wife Maria, he processes the creamy milk of around 300 sheep into delicious ricotta cheese. I'm allowed to watch the production and snack afterwards. It tastes like pure nature, so pure and fresh.

On the donkey trail, I hike for one hour along the steep coast towards the south to Capo Vaticano. Orange and lemon trees exude a breathtaking scent, crackling and creaking in the gnarled cork oaks, cute squirrels perform gymnastics through the branches, feather-light pieces of wood sailing on the sunlit path. Gently weigh the white heads of wild carrot and purple bluebells in the wind. I drive the Villa Mantineo.

At first glance, it is a simple farm. But the Cirò rosso, a tasty red from bulbous decanters, tastes delicious. And then only the view - unforgettable: Through lopping pine branches, I look on the turquoise blue sea, on which the sunrays dance like little goblins. Absorb the most beautiful Calabria has to offer: this unique light. Wonderful light that touches the soul.

Info & Tips

Travel and living

"Culinary highlights and Calabrian impressions", 8-day car tour from Reggio Calabria to Tropea (about 1190 km) incl. 7 nights / double / half board in 4 * hotels from 664 Euro p. P. (Dertour); Car rental: about 260 euros

"Rural Calabria"

Charming Hotel "Cannamele Resort" (4 *) in Parghelia-Tropea. The Mediterranean-style hotel has 17 rooms and a swimming pool. 1 bed / double / bed from 43 Euro p. P. (Dertour)