Marvelous Calabria

Day 1 Wednesday: Lamezia Terme – Tropea (70 kms approx)

Arrival at Lamezia Terme airport. Group transfer (with other participants) to the hotel. Dinner and accommodation.

Day 2 Thursday: Tropea – Pizzo – Tropea (60 kms approx)

Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Pizzo. Guided tour of the Castle where Joachim Murat was killed. Visit also of the Church of Piedigrotta located on the sea and built in the tufa. Free time for lunch. In the afternoon return to Tropea, the old “Tropis”, Roman city. Visit of the Romanesque Cathedral (12th century), which preserves the sacred image of the Virgin of Romania, a 12th-century Byzantine icon and enjoys immense devotion on the part of the inhabitants of Tropea. Visit the historic center with its panoramic balconies and typical treelined streets. Also, you can visit the Church of Santa María dell’Isola, reachable through a long staircase, and the seaside.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 3 Friday: Tropea – Capo Vaticano – Scilla – Reggio Calabria (180 km approx)

After breakfast at the hotel, depart to Scilla by the panoramic road that will take us to Capo Vaticano, with great views over the sea. Arrive Scilla through the charming and picturesque “Costa Viola”. Visit of Chianalea, a fishing village. Visit of Ruffo Castle and the Church of San Rocco. Free time for lunch (not included). In the afternoon departure for Reggio Calabria. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 4 Saturday: Reggio Calabria (80 kms approx)

After breakfast at the hotel, visit of the city, former capital of the region, along with the National Museum of Magna Grecia, where we will admire the famous “Bronzes of Riace”. After enjoying the imposing panorama defined by Gabriele D’Annunzio as “the most beautiful kilometer in Italy”, we will have a tour of the Roman Baths, the Greek Fortifications and the Cathedral. Back to the hotel. Dinner and accommodation.

Day 5 Sunday: Reggio Calabria – Gerace – Stilo – Catanzaro Lido (210 km approx)

Breakfast at the hotel and then depart to Gerace: visit of the city of the “Hundred Churches”. The visit of the medieval town will allow us to admire some of the oldest churches as well as the famous Romanesque Cathedral, the largest in southern Italy. Free lunch and then continue to Stilo, home of the famous philosopher Tommaso Campanella. We will visit the well-known “Cattolica” monument of late Byzantine art, unique throughout Western Europe. Continue to the Catanzaro area. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 6 Monday: Catanzaro Lido – Le Castella (Isola di Capo Rizzuto) – Sila Mountains – Cosenza (200 km approx)

Breakfast at the hotel and then departure for Punta Le Castella, better known as “Le Castella”, small town of Calabria, where we will visit the famous Aragonese Castle, which has been the scene of many movies thanks to its position on the sea and its charm. Departure for Cosenza through the Sila Mountains, which represent the green heart of Calabria and Southern Italy. Wonderful and unexpected mountain landscapes await us with an uncontaminated nature. Stop in the small town of Camigliatello Silano for a walk on the main street or to buy typical products of the area. Arrival to Cosenza. Dinner and accommodation.

Day 7 Tuesday: Cosenza – Paola – Cosenza (80 kms approx)

Breakfast at the hotel. We will start the day with a tour of the historic center of Cosenza. First stop will be at “Piazza Prefettura”, to admire the Rendano Theater and a beautiful view of the “Castello Svevo”, an imposing millenary fortress that was blazon of the king of Sicily and emperor of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen, called “Stupor Mundi”, emperor – magnate deeply in love with the city. We will continue by foot along the Corso Telesio, to the Duomo (the Cathedral) of the year 1100. By bus, crossing the Calatrava bridge, we will arrive at Corso Mazzini, with the only open-air museum in Europe, the MAB (Bilotti Open- Air Museum), with works of contemporary art created by internationally renowned artists. Free time for shopping, lunch or having an excellent ice cream. In the afternoon, departure for Paola. Visit to the sanctuary of San Francesco di Paola and its miracles. The Sanctuary located in the upper part of the city, in a valley surrounded by a river and rich in vegetation, is a destination for pilgrims throughout Southern Italy, particularly in the region, of which San Francesco is the patron saint. Back to Cosenza. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 8 Wednesday: Cosenza – Lamezia Terme (70 kms approx)

Breakfast. Transfer to Lamezia Terme airport (or Vibo Valentia port). End of our services.

P.s.  tour itinerary’s, for technical reasons, can be changed or inverted without notice.” We.” will guarantee all previous visits, excursions and services.

Dinners during the tour could be at hotel or at local restaurant