Just this past Spring, I spent four amazing weeks in Calabria, Italy, for a global health exchange with the WVU School of Medicine. It was an incredible cultural immersion that allowed me to experience the medicine, culture, food, language, and resources of my heritage.
Southern Italy for a 7-day tour through some of the most beautiful seasides and towns. We visited during the last week of April, which was just prior to the well-known busy tourist season. The weather was 55-75 degrees F every day with warm Italian sunshine. In my opinion, we had the most perfect weather for walking and sightseeing.
This was my second trip to visit Italy. My first experience was in 2018 when I went to Florence and Rome with a school group focused on studying culture and art. I enjoyed the itinerary very much. It was convenient to have all transportation and lodging coordinated by a travel guide. However, I felt like the break times for independent excursions were too short to be fully worthwhile and the assigned options for food and drink were sub-par.
So this time, I wanted to plan everything - from the lodging to the transportation and from the dinner reservations and to the excursions. It was A LOT of work. I did a ton of research using travel blogs, TripAdvisor, travel company itineraries, and even social media. Yes - I used both Instagram and TikTok to help me find some of the hidden gems of the cities!
I planned a trip for my parents first to come to Calabria so they could see the region in which I had spent four weeks of my medical rotation. Calabria is a less commercialized region of the country with the most beautiful resources including olive trees, lemons, oranges, mushrooms, and seafood. I wanted them to experience this. We then went to four of the more commonly visited towns in Southern Italy - Naples, Capri, Pompeii, and Sorrento.
I am writing this blog post to share the beautiful experiences I had traveling through Southern Italy in April of 2023. This is the first of four travel itineraries from this trip. I have included restaurants we dined at, hikes we embarked on, pastries we fell in love with, and unique tours we enjoyed. I hope this post may inspire others to embark on a trip to Italy or guide choosing experiences to last a lifetime.
Tropea, Calabria, Italy
Tropea is a small beach town in Southern Italy's Calabria. It is well known by Italians for its beautiful beaches, grottos, clear blue water, and hillside stairs. The center of town sits atop a cliff that overlooks the Tyrrhenian Sea and Santuario di Santa Maria dell’Isola. I was recommended to visit this area by a colleague of mine and was not disappointed.
To get to Tropea, my family flew into Lamezia Terme airport from Rome. From Lamezia Terme, we rented a car and drove to Tropea which was about a 50-minute coastal drive with winding roads. Our car was a Station Wagon that barely fit all of our luggage, but we squeezed. In Tropea, we stayed about a quarter mile from the center of town in an AirBNB. Our host was lovely enough to greet us upon arrival and give us a small tour of the town in his car. He also gave us restaurant recommendations and insisted that we appreciate the sunset one evening.
We spent our first evening walking the shoreline and dining at "La Pergola". The restaurant was large and offered outdoor dining to almost all guests. The head chef greeted each table as they dined. As with most people in Tropea, the chef spoke only Italian, so I tried my best to communicate! He corrected my grammar, which caught me off guard! But I was happy he knew what I was intending to say. The food was good here. I ordered antipasto for the table. Then we each ordered a pasta dish for ourselves.
TRAVEL TIP: In Calabria, many people know English from school but not all. Google Translate can come in very handy. You can download the Italian language to utilize this feature without internet access. When speaking English, try to speak very slowly to non-native speakers. They also really like it when you attempt to speak their language so do not be shy!
We spent our second day in Tropea exploring the beaches and the boat docks. There are a variety of paths to get down to the beach. Driving was an option, but parking was limited. So we decided to walk down to the beach and walk along the pedestrian walkway to grab a bite for lunch. There were tons of options for places to eat. We chose our destination based on the views. We dined at Lido Calypso for paninis, insalata, and patates frittes by the sea. It was a beautiful day with minimal crowds.
We then walked to Santuario di Santa Maria dell’Isola and hiked its steps to the entrance of the church. The overlooks gave spectacular views of the miles of beaches and beautiful blue sea. The church was quaint yet beautiful on the inside. From there we walked to the port and then back up the intimidating set of stairs to the center of town.
The center of the town has beautiful churches, restaurants, clothing stores, souvenir shops, and gelaterias. There were many places to enjoy an aperitif or pastry in the variety of scenic squares composed the streets. The streets were closed off to pedestrians and bustling with tourists and locals. We arrived on a feast day of St. George and witnessed a beautiful parade procession through town of prayers, flowers, percussion, and people of religious life.
In the early evening, we sat down for a pastry. I had tiramisu gelato. My sister had an Italian cream horn for which she asked for a large portion of Nutella to be poured on top. My dad enjoyed a cannoli. And I convinced my mother to get Tartufo. Tartufo is a multilayered chocolate and hazelnut gelato dessert originating in Pizzo, Calabria. It is a specialty of this area and a must-try for dessert!
Our final day in Calabria was my absolute favorite! I booked a farm-to-table cooking session at a local Bed and Breakfast about 15 minutes drive from the center of town. Tania from In Italy Tours was our host at the property of Laura and Daniele. This was the one part of my trip I was insisting on splurging for. Our authentic Calabrese experience did not disappoint, and I would highly recommend Tania's services to anyone!
We were greeted at Casa Del Contadino in Brattiro by the owners Laura and Daniele. They own beautiful property extensive vineyards, fruit trees, and vegetables. There are numerous cottages for guests to stay as well as a pool and a restaurant. We were shown to the outdoor kitchen where a beautiful spread of typical Calabrese appetizers was plated and the menu for today's meal was displayed.
A feast of frittata, eggplant parmesan, prawn pasta, njduga pasta, red onion, swordfish, and tiramisu was to be created. We had an amazing time. We prepared the food at a slow pace with opportunities to taste dishes as we progressed. We were welcome to stop at any point for another pour of wine or charcuterie bite. The preparation of the meal took about three hours, followed by a walk through the property to visit Nonno's wine cellar before we sat down for a feast.
I promise this was the BEST meal I ate with my family! We only cooked with ingredients that were fresh from the garden for the day - an authentic Italian experience. We all loved the company of Tania who dined with us and encouraged photos and questions. Laura kindly packaged up a variety of leftovers for us to enjoy later, and Tania sent us home with recipes from the class today. I could not recommend this experience more!
Our first few days in Italy were a dream! Tropea was spectacular with the bluest sea I have ever laid my eyes on. The people were lovely and authentically Italian. And the FOOD was some of the best I had eaten. It's a more difficult place to get to with planes and trains and cars required, but so worth the trip!
Reach out to me if you have any questions!!
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