The remote and poor region of Calabria (the toe of Italy's boot) is little-known to tourists. However, the area offers a glimpse of a different Italy, as well as memories of more illustrious times over two thousand years ago. Calabria was part of Magna Graecia, the site of rich and powerful Greek colonies, recorded by artefacts such as the famous Riace bronze statues, recovered from the sea and now in the Museo Nazionale of Reggio di Calabria.
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The area is mountainous and full of beautifully remote villages. The great cities of Magna Graecia have all but vanished: fighting and conquest, followed by malaria and earthquakes saw to their destruction. Among the region's remaining curiousities are Greek-speaking villages, and an Albanian community dating back five hundred years. Calabria has 780km of coast, facing onto two seas, the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian.
Calabria is renowned for its fantastic collection of Greek and Roman sculpures and artefacts in the museum at Reggio di Calabria. One of its most appealing resorts in the area is Tropea, a Baroque seaside town with stunning views. The town of Cosenza can offer the final resting place of the historical figure Alaric the Goth, a spectacular castle, a Gothic cathedral and some Byzantine religious art. The Sila area, which is greatly appealing to hikers, is a high-level plain, with astounding alpine scenery
