THE SPICY SOUTHERN PENINSULA

Calabria, the red-hot southernmost tip of Italy, lays claim to an important heritage including the Greek, Arab, and Byzantine empires. The peninsular region is home to twenty percent of Italy’s coastline and boasts pristine seaside sanctuaries like Tropea, Scilla, and Capo Vaticano. The inlands of this narrow region are home to three luscious national parks that hold the Gorge of Raganello, the deepest gorge in Europe, and Aspromonte, the very tail of Italy’s lengthy Apennine mountain range. Calabrian cuisine offers powerful elements and memorable flavors. And Calabria cultivates its own precious wine including Cremisa from the town of Ciro’, the oldest in the world and a prize awarded to Olympians in the games of Ancient Greece. A visit to Calabria guarantees a toast to excellence, accompanied by the lively tarentella of tambourines and accordions and sunset view over the glittering sea.