With Karen’s Travel LLC
Travel through the fascinating region in the toe of the Italian boot with Karen Haid, award-winning author of Calabria: The Other Italy, on an in-depth Calabria tour. Enjoy spectacular scenery, visit quaint villages and world-class museums, learn all about Calabria yesterday and today while indulging in great food and wine on a small-group tour of this beautiful, uncrowded territory in the very south of Italy.
Karen’s Travel LLC
NEW 2024 Tour Dates!
Check out the following itineraries with links to detailed articles about numerous tour locations.
How do you sign up? Go to the contact page and we’ll get in touch with all the particulars!
Interested in a future tour? Let us know and we’ll send you information as soon as it becomes available.
Interested in Calabria’s northern neighbor? Check out the Basilicata Cultural Tour!
Calabria Cultural Tour
11-Day Calabria Land Tour
May 10 – 20, 2023 – sold out!
September 27 – October 7, 2023 – sold out!
New Dates:
May 8 – 18, 2024
September 25 – October 5, 2024
Traditions and Food of Calabria
12-Day Calabria Land Tour
September 13 – 24, 2023 – sold out!
New Dates:
September 11 – 22, 2024
New Itinerary!
Castles and Wines of Calabria – Easy Walking Tour
May 31 – June 10, 2024
Calabria Cultural Tour Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival to Lamezia Terme – Cosenza
Transfer from the international airport or train station in Lamezia Terme to our 4-star hotel in the Cosenza area. The program kicks off with a walking tour of the attractive old town, designated the Athens of Calabria in reference to its cultural traditions. Welcome dinner and overnight.
Day 2 – Rossano
Excursion to Rossano, renowned for its Byzantine history and its natural licorice. Our day will include a guided visit of the old town with its Baroque cathedral and newly refurbished Diocesan Museum, home to the Codex Purpureus Roassanenis, a rare 6th-century illuminated manuscript, lunch in a local restaurant, and a tour of the world-famous Amarelli Licorice Museum. Return to hotel, dinner and overnight.
Day 3 – Sila – Santa Severina
Departure for Santa Severina by way of the Sila mountain plateau, known as the gran bosco d’Italia or Italy’s great forest. We will stop at a protected nature reserve and walk amongst the Giants of Fallistro, majestic centuries-old pinewood trees. Lunch will be served in a quaint mountain village, where we will have the opportunity to sample local products and admire handicrafts. Moving on to Santa Severina, one of the Borghi più Belli d’Italia (Most Beautiful Villages of Italy), we will visit the medieval town with its Byzantine Baptistry and castle that tells its 1,200-year history. Return to hotel, dinner and overnight.
Day 4 – Civita – Altomonte
Departure for a day in the Pollino Mountains. We will visit Civita, an Arbereshe village set in the dramatic Raganello Gorge with its spectacular Devil’s Bridge. Founded in the 15th century, Civita preserves its Albanian heritage through language, its original Italian-Albanian Church with Mass in the Byzantine rite and folkloristic “talking houses.” Following our lunch featuring traditional Arbereshe cuisine, we will visit the medieval village of Altomonte. Return to hotel, dinner and overnight.
Day 5 – Seminara – Palmi – Scilla – Reggio Calabria
Checkout and departure for the Province of Reggio Calabria. Our first stop will be the new Ceramic Museum in Seminara, then Monte Sant’Elia in Palmi to admire the Strait of Messina from a vantage point that encompasses three active volcanoes—Etna, Stromboli and Vulcano, and on to Scilla, known for the legendary promontory of Homer’s Odyssey. We will stroll through “Chianalea,” Scilla’s picturesque fishing quarter and one of the Borghi più belli d’Italia, where our lunch will feature swordfish, the local specialty. We arrive in Reggio Calabria in the afternoon and visit the National Archeological Museum where the famous Riace Bronzes are exhibited. Check in to 4* hotel in Reggio, dinner on your own and overnight.
Day 6 — Reggio Calabria
A relaxing day in Calabria’s largest city situated at the very tip of the Italian boot with a view to Sicily across the Strait of Messina. In the morning, we will have a walking tour of the historic center and learn its history, see Greek and Roman ruins, the cathedral, the Aragon castle and numerous examples of Liberty-style architecture for which Reggio is noted. Lunch in the hotel. Enjoy the afternoon and evening at your leisure—fare una passeggiata (take a walk) down the elegant pedestrian-only shopping street or along the seafront, described by poet Gabriele D’Annunzio as “the most beautiful kilometer of Italy.” Dinner on your own and overnight.
Day 7 – Bova – Pentedattilo
Today we will move to the Area Grecanica, the Greek area of Calabria. We will visit Bova, the last town to abandon the Orthodox rite in the 16th century and where people still speak a Greek language. Bova is one of only eighteen villages designated as a Jewel of Italy. Lunch in a nearby agriturismo set in a Bergamot Orchard. On the way back to Reggio, short stop at the ghost town of Pentedattilo. Return to hotel, dinner on your own and overnight.
Day 8 – Gerace – Casignana
Checkout and departure for Calabria’s Ionian coast, where we will visit Villa Casignana, the remains of an opulent Roman complex, complete with thermal baths and exquisite mosaic floors. Following lunch of regional dishes in a local family restaurant, we will tour medieval Gerace, another of Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages. Continue to Catanzaro Lido or Vibo Valentia, check in to 4* hotel, dinner on your own and overnight.
Day 9 – Winery – Scolacium
Our delightful winery visit will culminate in an abundant sampling of local foods (lunch) with which to enjoy the wine. In the afternoon, continue to the Scolacium Archeological Park for a guided tour of this unique site, where thousands of years of history unfold amidst a lovely olive grove along the Ionian Sea. Return to hotel, dinner on your own and overnight.
Day 10 – Tropea – Pizzo
Departure for Tropea, Calabria’s most famous seaside town, known not only for its spectacular setting on the Tyrrhenian Sea, but also for its sweet red onions, which we will taste together with the area’s ‘nduja salami. In the afternoon, we will visit Pizzo Calabro to admire the evocative cave church of Piedigrotta and the Murat Castle, as well as to enjoy Pizzo’s special gelato creation. Return to hotel, farewell dinner and overnight.
Day 11 – Departure, transfer to Lamezia Terme Airport.
Calabria Cultural Tour basics:
$3,990 per person double occupancy, $300 single supplement
Comprehensive, small group Calabria tour – maximum of 15 participants
Tour accompanied by Karen Haid, author of Calabria: The Other Italy, together with an expert Local Guide
Transportation and tours as outlined above (airfare not included)
10 nights in 4* hotels, breakfast daily, 9 lunches, 5 dinners, wine and water included with meals
Homemade pasta with wild mushrooms
Traditions and Food of Calabria Tour Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival Lamezia Terme – Tropea area
Transfer from the international airport or train station in Lamezia Terme to our overnight coastal accommodation. Welcome to Calabria with a dip in the Tyrrhenian Sea or a walk along the beach as you recuperate from your journey. Introduction to the program, dinner and overnight.
Day 2 – Zungri – Tropea
Our exploration of Calabria begins back in time, in Zungri, a fascinating archeological site of cave dwellings in the foothills of Mount Poro. We will enjoy a rustic lunch of local products, such as the sweet Tropea onion, ‘nduja salami and homemade bread, prepared by village women. We will then have a walking tour of Tropea, recently voted Italy’s most beautiful village. Dinner on your own and overnight.
Day 3 – Palmi – Scilla – Reggio Calabria
Check-out and departure for Reggio Calabria, stopping in Palmi along the way to visit the House of Culture, which showcases a treasure trove of objects related to Calabrian traditions, religion, folklore and superstition. Continuing on to Scilla, we will wander through its picturesque fishing quarter and learn about the swordfish “hunt” at Ruffo Castle atop the legendary promontory of Homer’s Odyssey. Lunch will feature this local delicacy. Check-in to our 4-star hotel in Reggio, dinner on your own and overnight.
Day 4 – Reggio Calabria
Enjoy a full day in Calabria’s largest city with its dramatic location along the Strait of Messina looking across to Sicily. We will visit the National Archeological Museum where the famous Riace Bronzes are exhibited as well as the unique Bergamot Museum. Free time to relax and stroll the City of the Bergamot’s waterfront and elegant pedestrian-only shopping street. Lunch in a local restaurant, dinner on your own and overnight.
Day 5 – Mammola – Stilo – Catanzaro
Checkout and departure for central Calabria. Our day in the Calabrian Serre begins in Mammola with a visit to MuSaBa Park and Museum, the creation of a local artist and visionary who took an abandoned monastery in a depressed region and made it an international artistic happening. Our lunch will feature the local specialty pescestocco. In the afternoon, we will see the Cattolica di Stilo, an architectural jewel of the Byzantine, one of the many testaments to the Greeks in Calabria. We will then continue along the Ionian Sea to Catanzaro Lido where we will check-in to our 4-star hotel. Dinner on your own and overnight.
Day 6 – Gulf of Squillace
We start our day with a drive through lovely olive groves to a ceramics center in the village of Squillace (birthplace of Roman scholar Cassiodorus) to observe the ancient graffito technique of terracotta decoration. For lunch, we will enjoy local seafood aboard a mini-cruise of the Gulf of Squillace with views of white-sand beaches, ancient Roman fish basins dug out of the area’s picturesque rocky reefs, and an opportunity for a swim. Dinner on your own and overnight.
Day 7 – Cirò – Le Castella – Camigliatello Silano
Our day begins with two of Calabria’s iconic symbols, the Aragon castle of Le Castella and the column of Capo Colonna. We will then continue up the Ionian coast to learn about Cirò wine, which was so highly esteemed by the Greeks that it was awarded to winning athletes in the original Olympic games! Following our wine tasting with lunch, we will visit an organic family farm in the Province of Crotone and learn about cheese making. In the afternoon, the scenery will transform from Mediterranean to alpine as we make our way to Camigliatello Silano and our historic hotel at the heart of the Sila Mountains. Dinner and overnight.
Day 8 – San Giovanni in Fiore
Our full-day excursion will take us to the largest population center of the Sila, where we will learn about its founder Gioacchino da Fiore, an important medieval theologian and prophet. We will visit the Florense Abbey, an impressive Romanesque structure that houses the holy man’s religious drawings as well as a Museum of the Working Class. San Giovanni in Fiore is known for its exceptional artisans and we will visit the workshops of a master goldsmith and a virtuoso textile designer. Lunch, dinner and overnight.
Day 9 – Camigliatello Silano
Step back in time for a relaxing day immersed in history and nature, discovering the “Old Calabria” of Norman Douglas and other legendary visitors to the region, as well as the emotions of the mass exodus and the hopes for the future of the great wave of Italian emigrants at the local museum. We will also visit an organic farm, saying hello to the animals and dining on locally made products as well as pasta made by our own hands. In the evening, if you still have room, we will enjoy a panino silano, a classic choice in the fresh mountain air. Dinner and overnight.
Day 10 – Longobucco
A drive through verdant mountain woods will take us to the town of Longobucco, historically known for its crafts, particularly textile production that continues today. Our morning will include a workshop and museum, where we will admire beautiful fabrics with traditional designs made on antique looms. Lunch will highlight local specialties. In the afternoon we will visit the national park’s educational center, once a sawmill, and take a walk along Lake Cecita. Dinner in Camigliatello and overnight.
Day 11 – Cosenza – Paola
In the morning we will check out of our hotel and head for Cosenza, a city known for its learned men and pretty women, according to Casanova. We will stroll through the old town where we will enjoy a typical Calabrian lunch. On our way to the Tyrrhenian coast, we will visit the Sanctuary of St. Francis of Paola, the patron saint of Calabria, and then have a final fig treat before continuing on to our 4-star airport hotel. Farewell dinner and overnight.
Day 12 – Departure, transfer to Lamezia Terme Airport.
Traditions and Food of Calabria Tour basics:
$4290 per person, $330 single supplement
Small group Calabria tour – maximum of 15 participants
Comprehensive Tour accompanied by Karen Haid, author of Calabria: The Other Italy, together with expert Local Guide
Transportation and tours as outlined above (airfare not included)
11 nights in top-quality, locally owned hotels and an historic residence, breakfast daily, 10 lunches, 7 dinners, wine and water included with meals
See many photos on my Traditions and Food of Calabria Tour Blogpost
See video on Traditions & Food of Calabria Tour YouTube
To sign up for a Calabria tour or for more information, please use the Contact Page – looking forward to hearing from you!
See detailed accounts of the tours with many photos on the blogposts: My Fall Cultural Tour, A Few Highlights of Calabria, My First Calabria Cultural Tour: Reviews and Reflections and Traditions and Food of Calabria Tour, A New Adventure! Read about the founding of Karen’s Travel LLC and the inspiration for these Calabria tours on my 100th blogpost New Calabria Cultural Tour with Karen’s Travel LLC. For more information and photos of Calabria, click on the highlighted links in the itinerary, browse My Italian Blog and read my book Calabria: The Other Italy. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions about these exciting Calabria tours on the contact page.
Fishing boat in Chianalea, Scilla