Explore calabrese traditions, yesterday and today
with Karen Haid, award-winning author of Calabria: The Other Italy
Highlights include medieval grottos, traditional pottery and textiles, gorgeous Tropea and Scilla, amongst the most beautiful villages of Italy, the famous Bronzes of Riace in Reggio Calabria, a contemporary art park in the mountains, a boat ride on the Ionian Sea, stays at the beach and in an historic hunting lodge, and of course, mouthwatering food!
12-Day Calabria Land Tour
Small-Group Travel
September 9-20, 2026 (sold out)
Check out the Castles & Wines of Calabria Tour, May 29-June 8, 2026 – space still available – cultural sites, mountain & seaside villages, boat ride, Riace Bronzes and more!
Outstanding food on all my tours!
Traditions and Food of Calabria Tour Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival Lamezia Terme – Cosenza and Sila Mountains
Welcome to Calabria! Pickup from the international airport, train station or hotel in Lamezia Terme. From our very first day, we will experience the region’s varied landscape as we make our way from the Mediterranean coast up to Alpine woods. Stopping in Cosenza along the way, we’ll have a walking tour of the city lauded by Casanova for its learned men and pretty women. We continue to Camigliatello Silano and our historic hotel at the heart of the Sila Mountains.
On a walk in Cosenza
Day 2 – San Giovanni in Fiore
Our full-day excursion will take us to the largest population center of the Sila Mountains, 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. In the evening, if you still have room after our characteristic lunch in the old town, we will enjoy a panino silano, a classic choice in the fresh mountain air.
Day 3 – 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 with a farm-to-table lunch, a chilometro zero, as they say in Italian.
Homemade “maccheroni”
Day 4 – 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.
Calabrian Textiles
Day 5 – Cirò and Le Castella
Today, we check out and head for the Ionian coast to visit a winery for a tasting of the famed Cirò, so highly esteemed by the Greeks that it was awarded to winning athletes in the original Olympic games! Then we will visit two of Calabria’s iconic symbols in the Province of Crotone, the column of Capo Colonna and the Aragon castle of Le Castella. We continue down the coast to the Province of Catanzaro, where we will check in to our 4-star hotel.
Day 6 – Gulf of Squillace
Time to relax at our seaside hotel, and after lunch, we will drive through lovely hills filled with olive groves to Squillace, birthplace of Roman scholar Cassiodorus. Steeped in history, the village is anchored by a Norman castle, today in ruins, and is historically known as a ceramics center. We’ll visit a workshop and observe the ancient graffito technique of terracotta decoration.
Visiting the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Capo Colonna and Nao Tower
Day 7 – Along the Ionian Sea
Checkout and departure for southern Calabria, driving along the Ionian Sea and then to Mammola in the Calabrian Serre, where we will visit 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. We will enjoy a spectacular lunch in a slow-food restaurant and then continue to Reggio where we will check in to our 4-star hotel in the city center.
Day 8 – 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. We will dine in the heart of the historic center with a menu highlighting local ingredients. Free time to relax and stroll the City of the Bergamot’s waterfront and elegant pedestrian-only shopping street.
At the castle in Scilla
Day 9 – Scilla and Palmi
After check-out, we will head up the Tyrrhenian coast to Scilla, where we will learn about the swordfish “hunt” at Ruffo Castle atop the legendary promontory of Homer’s Odyssey and stroll through the picturesque fishing quarter, where lunch will feature swordfish, the local delicacy. On our way north to Tropea, we stop in Palmi for a tour of the House of Culture, which showcases a treasure trove of objects related to Calabrian traditions, religion, folklore and superstition. Check in to our 4-star hotel.
Day 10 – Zungri – Tropea
Today, we go back in time on our visit to Zungri, a fascinating archeological site of cave dwellings in the foothills of Mount Poro. We’ll cap the day with a visit to Tropea, one of the Borghi più belli d’Italia, Italy’s most beautiful villages. Not just beauty, but history and culinary traditions are important in such an honor, and we will have the opportunity to sample local products, such as the sweet Tropea onion and ‘nduja salami.
Tropea’s coastline from the sea
Day 11 – Tropea
In the morning, we will embark on a private mini cruise to experience the gorgeous Costa degli Dei from the sea. The Coast of the Gods features gorgeous bays with turquoise water, white sand, many fish and even the site of a Roman port. We’ll have a swim from the boat and enjoy an aperitivo on board. Back on land, perhaps a gelato, a walk in the hotel garden, our last dinner together and final breath of the Mediterranean climate.
Day 12 – Departure, transfer to Lamezia Terme airport or train station.
Traditions and Food of Calabria Tour basics:
$4,900 USD per person, $500 single room supplement
Small group Calabria tour – maximum 15 participants
Comprehensive Tour accompanied by Karen Haid, author of Calabria: The Other Italy, together with local guides
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, 8 dinners, wine and water included with meals
Farm-to-Table
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!
Check out the detailed itineraries for my other programs on these links:
Calabria Cultural Tour
Castles and Wines of Calabria Tour
Basilicata Cultural Tour
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 use the contact page for questions about these exciting Calabria tours.
