Calabria, the toe of the Italian boot, perpetually tests the clear warm waters of both the Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas. Deserted white sand beaches lie dormant at the feet of imposing cliffs. Sleepy fishing villages, huddled about the remains of Norman castles, ply their trade on the sea, one man, one net at a time. Everywhere the tropical fragrance of wild lavender, bergamot and citrus mixes with the heady salt air and quickly, as if magically, it intoxicates the senses.

Within the interior, long forgotten little towns desperately cling to the shattered faces of immense mountains, as fiercely as their inhabitants continue to cling to an ancient Greek tongue heard nowhere else for centuries.

The treasures of Calabria are to be found within the ways of its people, unshaken and far more revealing than all the monuments of Italy combined. From Rome or Naples, air and rail link these regions to the rest of Italy. Both Bari, in Puglia, and Reggio di Calabria are ancient ports that can be also reached from the sea. From Villa San Giovanni, near Reggio, ferries, some carrying trains to Rome and beyond link Calabria to Sicily in 20 minute crossings.