Reggio de Calabria, Italy
FAVORITE SUMMER BEACH DESTINATIONS FOR ITALY AND VISITORS!

Day 1: Take off from the airport for Rome, Italy!

Day 2: Arrive in Rome, Italy and a chauffeur will drive us to Sabari via the coastal side road. Enjoy a delicious dinner and overnight accommodations.

Day 3: Visit the fast developing town of Sibari. Their ancient ancestors, the Sybarites, were those luxury-loving Greeks renowned for their extreme wealth and love of pampering. Sibari was destroyed by the jealous Crotonians from the nearby town in the 6th century B.C. See those ruins and then travel to the town of Sybaris Copia Thurii and the small Museo Archeologico della Sibaritide (Sibari Museum of Archeology) 7 kilometers away. Enjoy a lovely lunch and dinner with overnight accommodations in Sibari.

Day 4: Watched over by a crumbling castle, the Santuario di San Francesco di Paola the trip takes you through the church history from its origins. (Sanctuary of St. San Francisco of Paola) is a curious empty cave with tremendous significance to the devout. Saint San Francisco lived and died in Paola in the 15th century, and the sanctuary that he and his followers carved out of the bare rock has attracted pilgrims for centuries. The cloister is surrounded by naïve wall paintings depicting the saint’s truly incredible miracles. The original church contains an ornate shrine of the saint. Enjoy! Both afternoon and evening meals before returning to Sibari.

Day 5: The Beautiful Norman Cathedral in Lamezia Terme, where a Byzantine icon (1330) of the Madonna, credited with protecting the town from the earthquakes that have pummeled the region, hangs above the altar. The two undetonated World War II bombs near the doors are believed they didn’t explode due to the protection of the town’s patron saint, Our Lady of Romania. We will also be visiting Catanzaro and then the Chiesetta di Piedigrotta near Pizzo and enjoying lunch there. Afterwards we will be driving up the mountain to Adami (takes approximately 30 minutes) to see the pristine views of the clusters of villages nestled in the mountainside. Then relax with a homemade Italian meal and overnight accommodations in Adami.

Day 6: Enjoy the day in Adami! Visit these fun-loving Italians (Lynn’s relatives) and let them entertain you with their history, culture, and cuisine! Eat dinner together there while unwinding at the same charming overnight accommodations.

Day 7: Leave Adami, traveling to Tropea and Reggio Calabria. In Tropea, enjoy the quaint shopping district including several boutiques and cafes where one can have lunch, while adoring the Tyrrhenian Sea. Traveling to Reggio Calabria visit the National Museum of Magna Græcia, and also Branzi di Riace. Also, near the town of Cielo, is the Cattedrale Di Reggio Calabria Maria SS Asunta (Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven) located in the central area of the city precisely in front of Cathedral Square and is part of the Pastoral Zone of Reggio Center. The church finds its history in the most active part of the city, damaged several times by wars and natural disasters. Enjoy your dinner in Reggio Calabria before traveling to the Marine Landscape of Capo Rizzutto in the fortified district of Le Castella, where we will be staying overnight.

Day 8: A half day sailing excursion to discover the Protected Marine Landscape of Capo Rizzutto in Le Castella, Calabria.
Excursions available each day from 9:30am-12:45pm or from 2:30pm-to 5:45pm with a 7 passenger maximum. Delight yourself with amazing views between pure natural coves and beaches around the coast. The protected Marine Landscape Capo Rizzutto is the biggest national park in Europe and measures 44 kilometers of the lonian coast which you can enjoy while plunging into the crystal sea, tasting the local wines, and sampling characteristic products of the area. Same overnight accommodations.

Day 9: Traveling to Torre Melissa, a small coastal village in the province of Crotone, you’ll be able to enjoy a delicious lunch. Afterwards, at 2:30pm, a tour of the city will be given. Later in the afternoon we will be traveling to Mandatoricco and Castello Flotta, where we can relish in an enchanting dinner there. It is a magnificent castle with gorgeous patio gardens and statues. In the early evening our adventure takes us to Schiavonea, the pearl of the lonian coast. The town is nestled between the Pollino and the Sila mountains which is reflected in the beautiful waters of the coastline and equipped with wide, sandy beaches. Delight in a sunset swim while adoring bella Italia and the overnight accommodations.

Day 10: We leave Schiavonea to journey to Anzio which is a metropolitan city of Rome for afternoon and overnight accommodations. The rest of the day and night you are on your own; recommendations will be in your packet. Dinner with the group in Anzio.

Day 11: The day is yours to catch up on rest, see the sights of Rome on your own, or travel home. As this is the last day of the tour, lunch and dinner is on your own.