Welcome to Calabria!

Check in to your 4* hotel in central Pizzo. Unpack at leisure  and unwind and relax, or perhaps head out to the main piazza and enjoy your first gelato. We will have welcome drinks and antipasti at our hotel before heading out to dinner at our local favorite restaurant. At dinner we will introduce ourselves and discuss the week ahead. 

This morning, our driver will meet us at our hotel to transfer us to a nearby olive grove where you’ll meet our friend, Lucia, for a visit to her family’s olive farm. You’ll learn about their commercial production (and awards), and see how they integrate their family’s dairy farm into the oil business. You’ll learn how to tell good olive oil from the fakes, then we enjoy a delicious picnic-style lunch on-site, complete with local specialties, and of course – they’re olive oil. After lunch, we will return to our hotel for some exploring on your own, or if the weather permits, hit the hotel’s private beach. 

Evening to be enjoyed on your own in Pizzo. 

Today, our driver will meet us at our hotel for a day trip to Scilla where we will visit the castle of Scilla, also known as Castello Ruffo di Calabria. This castle has ancient roots and modern excavations show us that the walls are from the 9th century. In 1060, it became a military fortress and in 1533 was purchased to become a family residence until the 18th century. There is still a large plaque with the family coat of arms right on the entrance portal.

Next, we will enjoy a seafood lunch, with wine, overlooking the beautiful Strait of Messina. Following lunch, you’ll try a famous local specialty, which was originally a ball of homemade hazelnut and chocolate gelato, filled with a solid chocolate core and dusted with cocoa powder. Today, there are “bianco” versions, made with white chocolate gelato, as well as chestnut and pistachio varieties.

This morning, our driver will meet us at our hotel and transfer us to Tropea, where you will have a private multi-course cooking class. You will dive into typical Calabrian cuisine with its rich and flavorful dishes. You will be assisted by an experienced culinary guide with recipes that are strictly taken from tradition. And we will utilize all organic products from the vicinity. At the end of the preparation, we will enjoy all that we’ve prepared! Once finished, you will get to walk off your Calabrian feast by exploring the city of Tropea.

Located on a sandstone promontory, Tropea experienced a period of splendor as an important maritime center and is a jewel with seventeenth and eighteenth century buildings with rich sculpted portals.

The silhouette of the church of S. Maria dell’Isola, (see side image) almost overlooking the waves, makes one of the most famous places in the region magical. After some time on your own to explore Tropea, we return to Pizzo for the evening. 

Today, you’ll visit Calabria’s largest dairy farm where you’ll learn about dairy production, including their famous Pecorino di Monte Poro cheese. This local cheese is made with whole sheep’s milk and is 100% Calabrese. You will also try cured meats, including Calabria’s much loved spicy spreadable sausage, ‘nduja. After having lunch in their repurposed barn, you’ll have the rest of the evening on your own. 

This morning, we will enjoy an excursion to San Floro with a guided tour and in-depth look into Catanzaro’s ancient silk tradition. Since before the medieval times, Catanzaro has been home to one of the most important silk industries in Europe, once supplying tapestries to the Vatican. You will enjoy a hands-on experience extracting silk. Mid-day we will enjoy a  typical Calabrese lunch on a mulberry orchard.

Next, we will visit Scolacium Archaeological Park, and according to legend, it could have been founded by Ulysses himself on his return home from the Trojan War. Pottery found in the area dates to 6th Century BC and is touted as one of the most significant monuments in Medieval Calabria. Today you’ll see why!  

You will have some free time in the morning for shopping, beach going, or packing and will have time for lunch on your own.

In the late afternoon, our guide will meet us at our hotel for a visit to the intriguing Chiesetta di Piedigrotta cave church. Legend has it that a shipwreck took place in the 1600s after a violent storm. The sailors prayed to the Madonna di Piedigrotta and vowed that in case of salvation, they would erect a chapel and dedicate it to the Madonna. The ship sank and the sailors swam ashore. They kept their promise and dug a chapel out of the rock.

After exploring the cave church, we will visit a local tuna factory where we will get to see where the processing of tuna is made according to a 106 year tradition. Following our visit, we will wind our way up through the hills above Pizzo for a “Farewell Donner” on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Our time in Calabria has come to an end. Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before checking out.