Saturday, September 6, 2008

Calabria is where the heart is.....


I wanted to share my last vacation with you to Reggio Calabria, Italy. By far one of the most magnificent regions in Italy. Its completely underrated and less traveled by the masses because of its less than modern day updates in around the cities and countryside. Now, Calabria and I go way back..while my friends were taking trips to Disney in grade school..I was visiting family in Calabria. The most unbelievable panoramic scenery you will ever imagine. Granted, Calabria has received a bad rap through the years for its abandoned upkeep on cities and natural landmarks, but make no mistake this uncharted landscape will leave you breathless and feeling like you never will be the same.

I'm very lucky because my family actively lives there. Lets say my immediate family of brothers and sisters are the only family here in America. When we visit Calabria we are bombarded by cousins, aunts, uncles, and even more cousins you never even knew you had. Its a place where showing up to someone house you're welcomed with warmth and a fresh glass of lemonade, latte di mandorla or espresso.

My days in Calabria consist of day trips to the beach, which is two minutes from my parents childhood home, lunch (which is like dinner), and dinner with friends and family. Then followed by a passegiatta a marina then off to the trendy outdoor clubs.

The social scene is amazing, I think in America we are so used to scheduled outings and driving for hours to either get into the city or other towns that we lose our social skills. In Calabria there is a real sense of everyone knowing everyone and familiarity is not such a bad thing. Granted you want to stay off the radar of the old gossiping widowed women wearing black and sitting outside their poltranas watching everyone and taking notes. You got to love them, every family has one.

Well, to help you see and understand the beauty of southern Italy, I want to post a few pictures of the Calabrian coast line with the gorgeous Sicilian coast line in the near background. Stay tuned as I get my slideshow going.

2 comments:

Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

I completely agree with this title ;)

So happy you've found me, and I look forward to getting to know you better!

Anonymous said...

I couldn't say it better myself! Next time you are in Calabria we'll have to meet up.