GRAN TOUR SUPERIOR

GRAN TOUR SUPERIOR

10 DAYS (9 NIGHTS)

All of Calabria: SEA + MOUNTAINS + CULTURE

Departures every day

1st DAY: Arrival - REGGIO CALABRIA

Arrival at Reggio Calabria or Lamezia Terme airport. Accommodation in coach and transfer to hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 2: BRONZE STATUES OF RIACE - REGGIO CALABRIA - GERACE

Breakfast at the hotel and visit to the National Museum, which houses artefacts from around a century of discoveries. It was founded thanks to the efforts of Paolo Orsi who, after the earthquake of 1908, wanted to combine the collections of the old Civic Museum of 1882 with the materials recovered during his excavation campaigns in Calabria. The museum houses the famous Riace Bronzes, original Greek works from the 5th century BC, recovered from the waters of the same name in 1972 and brought here after restoration in 1981. Visit to the city of Reggio Calabria (Lungomare Falcomatà with works by Rabarama, Colonne Opera by Edoardo Tresoldi, Villa Zerbi, the Cathedral, the Aragonese Castle. Free lunch. In the afternoon, departure for Gerace (118 km). Listed as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, it was founded in the 9th century by refugees from Locri in an attempt to escape Arab raids. We will enter the historic centre through the 'Porta del Sole' and take a walk that will give visitors the chance to immerse themselves in a remarkable medieval atmosphere as they discover churches and palaces of rare beauty. At the end of the walk, as if by magic, the 11th-century cathedral will appear, the largest church in Calabria, which houses the treasure of the ancient bishops of Gerace. Return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 3: ASPROMONTE - SENTIERO DEL BRIGANTE - SCILLA CHIANALEA
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Gambarie d'Aspromonte (26 km). Approximately two-hour trek along a short section of the Sentiero del Brigante trail. This is a unique opportunity to combine history and nature, crossing dense woods, streams and rivers, Mediterranean scrub, and learning more about the Risorgimento, unification and post-unification events that characterised the troubled history of these territories. Along the way, there are place names inspired by the stories of brigands and resistance fighters. Free lunch. In the afternoon, we will board the coach and depart for a visit to Scilla (27 km), a mythical place par excellence: Homer identified it as the place where a monster attacked ships. Hence the legend of Scylla and Charybdis. The castle, located on the rock, is very impressive, and from its terrace you can enjoy one of the most evocative views that Calabria has to offer. The houses and palaces of the 17th and 18th centuries alternate with the fishermen's cottages of the 'Chianalea', a neighbourhood on the water's edge that always seems as if it is about to be swallowed up by the sea. Return to Reggio Calabria (23 km). Return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 4: TRACCIOLINO TRAIL - TROPEA - PIZZO - COSENZA
Breakfast at the hotel and at 7:45 am departure for Palmi (47 km) and a two-hour trek along the Sentiero del Tracciolino trail to admire the enchanting panorama of the Costa Viola. Departure for Tropea (70 km). Arrival and tour of the city. The Norman Cathedral, the Baroque Church of Sant'Alfonso dei Liguori, walk through the historic centre to discover the 'glorious civilisations' that made this town famous in the past. Free lunch. Departure for a visit to Pizzo (30 km), famous for the small church of Piedigrotta, a unique masterpiece of sacred art, inside which you can admire statues carved in rock representing scenes from the Holy Scriptures by local artists Angelo and Alfonso Barone. Walk through the historic centre and visit the 16th-century castle, known for a sad event that took place here: the execution of the King of Naples, Joachim Murat. Finally, relax and enjoy a truffle in one of the many bars located in the town's "salotto" (living room), where the gelato makers of Pizzo are true masters. Continue by coach to Cosenza (88 km). Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

DAY 5: COSENZA
Breakfast at the hotel. Full-day tour of the city of Cosenza, also known as the city of the Bruzi, one of the oldest cities in Calabria, located on seven hills in the Crati valley, at the confluence with the Busento. Due to its cultural importance in the past, Cosenza was known as the Athens of Italy. Among the major places of interest are the Cathedral, the tomb of Isabella of Aragon, the Rendano Theatre from the outside and the historic Renzelli café. Lunch. Pleasant walk along Corso Mazzini, home to the MAB open-air museum. Dinner at the hotel with a duo of musicians for a typical evening of music and culture, entertainment with typical Calabrian songs played on traditional handmade instruments. Overnight stay.

DAY 6: COSENZA - CIVITA - PONTE DEL DIAVOLO - ALTOMONTE
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Civita Calabrese (74 km). Visit to one of Italy's most beautiful villages, home to the country's oldest Albanian community. Transfer by jeep to Ponte del Diavolo (3 km), so called because of its ancient and characteristic medieval stone bridge. The valley in which it stands is surrounded by wooded mountains where the reflections of the Ionian Sea arrive. Free lunch. Continue for an excursion to Altomonte (38 km), a splendid medieval village and the finest example of Gothic-Angevin art in Calabria. Return to the hotel in Cosenza (57 km). Dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 7: COSENZA - SILA - SAN GIOVANNI IN FIORE - SANTA SEVERINA - CATANZARO LIDO
Breakfast at the hotel and departure for a relaxing day in the heart of the Sila National Park. We will first visit the characteristic mountain centre of Camigliatello (36 km), followed by a pleasant walk in the National Park along the wildlife enclosure trail. The journey through the National Park continues towards San Giovanni in Fiore (27 km), where we will visit the Florense Abbey. Free time for lunch. We will then continue to Santa Severina (35 km). In the afternoon, we will visit the village and its characteristic historic centre with the Norman Castle and the Greek Baptistery, among the oldest in Calabria. In the evening, we will arrive in Catanzaro Lido (60 km). Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.
 

DAY 8: CATANZARO LIDO - CAPO COLONNA - CROTONE - ISOLA CAPO RIZZUTO LE CASTELLA - CATANZARO LIDO
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Capo Colonna (63 km), the promontory that marks the western limit of the Gulf of Taranto, where the last remaining column of the temple dedicated to Hera Lacinia stands: it was one of the most important sanctuaries of Magna Graecia from the Archaic period until the 4th century BC. Continue by bus to visit the city of Crotone (12 km) with its important historic centre. This Pythagorean city preserves its cathedral, medieval castle and, in particular, the Archaeological Museum, which houses numerous artefacts from the treasure of the Temple of Hera. Free lunch. Departure for Isola Capo Rizzuto (31 km). Weather and sea conditions permitting, boarding a glass-bottom boat where you can sit comfortably below sea level at a depth of 1 metre and admire the flora and fauna of the Capo Rizzuto Marine Protected Area. It will also be possible to swim in the pristine waters of the area. You will see Le Castella and visit the Aragonese fortress that stands on a small islet connected to the mainland by a sandy isthmus (a true spectacle of nature). In the evening, arrival in Catanzaro Lido (40 km). Dinner and overnight stay.
 

DAY 9: CATANZARO LIDO - MARMARICO FALLS - STILO - CATANZARO LIDO 
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Bivongi (75 km). Departure by jeep for the Marmarico Waterfalls nestled in the mountains of the Serre Calabresi Regional Nature Park, between Sila and Aspromonte. The waterfalls offer a majestic spectacle with a drop of 114 metres, making them the highest in southern Italy. We will travel by jeep along a mountain path and then continue on foot until we reach the waterfalls. Free time for lunch. Continue by bus to Stilo (6 km). The village is one of the most charming in Calabria, preserving Byzantine and Norman styles. Visit the 'Cattolica', a small Byzantine church dating back to the 9th-10th century, which has preserved its ancient structure intact and is a candidate to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Return to Catanzaro Lido (62 km). Dinner and overnight stay.

10TH DAY: Departure - CATANZARO LIDO - REGGIO CALABRIA
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer by private car/minibus/bus and departure for Reggio Calabria or Lamezia Terme airport.