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 finds. It arose thanks to the will of Paolo Orsi who, after the earthquake of 1908, wanted to unify 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 B.C., fished out of 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, return to the coach and departure for Gerace (Km 118). Included in the list of Italy's Most Beautiful Villages, founded in the 9th century by Locrian refugees in an attempt to save themselves from Arab raids. Visitors will enter the historical centre through the 'Gate of the Sun' and take a walk that will give them the opportunity to immerse themselves in a remarkable medieval atmosphere, discovering churches and palaces of rare beauty. At the end of it, as if by a spell, the 11th-century Cathedral will appear, the largest church in Calabria, inside which is kept the treasure of the ancient Geracesi bishops. Return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 3: ASPROMONTE - SENTIERO DEL BRIGANTE - SCILLA CHIANALEA
Breakfast at the hotel. Accommodation in coach and departure for Gambarie d'Aspromonte (Km 26). Trekking for about two hours along a short stretch of the Sentiero del Brigante (Trail of the Brigand). This is a unique opportunity to bring history and nature together, passing through dense forests, streams and torrents, and Mediterranean scrub, delving into the Risorgimento, unification and post-unification events that characterised the troubled history of these territories. Toponyms inspired by the stories of brigands and resistance fighters follow one after another along the route. Free lunch. In the afternoon, transfer to a coach and departure for a visit to Scylla (km 27), a mythical place par excellence: Homer identified it as the place where a monster attacked ships. Hence the legend of Scylla and Charybdis. Very picturesque, located on the rock, is the Castle, from whose terrace one can enjoy one of the most impressive views that Calabria has to offer. The 17th and 18th century houses and palaces alternate with the fishermen's cottages of the 'Chianalea'.Prima colazione in hotel. Sistemazione in pullman e partenza per Gambarie d’Aspromonte (Km 26). Trekking di circa due ore su un breve tratto del Sentiero del Brigante. Si tratta di un’occasione unica per accostare storia e natura, attraversando fitti boschi, torrenti e fiumare, macchia mediterranea, approfondendo le vicende risorgimentali, unitarie e post-unitarie che hanno caratterizzato la storia travagliata di questi territori. Lungo il Cammino si susseguono toponimi ispirati alle storie di briganti e resistenti. Pranzo libero. Nel pomeriggio sistemazione in pullman e partenza per la visita di Scilla (Km 27) luogo mitico per antonomasia: Omero vi identificava il posto in cui un mostro aggrediva le navi. Da qui la leggenda di Scilla e Cariddi. Molto suggestivo, situato sulla rocca, il Castello, dalla cui terrazza si può godere un panorama tra i più suggestivi che la Calabria offre. Le case e i palazzi del ‘600 e ‘700 si alternano alle casette dei pescatori della “Chianalea” quartiere a pelo d’acqua che sembra sempre debba essere inghiottito dal mare. Rientro a Reggio Calabria (Km 23). Rientro in hotel. Cena e pernottamento.

DAY 4: TRACCIOLINO TRAIL - TROPEA - PIZZO - COSENZA
Breakfast at the hotel and at 7.45 a.m. departure by coach for Palmi (Km 47) and a two-hour trek along the Tracciolino Path to admire the enchanting panorama of the Costa Viola. Accommodation in coach and departure for Tropea (Km 70). Arrival and visit to the town. The Norman Cathedral, the Baroque Church of Sant'Alfonso dei Liguori, a walk through the historic centre to discover the 'glorious civilisations' that made this town illustrious in the past. Free lunch. Departure for a visit to Pizzo (Km 30), famous for the Church of Piedigrotta, a small masterpiece of sacred art, unique in its kind, inside which you can admire statues carved into the rock depicting scenes from the Holy Scriptures by local artists Angelo and Alfonso Barone. Stroll 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 have a truffle in one of the many bars in the town's 'salon', in whose preparation the pizzitani ice-cream makers are true masters. Continuation by coach to Cosenza (Km 88). Dinner and overnight stay in a hotel.

DAY 5: COSENZA
Breakfast at the hotel. Full-day visit to the city of Cosenza, also known as the City of the Bruzi, is one of the oldest cities in Calabria, rising on seven hills in the valley of the Crati, at its confluence with the Busento. Because of its cultural importance in the past, Cosenza was known as the Athens of Italy. Highlights include the cathedral, the tomb of Isabella of Aragon, the Rendano theatre from the outside and the historic Renzelli café. Lunch. Pleasant stroll 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 and traditional handcrafted instruments. Overnight stay.

DAY 6: COSENZA - CIVITA - PONTE DEL DIAVOLO - ALTOMONTE
Breakfast at the hotel. Accommodation by coach and departure for Civita Calabrese (74 km). Visit to one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, which has the oldest Albanian community in the country. Transfer by jeep to the Devil's Bridge (Km 3), 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 can be seen. Free lunch. Continue for an excursion to Altomonte (Km 38), a splendid medieval village, the greatest example of Gothic-Angevin art in Calabria. Return to the hotel in Cosenza (Km 57). 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 (Km 36), followed by a pleasant walk through the National Park following the wildlife enclosure trail. The journey through the National Park continues in the direction of San Giovanni in Fiore (Km 27) where we will visit the Florense Abbey. Free lunch. Continuation to Santa Severina (Km 35). In the afternoon, visit the village and its characteristic historic centre with the Norman Castle and the Greek Baptistery, among the oldest in Calabria. In the evening, arrival at Catanzaro Lido (Km 60). Dinner and overnight stay in a hotel.

DAY 8: CATANZARO LIDO - CAPO COLONNA - CROTONE - ISOLA CAPO RIZZUTO LE CASTELLA - CATANZARO LIDO
Breakfast at the hotel. Accommodation by coach and departure for Capo Colonna (Km 63), the promontory that determines the western boundary of the Gulf of Taranto, where stands the last remaining column of the temple dedicated to Hera Lacinia: it was one of the most important sanctuaries of Magna Graecia from the archaic age until the 4th century BC. Continuation by bus to visit the city of Crotone (Km 12) with its important historic centre. A Pythagorean city, it preserves the cathedral, the medieval castle and, in particular, the archaeological museum which houses the numerous finds from the treasure of the Temple of Hera. Free lunch. Departure for Isola Capo Rizzuto (Km 31). If weather and sea conditions permit, embarkation on a transparent-bottomed boat where it will be possible to 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 and dive in the pristine waters of the area. You will see Le Castella and visit the Aragonese fortress that stands on a small island connected to the mainland by a sandy isthmus (a true spectacle of nature). In the evening, arrival in Catanzaro Lido (Km 40). Dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 9: CATANZARO LIDO - MARMARICO FALLS - STILO - CATANZARO LIDO 
Breakfast at the hotel. Accommodation in coach and departure for Bivongi (Km 75). Departure by jeep for the Marmarico waterfalls set in the mountains of the Serre Calabresi Regional Natural Park, between Sila and Aspromonte. The waterfalls offer a majestic spectacle with a 114-metre drop that makes them the highest in southern Italy. You will drive along a mountain path in a jeep and then continue on foot until you reach the waterfalls. Free lunch. Continue by bus to Stilo (Km 6) The village is among the most picturesque in Calabria, retaining Byzantine and Norman styles. Visit to the 'Cattolica' Byzantine church dating back to the 9th-10th centuries, which has preserved its ancient structure intact and is a candidate for UNESCO heritage status. Return to Catanzaro Lido (Km 62). Dinner and overnight stay.

10TH DAY: Departure - CATANZARO LIDO - REGGIO CALABRIA
Breakfast at the hotel. Accommodation in coach and departure for Reggio Calabria or Lamezia Terme airport.