I am so pleased to post this guest post from Cherrye Moore, who lives in Calabria and specializes in southern Italy. Please check out her blog: My Bella Vita for more. Thank you, Cherrye!
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10 Things to Love About Southern Italy
by Cherrye Moore
It is no secret I’m
a tad biased when it comes to traveling in southern Italy. Oh, yes …
I’ve been to-and loved!-Florence, Rome and Venice … I’ve
strolled through Emilia-Romagna
and “held up” that leaning tower in
Pisa. But even before I moved to southern Italy in 2006, I had
visited Puglia, Campania and Calabria and felt at home.
Here are just 10 of
my favorite things about Italy’s southern regions.
Temperature
No,
no, we don’t have that year-round warm weather I’ve seen
advertised by people trying to sell southern Italy real estate-but
compared to our northern counterparts, I’d
say it’s pretty nice. Last year we were swimming- in both the
Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas-through October. That’s pretty cool, I
think.
Beaches
Speaking
of swimming, Calabria and Puglia each have 800 kilometers of
coastline and feature hundreds of beaches that are
under-the-radar-for international tourists. Add in the views from
Campania’s Amalfi Coast and you’ve got yourself a beach vacation
that will rival any seaside destination in
the world.
Mountains
Sunburns
and gritty sand not your thing? Then head into one of southern
Italy’s 13 national parks. The Pollino
National Park extends more than 200,000 square kilometers from
Basilicata into northern Calabria and is the largest national park in
Italy, while the Parco Nazionale
d'Abruzzo is
home to Apennine wolf, Marsican
bear, fox, mountain goats and Apennine lynx, as well as beech, pine,
ash, wild oak and maple forests.
Medieval Villages
There
is something calming about strolling
through a Medieval village, exploring alleyways and ancient churches
and being able to peer across the bluest waters in the Mediterranean.
Medieval villages abound in southern Italy, from Campania’s
Pisciotta
to Calabria’s Gerace to Sicily’s Erice, these villages will
transport you back to the Middle Ages.
Islands
Some
of Italy’s most famous islands are found in southern Italy,
including the Aeolian Island archipelago,
with its world-famous Stromboli volcano, the trendy and chic islands
of Capri and Ischia near Naples and the Tremiti Islands in Puglia.
Chili Peppers
Southern
Italians are proud of their food and perhaps the most beloved
ingredient of all, as well as the most versatile, is the famous chili
pepper. You’ll find this spice in antipasto plates, pasta dishes,
desserts, chocolate and liquor and most families keep a steady supply
of it at home, for last minute peperoncino emergencies.
Figs, Citrus and Nuts
When
the Greeks moved across southern Italy into the land
we now call Magna Grecia,
or Greater Greece, they came prepared. In addition to their olives
and grapes, which produce some of the best olive oil and wine in the
country, they also brought fig trees, citrus plants, chestnuts and
hazelnuts … fodder for some of the fabulous festivals we celebrate
in southern Italy every year.
Wine and Pasta
So,
yes, we’ve already talked about wine, but did you know that every
year two of Italy southernmost regions-Sicily and Puglia-battle it
out for being the biggest wine producing region in the country?
Well, they do and Puglia is historically the biggest pasta producing
region, as well. Hmmm … dinner anyone?
Culture
I
often tell people I feel like I’m living in the 1950s … we hang
our clothes out to dry, shops close up for the midday nap and
generations of families take time to enjoy leisurely lunches together
… even on weekdays. It’s nice that there isn’t a McDonald’s
on every corner and that authentic southern Italian culture is still
alive and well.
People
Many
travelers have told me the people they meet in southern Italy are
among the most helpful, generous and gregarious they encounter in
their travels. While I tend to think this is an “Italian” thing,
rather than a specifically “southern Italian” trait, it is true
the people down here generally take time to chat, especially
if you approach them first, and are open and friendly to travelers
they meet on vacation.
To see some beautiful photos of the region check out these links:
Photos:
Beaches:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28329597@N06/3285721721/
Medieval Villages:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/missus_magik/4034546415/
Chilis:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielaineurope/261396369/
People:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielaineurope/261399231/
Cherrye Moore is a
Calabria
tour planner and travel
writer living in southern Italy. She writes about expat life for
AffordableCallingCards.net, a site that sells-you
guessed it-affordable
calling cards to Italy. You
can read about expat
life on their site or more
about traveling
in Calabria and southern
Italy on her site, My Bella Vita.
