Away from the crowds in Calabria
This region in the toe of the Italian boot offers a 'warm welcome'

Overtourism is now an acute problem in parts of Italy. But the worst-affected spots (Venice; the villages of the Cinque Terre) are easily avoided, and in some parts of Italy you will hardly see any other foreign tourists, said Mark Jones in The Guardian.
Calabria, for instance, the toe of the Italian boot, is actually undertouristed, so you can be assured of a warm welcome there. Yet it offers glorious mountain landscapes, beautiful beaches, and some ancient hilltowns that are quite as ravishing as those further north. Take Santa Severina, for example, with its Norman fortress, Byzantine church and glorious views. Were it in Tuscany or Puglia, its main square would be "thronged" – but when I visited in early summer, it was delightfully quiet, as was Le Puzelle, a nearby restaurant serving "very Calabrian" fare ("unfussy, cheap and wonderful").
Calabria is known as the home of the 'Ndrangheta Mafia, but locals will tell you which towns it dominates, and they tend to be the "drab" ones that no tourist would opt to visit. The list certainly does not include Santa Severina – or Tropea, an elegant seaside town perched high above an exquisite beach (pictured).
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From there, I drove south, via Capo Vaticano (which offers "epic" views of the volcanic island of Stromboli), to the city of Reggio Calabria. Its archaeology museum houses the Riace bronzes, two warrior statues that are among the very few full-size bronze figures to survive from the ancient Greek world.
My final stop was the mountainous Pollino National Park, where I stayed at the Locanda del Parco (a charmingly eccentric agriturismo), and visited Morano Calabro – "another hilltop town to make the chianti classes swoon".
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Groypers: the alt-right group pulled into the foreground
The Explainer The group is led by alt-right activist Nick Fuentes
-
10 concert tours to see this upcoming fall
The Week Recommends Concert tour season isn't over. Check out these headliners.
-
How to put student loan payments on pause
The Explainer If you are starting to worry about missing payments, deferment and forbearance can help
-
10 concert tours to see this fall
The Week Recommends Concert tour season isn't over. Check out these headliners.
-
A tour of Sri Lanka’s beautiful north
The Week Recommends ‘Less frenetic’ than the south, this region is full of beautiful wildlife, historical sites and resorts
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashion
In the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Video games to curl up with this fall, including Ghost of Yotei and LEGO Party
The Week Recommends Several highly anticipated video games are coming this fall
-
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale – a ‘comfort’ watch for fans
The Week Recommends The final film of the franchise gives viewers a chance to say goodbye
-
The Paper: new show, same 'warmth and goofiness'
The Week Recommends This spin-off of the American version of The Office is ‘comfortingly and wearyingly familiar’
-
Rachel Jones: Gated Canyons – ‘riotously colourful’ works from an ‘exhilarating’ painter
The Week Recommends The 34-year-old is the first artist to take over Dulwich Picture Gallery’s main space
-
Born With Teeth: ‘mischievously provocative’ play starring Ncuti Gatwa
The Week Recommends ‘Sprightly’ production from Liz Duffy Adams imagines the relationship between Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe