Calabria
is the region situated in the southeast of the italic peninsula, in the area
between Campania, Basilicata and Sicily. It is a mainly hilly landscape, as
crossed by the Apennines. The central part of the area is covered by a vast
forest, the Sila Grande and the Sila Piccola.
The ancient Greeks and the Italics, followed by the Romans and the Byzantines
had an influence on the genesis of the Calabrian people. After the Norman
Conquest, the region, like the other areas of the Italian South, was a part
of the Kingdom of Naples, sharing its fate until 1860, when the South of Italy
started being a part of the Kingdom of Savoy.
Because of the frequent Saracen incursions, the inhabitants of the centres
on the coasts on the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Sea left and rebuilt their homes
on unapproachable mountains seeking shelter. Nowadays, many villages and cities
have a maritime and a rural part.
Today’s
Calabria consists of the provinces of Cosenza, Catanzaro, Crotone, Reggio
Calabria and Vibo Valentia. Although considered one of the economic “poor“ regions
of Italy, Calabria offers beautiful scenery and an incredible architectural,
cultural and artistic richness, a richness resulting from its historical developments,
making the region unique. The ethnical-linguistic minorities enhance the uniqueness,
as Albanese (Arbëresh), Greek (Grecanics) and Occitan is spoken among
ten per cent of the Calabrian population, contributing immensely to the traditional
originality. It is my favourite Italian region, maybe more than Salento, and
I think that it is definitely worth discovering…