More than 15 years ago, when I emigrated from Italy, every time someone asked me where I was from, it would take about 10 minutes for people to picture the seemingly forgotten stretch of land at the very bottom of the country. Things have definitely shifted in the last couple of years, mostly thanks to the growing popularity of Tropea and regular visits from my fellow countryman, Stanley Tucci.
Although people now know where Calabria is, I’m yet to notice a true shift in tourism in the region. Most foreign visitors flock to Tropea’s belvedere for a picture and then move on, missing everything the region has to offer: exceptional food and an astonishing variety of landscapes that set Calabria apart from other Italian destinations.
It may be hard for me to be objective, as this is my home and I’m not blind to the issues we still have, but I also recognise the extraordinary natural beauty that surrounds us and that travellers are still missing.
Growing up, I felt very stuck and couldn’t wait to leave, but distance (and longing) have a way of changing your perspective, and I now feel very lucky to have grown up in such a beautiful place. My long lunch breaks at university were spent watching the sea while eating a sandwich on the seafront promenade; the last dip of the season was often in autumn, and winter sea walks were always balmy and restorative in a different way.
When you grow up in a city in southern Italy – although I imagine this is similar everywhere in the Mediterranean – you tend to spend your summers in the same place every year from childhood, often developing an attachment to a specific village or beach. Having lived abroad for so long, I have very few friends left in my hometown, and over time, I simply stopped going back. When I get off the plane at Lamezia Terme Airport, the only place I want to see is ‘my’ beach, and that for me is Fiumefreddo Bruzio.
This quaint village sits on the Tyrrhenian side of the region, and it’s still predominantly a destination for local tourism. Until a couple of years ago, the only visitors who didn’t come from the province were people who had family there or foreigners who had married someone local. My English husband was such a sensation when he first came that the postman learned his name in a week, while he still doesn’t remember mine. Now things are slowly changing, but I would love it if more people visited this small village – one of the most charming in the region. I’d recommend spending a relaxing day at the Lido Ape Maya, where I spent most of my summers since 2002, before going up to the old village to see the sunset from the castle or one of its panoramic terraces overlooking the sea. Aside from Fiumefreddo Bruzio, here are some of my favourite beaches in Calabria.
