How I Love Calabria...Let Me Count the Ways

I didn't always love Calabria. A few months after I arrived in 2022, I decided it wasn't for me. Things were too slow. There weren't enough stores or ethnic restaurants. I didn't feel like I fit in.

I decided to move to Salerno, actually. But the Universe knew better than me; I just needed to give Calabria a little time to warm up to me.

Now, I can't imagine living anywhere else. Here's why I choose to stay.

1. The People are So Warm

They may take a while to get used to you as a foreigner, but once they accept you, the Calabrese will bend over backwards for you.

Italians often tell me that people in the north are colder (emotionally) than those in the south. It's true. While polentone (the nickname the southerners have for northerners; it refers to the fact that they eat polenta) are still lovely, I do find that the terrone (southerners, because they work with the land) go the extra mile.

I can count on one hand the times I've paid for my own coffee or beer in Davoli. There's always someone offering to pay, which is a lovely gesture.

2. The Land (and Sea) are Breathtaking

You know those places you travel to that just take your breath away with their beauty? That's Calabria.

Here in Davoli, we are surrounded by green, tree-covered mountains. When I go for a walk, I stand in ancient olive groves and look out to the Ionian Sea in the distance. It's remarkable.

And speaking of the sea...you don't find crystal clear waters like this everywhere. In Calabria, there are 27 beaches that have been awarded the Bandiera Blu title, which indicates that they meet environmental sustainability requirements and have high water quality.

3. I'm Closer than Ever to What I Eat

I have thought more about where my food comes from living here than ever in my life. Here, food is local. VERY local.

The fruit and vegetables come from our garden, or are gifted by friends. The meat, we raise or buy from our butcher cousin. And while it may make me sad to eat the chickens I once cuddled, I appreciate the shorter chain that links me to my food.

4. Calabria is Off the Beaten Path

Look, everyone loves Italy. Most go to Tuscany or Florence. Cinque Terre or Rome. But fewer people from other countries venture so far south. That makes it special. Like a secret.

While I do want the region to grow (and tourism is a big contributor to the economy), I also like the fact that things here are still pretty undeveloped. The beaches are peppered with a few lidi, but there are no hotels. No high-rises. No tourist shops.

5. June and September Belong to US!

Right now, the beaches (and also the mountain towns) are full of visitors from the north of Italy (and a few foreigners thrown in for good measure). It's a busy, crowded, hot period.

But at the end of August, they will all leave. The beaches will be empty. There will be no traffic, nor a need to reserve a table at a restaurant. It will still be hot, but Calabria will go back to being ours.

Calabria isn't for everyone. It's undeveloped, rough around the edges, and slow. So slow. But for the right people (like me), it's a little slice of heaven in the toe of the boot of Italy.