Calabria - The Southern Italian Riviera

Welcome to the Southern Italian Riviera, situated in the south western “toe” of Italy, with only the Strait of Messina separating it from Sicily. This is one of Italy’s best kept secrets amongst Italian’s looking to escape the stifling heat of the city during the summer.

Soverato The region around Soverato offers a perfect cross section of southern Italian life. Medieval towns rub shoulders with long sandy beaches, whilst a vibrant cultural scene invites you enjoy concerts and art exhibitions.Or you could just sit back and see which of the truly excellent local wines goes best with your favourite Italian cuisine.And then you could reflect on the fact that this was really just the beginning…

All action pastimes – and some slow ones too... There’s enough to keep the most active folks happy in this part of the world, and to start with you might fancy seeing a bit more of it – from the air. Charter your own helicopter ride, or hot air balloon experience, for a fantastic birds-eye view of the nearby national parks, spectacular valleys, and historical ruins.

Ready for some more hot action? – then take to the water in anything and everything from a ski boat, to a racing sailboat or luxury yacht. Soverato has perfect harbours whatever your aquatic tastes.

Of course you’ll be wanting to keep the golf handicap up to scratch which you’ll be doing on some of the best courses on this part of the Italian coast. But beware, top class designers have done their best to keep you on your toes, but then tomorrow is always going to be a better day.

Or, for something completely different, don’t forget that you can take advantage of Calabria’s spectacular geography by driving or flying up to Aspromonte where some of the world’s must uncrowded skiing is waiting for you all year round. Ski snow and water in a single day!

And naturally, this being Italy, a rich cultural and artistic life is waiting to be explored, whether it is an up to date art exhibition or a classic concert in a fabulous setting. In fact this part of Italys rapidly gaining a reputation as a place to go for new culture.

Then again you might want to take your culture sip by sip because the wine tastings at the region’s top vineyards are not to be missed. Nor, without being the slightest bit snobbish, is the fun of sitting at a dinner table opposite regular VIP visitors such as Formula 1 boss Flavio Briatori and his wife Elisabetta Gregoraci or Juventus manager Claudio Raniera to be sneezed at, and if you have to wait a bit longer for the next celeb to wander by – so be it.

Santa Andrea Just a short drive south along the coast from Soverato, and slightly inland, is the delightful small town of Santa Andrea, or to give it is full name: Sant' Andrea Apostolo Dello Ionio. It is well worth making the trip, if only to look back over the sea of ancient tiled roofs from your maximum height of around 1,000 metres to the glistening blue Ionian sea below.A classic small Italian hill town, Santa Andrea may be old, and with a pop ulation of just over 2,200 it maybe pretty small, but that doesn’t mean it is short of excellent restaurants, good bars, and the opportunity of doing some exploring.

This could mean a stroll, or in some places a slight climb, around the ancient narrow streets and alleyways – always on the lookout for tiny shops that sell wonderful local food, drink and souvenirs. Or it might encompass a real walk into to the beautiful pine woods that surround the town on westerly edge away from the sea.

Here you can begin to see something of the unspoiled countryside in this area and enjoy a picnic making the most of some local food and wine you have bought along the way.

If that all makes you feel like a dip, then the sea is not far away.A few minutes from the town centre brings you to Santa Andrea’s beach area where you can cool off, or swim off an expansive lunch. A trip to Santa Andrea make a perfect day out from Soverato,and there are even a couple of small local hotels or guest houses if you want to make a night of it.