Calabria and chilli peppers - Route

[Christian]

Places Diamante, Scalea, Praia a Mare, Maratea, Lagonegro, Castrovillari, Cosenza

Distance covered and duration The itinerary covers approximately 230 kilometres through Calabria and Basilicata. Splitting the itinerary into two or three days is an option, but, if your visit coincides with the Hot Pepper Festival in Diamante, there are so many things to see and sports activities to do from the coast to the peaks of the Pollino National Park that it would be a pity not to stay at least one week.

Mode of transport By car, but the itinerary is perfect for motorbiking in spring and summer.

Description This is the region of “red gold”, the place to experience the intense flavours that recall the middle-eastern influence in local cuisine. “Red gold” in Calabria is hot red pepper, which reigns supreme on the table. Diamante is its capital and it even holds a gastronomic festival (along with other themes) in honour of “piparedduzzu” that is now famous everywhere. The itinerary starts in Diamante, the “Garden of citron trees”, with a tour that will wind along the border between Calabria and Basilicata. Following the coast north you will find some very popular beaches: Scalea (with its old tiered village) and Praia a Mare, surrounded by citron trees, with the Sanctuary of the Madonna of the Grotto from where there is a fantastic view of the coast. Continuing northwards will take you to Basilicata: Maratea, one of the most well-known seaside resorts in the country, is a beautiful medieval village dominated by a huge statue of the Redeemer. The ruins of old Maratea can be seen below. The Grotto delle Meraviglie (Grotto of Marvels) is in Marina di Maratea, 5 kilometres from the village. Continuing along the Tyrrhenian, the road leaves the coast before reaching Lagonegro, clinging on a cliff. The Church of San Nicola in Piazza Grande is said to be the resting place of madonna Lisa del Giocondo, the Gioconda immortalised by Leonardo da Vinci, who is said to have died here in 1506. Crossing the Pollino National Park with its very wild natural scenery, will take you back into Calabria and Castrovillari, one of the starting points for excursions into the Park whose symbol is the Loricate pine. Castrovillari with its Aragonese castle dated 1490 is impressive. The tour terminates in Cosenza, where you will find more of the spicy food of Calabria. After a visit to the Cathedral, enjoy a meal with the local speciality, mùstica: small fish smothered with hot red pepper, sun-dried and preserved in olive oil.

Not-to-be-missed

Eight kilometres of beaches, crystal-clear seas and narrow streets cheerfully decorated with over 150 murales by contemporary painters and artists from around the country. But there is something missing from the description of Diamante, perhaps the most important: the fact that the Hot PepperAcademy is located here, which organises the Hot Pepper Festival every year in September with cinema, art, culture, debates, satire, music, fashion shows, street entertainment and abundant gourmet food that always includes “red gold”. So be sure and try the many sauces and famous n’duja: a cold meat flavoured with hot pepper, excellent as an appetizer or to flavour pasta dishes. In Maierà, 8 kilometres northeast of Diamante, the Palazzo Ducale houses the Hot Pepper Museum.

Tips on arrival

Close to nature. It is possible by considering a camping holiday. For example, Maratea could be a good destination since the seaside with its beaches can be combined with excursions to the many grottoes or scuba diving. In fact, excellent campsite facilities are to be found all along the Citron Tree Riviera that includes Maratea. But if you prefer the mountains the five campsites in the Pollino National Park are worth considering. Accommodation is also available at one of the 12 refuges and camps.

Useful information

The Pollino National Park offers the opportunity for many sports activities: in addition to its marked trails for trekking and mountain biking, you can choose among mountaineering, canyoning, rafting, spelunking and – in winter –cross-country skiing. However, the Park is also important from an ethnographical point of view, as Arbereshi communities of Albanian origin have been living in the protected area for five-hundred years. They settled in Calabria and Basilicata between 1470 and 1540 to escape from the Turks. Villages worth visiting are Acquaformosa, Civita, San Basile, San Paolo Albanese, San Costantino Albanese, Lungro, Plataci and Frascineto. In Civita and in San Paolo there are two museums of Arbereshi civilisation. Services sung according to the Greek Byzantine rite are full of atmosphere. Maratea has numerous grottoes worth visiting: the I Monacelli Grotto, with its unusual blue colour (reachable only by boat), the Pipistrelli (Bats) Grotto (by boat), the Judia Grotto with fresh-water springs (by boat or along a trail from the nearby beach), the Sogno (Dream) Grotto and Cetroselle Grotto. They can be visited accompanied by a guide (contact the Coop Mar-ar-ethea or Maratea Harbour Office) and are open from 1 June to 15 September. On the other hand, the Grotto of Marvels located in San Giuseppe (a district of Marina di Maratea) can be reached by car since the entrance is right along the road (it is well marked). The parking lot only has place for two cars, but there is a larger one just a few yards further on. The Grotto is open all summer and visits can be made during the rest of the year by contacting the Coop Mar-ar-ethea. The Grotto is well-lit and no special clothing is needed, but be sure to wear suitable shoes. The temperature varies between 15°C and 18°C and the humidity is 95%.
The Maratea Tourist Office organises excursions for those who wish to discover the beauty of the coast that offers another enjoyable activity: scuba diving. The seabed is deep and uncontaminated
Shopping: the villages of the Arbereshi community produce very unusual textiles (tapestries, knapsacks, aprons) made with broom fibre. But the art of weaving is very popular. Typical products: in addition to hot pepper, the cold meats and sausages (the soppressata is fiery hot), sheep’s milk cheese, ricotta cheese and citron (candied or in liqueur form, a speciality of Diamante) are excellent. Citrons are also used to make panicilli - raisin buns wrapped in citron leaves. PDO wines:
Donnici, Pollino and Savuto red wines

Special events

In Paola, 34 kilometres from Cosenza along the Tyrrhenian coast, the patron saint San Francesco da Paola (also the patron saint of Calabria) is celebrated from 1 to 4 May. The saint, who was born in this small town in 1400, was a hermit (after a trip to Rome where he was shocked by the capital’s pomp, he chose an ascetic life) and miracle-worker, as well as the founder of the Order of the Minims. The feast in Paola commemorates the saint’s canonisation. Even before the actual day of the feast on 4 May, throngs of the saint’s devotees, who also come from Sicily, spend the night in the open air singing and playing music. On 4 May they go up to the sanctuary, only 2 km from the town centre, along an avenue lined with shrines in majolica tile that commemorate the saint's miracles. Here, in addition to the Minims Convent, there is also a Gothic church with a chapel that contains the saint’s remains. The procession with the statue then continues on to the Cathedral. In the afternoon, the saint’s statue is carried shoulder high, and, with his cloak, with which he is said to have crossed the Straits of Messina, are taken to the beach to bless the boats. At midnight fireworks mark the end of the festival. This year the festival is truly a special occasion, since it is the five-hundredth anniversary of San Francesco’s death.

Find out more

www.aptcosenza.it
www.peperoncino.org