Skip Amalfi Coast Crowds for the Calabria Coast This Summer

Calabria is the Italy that existed before the influencers took over all the classic tourist spots. It's often thought of as a place where the fish on your plate was caught that morning, where locals at the café have been sitting in the same chairs for decades and where finding a quiet beach to sunbathe is not an impossible feat. It’s known for breathtaking scenery, featuring clifftop villages, ancient ruins and turquoise waters so clear it almost looks fake. When people imagine the ideal Italian summer, Calabria is usually the picturesque image they have in mind while they usually end up in the more touristy locations along the Amalfi Coast.

One must-see Calabrian town that has started to gain some more attention in recent years, and for good reason, is Tropea. It sits perched on a cliff above a stretch of white sand beaches. Its most notable landmark is a cathedral atop a cliffside, sitting over the water almost like something out of a painting. Visiting in the early morning before the day heats up is recommended if you don’t plan to stay for more than a day. You can walk the narrow lanes of the old town and eat a granita at a café with a view of the sea. Or, you can spend the day beaching and enjoying the pristine waters.

Calabrian cuisine doesn't get the recognition it deserves, which is part of what makes discovering it feel like discovering a gem. The region's most iconic ingredient is 'nduja, a fiery, savory and spreadable salami that Calabrians incorporate into everything. Other foods include handmade fileja pasta with slow-cooked ragù, grilled swordfish, fresh homemade ricotta spooned onto warm bread and much more. Eating your way through Calabria is the kind of experience that inspires you to take home cooking back up. Don’t be shy to ask locals for their recommendations, either — you may find yourself enjoying dishes you would never discover otherwise.

Without the overabundance of tourist boats and ferries crowding every cove, the sea along the Calabrian coast is spectacularly clear. On calm days, the water presents gorgeous shades of jade at the shoreline and blends into deeper, saturated blues further out. The visibility underwater also makes the beaches of Calabria enjoyable to swim in and snorkel if you fancy. Capo Vaticano is the best beach to check out here featuring wide, sandy shores but the Ionian side of the coast opens up into long, quiet beaches where you can spread out a towel and have almost an entire beach to yourself.

Calabria is still under the radar as far as tourism goes, but the window on that is quietly closing. There are a growing number of boutique hotels and Airbnbs that have started to raise the bar on accommodations. Flights into Lamezia Terme are also becoming increasingly accessible from major hubs, which is great for the convenience of travel, but means this destination is quickly gaining more attention. This summer is the perfect time to go while it remains a bit of a hidden gem still. The beaches will still be uncrowded, the restaurants have not raised their prices for tourists yet and the whole coast still feels like there are more locals than not.