Italian homes for sale in Tropea a small town on the east coast of Calabria, in southern Italy. It’s known for its clifftop historic center, beaches and prized red onions.

Provinces of Calabria Italy

Guide to Property for Sale in Calabria

Calabria provides low cost Italian properties for sale by the sea, in places such as Tropea and Pizzo. There's an exotic Mediterranean feel about Calabria and mouth watering Italian food to enjoy. There's easy access too, with airports at Lamezia and Reggio Calabria, while the hundreds of kilometres of coastline with some of the most beautiful beaches in Italy. 

Calabria is the tip of the boot, the extreme south of Italy. Bathed by the Ionian and the Tyrrhenian Sea, it is separated from Sicily by the Straits of Messina.

A region steeped in a turbulent history, Calabria is the cradle of the Magna Graecia and a land of ancient peoples. It's a sun-baked region of rugged mountains, old-fashioned villages and dramatic coastline, with many popular beaches.

Calabria's warm climate, long coast line and breathtaking mountains make the region a unique place to admire both in winter and in summer.

Coastal Reggio Calabria, its largest city, is home to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale and its Riace Bronzes, a famous pair of Greek warriors dating back to the 5th century B.C.E.

Overview of Calabria

Calabria Coastline

In the north are the imposing Pollino mountains, in the centre the Sila forested plateau and the Serre and Aspromonte mountains are in the South, all surrounded by  800 km of coastline.

The wild and rugged Calabrian hinterland is an experience not to be missed, and the parks of Sila, Serre, Aspromonte and Pollino are amazing naturalistic destinations

Parco Nazionale dell'Aspromonte is like a giant pyramid that rises from the sea to 2,000 meters of   mountain peaks and plateaus. The Park has countless watercourses and waterfalls. Numerous species in habit the forests such as the wolf, the peregrine falcon, the eagle owl, and the goshawk. Forests of beech, silver fir, black pine, holm oak, chestnut and Mediterranean maquis cover the slopes. The Park is enriched by considerable historical, artistic, and archaeological evidence of classical, Greek, medieval cultures.

Calabria offers a wide choice of beautiful beaches including Capo Vaticano, in the province of Vibo Valentia, defined as one of the 100 most beautiful beaches in the world: a long expanse of fine sand, surrounded by trees and lapped by crystal clear waters populated by a rich variety of fish.

Art and Culture of Calabria

Cathedral of Reggio Calabria

Art lovers will not want to miss the opportunity to admire the famous Riace Bronzes, exhibited in the National Museum of Reggio Calabria, an important testimony of Magna Graecia, a period that deeply marked the history of this region. These beautiful statues, depicting two warrior heroes, represent a rare example of classical Greek sculpture. Also worth exploring is the Aragonese Castle

Lamezia Terme has a Norman-Swabian castle, the Jewish historical quarter and the Casa del Libro Antico (House of the Ancient Book) where books from the 16th to the 19th centuries, as well as old globes and ancient maps are well preserved and available to be seen by the public.

Reggio Calabria Cathedral (ItalianDuomo di Reggio Calabria; Basilica Cattedrale Metropolitana di Maria Santissima Assunta in Cielo) dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

Catanzaro has a one-arch bridge (Viaduct Morandi-Bisantis, one of the tallest in Europe), the Cathedral (rebuilt after World War II bombing), the castle, the promenade on the Ionian sea, the park of biodiversity and the archaeological park.

Towns in Calabria

Santa Maria, Tropea, Calabria

Reggio Calabria largest and oldest city in Calabria dating from the 8th century BC, renowned for its panoramic seaside with botanical gardens between the art nouveau buildings and the beautiful beaches,

Cosenza birthplace of scientist and philosopher Bernardino Telesio

Capo Vaticano, on the Tyrrhenian Sea, is a famous resort near Tropea.

Lamezia Terme, the main transportation hub of the region with its international airport and train station.

Catanzaro, an important silk center since the time of the Byzantines, is located at the centre of the narrowest point of Italy, from where the Ionian Sea and Tyrrhenian Sea are both visible.

Soverato on the Ionian Sea, also known as the "Pearl" of the Ionian Sea. Especially renowned for its beaches, boardwalk and nightlife.

Badolato near Soverato is a well-preserved medieval hilltop village with 13 churches.

Tropea is a municipality located within the province of Vibo Valentia, in Calabria (southern Italy). The town is a famous bathing resort in the gulf of St. Euphemia.

Gerace stands on a hill formed of sea fossils from 60 millions years ago. The main attractions of Gerace are the remains of the old Norman Castle (probably begun in the 10th century by the Byzantines) and the perfectly preserved medieval town. Gerace was once home to 128 churches.

Sports and Leisure in Calabria

The Coast

When you think of Calabria, the sea immediately comes to mind and the beautiful beaches where you can bask in the sun and have fun windsurfing, kitesurfing or scuba diving to discover the wonderful colourful Alcyonacea and fascinating wrecks of the Second World War.

The Parks

There are also many opportunities for fun and relaxation for those who choose to explore inland areas. The National Parks are natural paradises.

Skiing

Those who love winter sports you can look forward to 35 kilometres of slopes: the ski resorts are served by 11 ski lifts.  The best known ski resort in Calabria is Camigliatello Silano . The largest ski resorts offer up to 20 kilometres of slopes (Villaggio Palumbo). The highest ski resorts for skiing in Calabria is Lorica up to an altitude of 1,877 metres

Rafting

For those who want to put themselves to the test they can go rafting along the Lao river or through the Sila gorges.

Food and Wines of Calabria

Calabria is a land of strong and intense emotions. Its flavors are the same: an example is the famous Calabrian pepper. It is easy to find this ingredient in many typical Calabrian dishes: from bruschetta with n'duja or with sardines to pork sausages, from pasta sauces to fish dishes.

The strong taste of the chili is contrasted with the sweet one of the famous red onion of Tropea, used both to flavor dishes and for healing purposes.

Among the typical delicacies of Calabria are  extra-virgin olive oil, liqueurs based on bergamot, licorice, cedar or herbs, honey, jams and pasta with characteristic shapes (strangugghj, fileja, maccaruni) still worked with traditional  methods.

Do not miss the tasty Christmas sweets.

Many Calabrian vineyards have Greek origins. The dark red Cirò wine from the eastern foothills of La Sila region, the red Gaglioppo and the white Greco are just a sample of the wonderful wines of the region.

History of Calabria

In the 8th century BC Calabria became a colony of the Greeks, who founded the cities of Reggio Calabria, Sibari and Crotone. Then in the 4th century BC it was occupied by the Bruttii, who during the Punic wars sided with Hannibal against the Romans. In 132 BC it was conquered by the Romans and included in the Third Region as Brutium, while the name Calabria was used only for the Salento Peninsula.

After the Roman Empire was split into Western and Eastern (with capital Byzanthium), Calabria stayed under the Byzanthines until the Lombards occupied it in the 7th century AD. In 885 Byzanthine general Niceforo Foca defeated Lombards and Saracens recovering the region.

Later on it was conquered by the Normans (1060), then by the Swabians, the Anjou and the Aragonese, under whose domination there were peasants' riots in 1459 and the rebellion led by Tommaso Campanella in 1599.

The Spanish occupation was especially tyrannical for the region, and the 19th century saw the rise of patriot movements (the Carboneria) and riots, until in 1860 the population rose to support Garibaldi after he landed with his "red shirts" at Melito.

As all the Kingdom of Naples, Calabria was then united to the newly established Kingdom of Italy. The decades that followed saw an increase in poverty and emigration, also due to the great disparity between the rich industrial regions of Northern Italy and the agricultural, poorer South.

Geography of Calabria

Surface of 15,080 square kilometers

Coastline extending over 800 Km

Population of over 1.9 million

Bordered by Basilicata to the North

Provinces of Calabria

Catanzaro (regional capital)

Reggio Calabria

Cosenza

Crotone

Vibo Valentia

Getting To Calabria

Airports

Lamezia Terme

Reggio Calabria

Crotone-Sant'Anna

Climate

Calabria's climate is influenced by the sea and mountains. The Mediterranean climate is typical of the coastal areas with considerable differences in temperature and rainfall between the seasons, with an average low of 8 °C (46 °F) during the winter months and an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) during the summer months. Mountain areas have a typical mountainous climate with frequent snow during winter. Erratic behavior of the Tyrrhenian Sea can bring heavy rainfall on the western slopes of the region, while hot air from Africa makes the east coast of Calabria dry and warm. The mountains that run along the region also influence the climate and temperature of the region. The east coast is much warmer and has wider temperature ranges than the west coast. The geography of the region causes more rain to fall along the west coast than that of the east coast, which occurs mainly during winter and autumn and less during the summer months.

Contact us for an initial call, or send us your requirements, so we can suggest the perfect Italian home for you in Calabria.