Calabria is one of Italy´s best kept secrets - a hidden treasure bathed in Mediterranean sunshine.
Situated in Italy´s southern most region where the ´toe´ meets Sicily, Calabria is one of the most beautiful parts of the country, offering a perfect year round climate and a relaxed Italian way of life.
Although one of the least famous regions in Italy, Calabria has played a large part in Italian culture, being famous for its cheeses, bergamot trees, pasta, the tarantella dance and the fashion designer Gianni Versace - as well as for having the most flavoursome spicy food in Italy.
Reggio di Calabria, the capital of the province, with its position on the straits of Messina facing Sicily and the stunning snow capped peak of Mount Etna, is an elegant and dynamic place to spend time. It is there you can get cheap, regular ferries to Sicily, go scuba diving and visit some of the most breaktaking archaeological museums in Italy.
The wine making area of Bianco is located on the opposite side of the ´toe´from Reggio di Calabria, and offers a wide range of bars, shops, cafes and restaurants - from traditional Italian trattorias or pizzerias, to delicious vegetarian dishes. The town has supermarkets, beauty salons, internet café, boutiques, chemist, medical centre, post office, and banks as well as small local shops such as a butchers and a delicatessen.
Bianco is close to the stunning Aspromonte national park, a site of ancient Greco-Roman ruins and offers pefect sandy beaches with clear aquamarine waters. There are many local sports facilities including diving, canoeing or paragliding, and 2 golf courses within an hours drive, as well as plans for a new golf course in Bianco itself.
The neighbouring town of Bovalino is slighty larger than Bianco and offers a new shopping centre, with a wider range of restaurants, shops and bars as well as all the facilities you are likely to need. Both towns offer fantastic beaches backed by pretty woodlands and are known for their sweet treats and seafood.
Calabria is famed for the beauty of its coastline and offers some of Italy´s most stunning beaches where the water sports facilities are second to none. As yet still essentially untouched by tourism, this stunning area has now been made more accessible by the addition of a direct route from London to Lamezia Terme airport, which is an hour´s drive from Bianco.
Italy has always been one of the most desirable and therefore expensive, places to buy a holiday home - but property in the lesser known Calabria can still be found at bargain prices, although as tourism and accessibility increases, it will not remain this way for long. At present, we are able to offer frontline beach apartments in Bianco, Calabria, Italy for as little as 78,000 Euros (£53,700). Compared to what you can get in Spain for the same money, there is little doubt that buying property in a stunning location such as Calabria is definitely money well spent for those looking for a beach front holiday home.
For those looking for an unspoilt and idyllic location in Italy, look no further than Calabria!
By: Debbie Cooper
I have worked in the rentals & sales business for the past 6 years and now run Spanish Villas Spain, part of Citrus Iberia (CB) a British Estate Agents offering Property Management, holiday & long term rentals and property for sale in Spain, Italy and Portugal.
