Sketching Tour of Calabria - 16 Days / 15 Nights

Benvenuti in Italy!
Today at 10am there will be a briefing at the lobby of our hotel in Palermo. Time to submit travel insurance details, introduce ourselves, and go through the itinerary.
Afterward, you’ll have the first Sketching session with Erin, in the historical centre of Palermo.
Free afternoon to further explore the city, and then we meet for an included group dinner at a local restaurant and get acquainted with our fellow travellers.
Included Meal: Welcome Dinner

After breakfast, we load our bags and board our minibus.
Drive to the ghost town of Pentedattilo, an abandoned ancient village perched on the cliffs of Mount Calvary, from where you can see Mount Etna and Sicily.
Time to explore the village before having lunch at the home of Rossella, the only inhabitant of Pentedattilo.
After lunch, we drive on the coastline of Calabria and reach Siderno where we will spend two nights.

Included Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, we drive to reach the incredibly well-preserved medieval town of Gerace, also known as the Town of 100 Churches! In Gerace we will admire 360° hilltop views of the surrounding countryside, explore its narrow streets, visit the main Norman Cathedral in the town square, discover smaller churches with detailed marble decorations, and walk in the shade of beautiful palaces.

Lunch at a trattoria before a short drive to Mammola where we visit the amazing open-air art museum of MUSABA, created by a local artist and his Dutch wife. Here you can admire the Sistine Chapel of Calabria, which occupies a former 10th-century Church of Santa Barbara.

Drive back to Siderno for the night.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Today we have a full program. We leave Siderno after breakfast and in less than an hour we reach Stilo to visit the 9th-century Byzantine chapel, Cattolica of Stilo. Located at the foot of Mount Consolino overlooking the countryside, the chapel has the remains of ancient frescoes of the Madonna, Christ, and St. Nicholas.

We then drive along the coastal road on our way to the picturesque medieval village of Badolato. There we will explore its narrow alleyways, architecture, and meet locals in the square, before enjoying a lunch paired with wine at a nearby vineyard.

Afterward, we drive through the scenic Serre Mountains, reaching an altitude over 1100 meters (3600 feet) above sea level, and we arrive to the sea resort town of Tropea where we will spend the next three nights.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Tropea is located just in front of the Aeolian Islands with a view of the active volcano of Stromboli. Today we’re going on a boat tour to spot the islands of Stromboli, Lipari and Vulcano.

Stromboli is known as the lighthouse of the Mediterranean, due to its perpetual activity. Discover Lipari, the largest island with its historical port district and the 16th-century castle complex towering over the main town. Vulcano is the natural spa island, with bubbling mud pits and fizzy waters where you have time to relax and swim.

This is a full-day tour, and you can have lunch at a cafe or restaurant on one of the islands.

Included Meal: Breakfast

Today is a free day for optional activities.

You can chill out on the beach, visit the Sanctuary of Saint Mary dell’ Isola, shop for souvenirs, or choose from a number of optional acitivities:

- Wine tasting
- Cooking class
- Visit an ancient olive mill in a nearby village
- Visit a modern olive mill in Mafrica
- Visit the village of Zungri and its stone houses

Your tour leader will provide details and can assist you with booking your optional activities.

Included Meal: Breakfast

After breakfast, we say arrivederci to Tropea and continue our exploration of Calabria.

Short drive to the enchanting seaside town of Pizzo. According to legend, Pizzo was built on the ruins of the ancient town of Napitia founded by Phoenicians who had escaped the destruction of Troy and settled here. Pizzo is famous in the area for its Tartufo, a large ball of ice cream filled with molten chocolate. We can choose one of the cafes in the square to try this local delicacy.

We then drive for 90 minutes to reach the touristy coastal town of Le Castella. We visit a 15th-century Aragonese castle built on an island linked to the coast only by a small sandy strip of land.

In the late afternoon we arrive in Crotone, one of the most important centers of Magna Graecia. We check into our hotel where we will stay for the next three nights.

Included Meals: Breakfast

In the morning we have a short drive to Capo Colonna. We visit the Archaeological Museum and the sacred ruins of the Sanctuary dedicated to the goddesses Hera and Persephone.

Lunch at a vineyard to enjoy a local meal paired with wines.

Free afternoon and evening to further explore the old town of Crotone. The old town features a maze of narrow streets, massive noble palaces, the cathedral, as well as the central Pythagoras square, the contact point between the “old” and “new” town.

Included Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, we drive for less than an hour to reach the village of Santa Severina, one of the most beautiful ancient villages of Italy.

We start with a guided visit to the impressive 11th-century Carafa Castle. We then visit the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art, the Cathedral and its Byzantine Baptistery.

Lunch at an osteria before having free time in the village, and then we drive back to Crotone.

Included Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, we leave Crotone to reach the hamlet of Croce di Magara.
This ancient woodland features more than 60 Calabrian pine trees and sycamore trees planted in the 17th century by the Mollo family.
The highlight of this area are the “Giants of Sila”: 350-year-old trees that are 45 meters (148 feet) in height with trunks 2 meters (over 6 feet) wide.

Scenic short drive to reach the city of Cosenza and check in to our hotel. After settling in, we walk to the city center for a cooking class to give you a real taste of Calabrian food. We then feast on the fruits of our labour in an included lunch.

Free afternoon and evening to relax or further explore Cosenza on your own.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today we visit the National Gallery of Cosenza located in the magnificent 16th-century Arnone Palace.
The museum houses important works by Calabrian painters: Pietro Negroni, Marco Cardisco, Francesco Cozza; as well as Neapolitan artists who influenced local art, such as Luca Giordano.

Lunch at a restaurant.

Afterward, we walk off our meal on an included walking tour through the historical center of Cosenza: explore the tiny alleyways, admire beautiful palaces, old shops, street art, the fountain of the Tredici Canali, and visit the 12th-century Cathedral of Cosenza.

Free evening at your own leisure.

Included Meals: Breakfast

This morning we leave the mountains and drive down towards the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Along the way we drive through forests of pine, oak, and beech, and we can stop to take photos of the stunning coastal views.

We arrive at the Sanctuary of Paola, built in the 15th century by Saint Francis of Paola, the Patron Saint of Calabria. The Sanctuary holds some remains of the saint (the rest are found in Tours in France) and attracts pilgrims from all over the world. You will learn more about the history of St. Francis and the Sanctuary by following an easy self-guided walking itinerary.

Short drive into town to reach a trattoria for lunch.

Drive back to Cosenza.

Included Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, we load our bags and drive to the village of San Demetrio Corone and visit the Church of San Adriano. We are now in one of the most important cultural centers of the Albanian community in Calabria. The Church was built by San Nilo of Rossano in the 10th century to give the local people a place where they can pray and follow the rules of the Basilian Order.

Lunch or picnic.

Afterward, we reach the town of Rossano to visit the Cathedral and the fascinating Diocesan Museum. Considered the first Diocesan Museum in Calabria and one of the first in Italy, the museum showcases pieces from Antiquity to the Middle Ages, Mannerism and Baroque Art, plus collections from the 18th and 19th centuries. But the most precious work of art preserved in the Museum is the Codex Purpureus Rossanensis: a 6th-century illuminated manuscript containing the Gospel of Matthew, almost all the Gospel of Mark, and part of a letter from Eusebio to Carpiano about the concordance of the Gospels. It’s one of the oldest surviving illuminated manuscripts of the New Testament.

We then visit an 11th-century Cathedral that displays an ancient image of the Madonna Acheropita, Madonna and Child, supposedly not painted by human hand and dated sometime between the 6th and 8th century.

Short drive to reach our hotel in Corigliano, where we’ll spend two nights.

Enjoy a free evening.

Included Meals: Breakfast.

Today we may visit a selection of the following places as a group:

- Ducal Castle of Corigliano Calabro
- Archaeological Site of Sibari
- Grotta delle Ninfe Thermal Baths
- Or, you can choose to have a free day to relax or explore the area on your own.

Included Meal: Breakfast

Today we load the bags in our minivan and say goodbye to Calabria. We drive to Paestum, in the Campania region, and arrive at our boutique hotel where we will stay for the night.

We have a guided tour of the archaeological site of Paestum. Here you will visit remarkably well-preserved temples with the Temple of Neptune considered one of the three most complete Greek temples in the world.

After our tour, we have a short drive to a farm (caseificio) where Mozzarella di Bufala is produced, where you will enjoy a tasting of mozzarella, ricotta and other fresh cheese from the Campania region

We enjoy an included farewell gourmet dinner at the hotel and raise one last toast to our Calabrian adventure.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

After breakfast, we have a three-hour drive to reach Naples, where the tour ends.

Your tour leader can assist you with additional tours, post-tour accommodation, and transfers.

Included Meal: Breakfast