Grand Tour of Calabria & the 5 Senses 2026-27

Day-by-day itinerary

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1. 1Day 1Rome – Corigliano Calabro – Rossano, “Codex Purpureus Rossanensis”…

   540 km. Departure from Rome – lunch at leisure – in the afternoon, arrival in Corigliano Calabro – guided visit of the town (the historic centre with the Ducal Castle raised by Robert Guiscard in the Norman period) – we then continue to Rossano, one of the most important Byzantine centres in Calabria – guided visit of the town (the Diocesan Museum, home to the famous Codex Purpureus Rossanensis, a UNESCO World Heritage treasure, and the historic centre) – visit to the Giorgio Amarelli liquorice works and museum, with a tasting – arrival at the hotel – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, a walking tour with the tour leader – overnight stay.

2. 2Day 2Rossano – the Sila National Park – San Giovanni in Fiore – Cosenza, 160 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – departure for the Sila National Park, one of the most beautiful landscapes in Italy – stops at Camigliatello Silano and San Giovanni in Fiore (the most populous Italian town lying above 1,000 metres, with the Florense Abbey and the Capuchin friars’ convent), Lake Cecita and Cupone, where you can admire the endemic flora and fauna – lunch in a traditional restaurant – free time for shopping – arrival in Cosenza in the evening – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, Cosenza by night: a walking tour with the tour leader – overnight stay.

3. 3Day 3Cosenza – Pizzo Calabro – Tropea, “the balcony over the Tyrrhenian”…

   Vibo Valentia, 150 km. Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, a guided visit of Cosenza (the old town, the cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the castle – seen from the outside) – we then continue to Pizzo Calabro – a visit to the Aragonese Castle and the splendid rock-hewn church of Piedigrotta – tasting of the famous artisan tartufo ice cream – lunch in a traditional restaurant – we then continue to Tropea for a guided visit of the cathedral and the historic centre, with a stop at the belvedere, a stunning balcony over the Tyrrhenian Sea – tasting of traditional onion specialities at a local producer – in the evening, check-in at the hotel in or around Vibo Valentia – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, Pizzo Calabro by night, by private coach with the tour leader – overnight stay.

4. 4Day 4Vibo Valentia – Scilla – Reggio Calabria – Bianco – Roccella Ionica…

   220 km. Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, visits to Scilla (the ancient fishing quarter of Chianalea and Monte Sant’Elia) and Reggio Calabria (a guided visit of the National Archaeological Museum with the famous Riace Bronzes, and a walking tour along the seafront, described as “the most beautiful kilometre in Italy”) – lunch in a traditional restaurant – in the afternoon, we continue along the Ionian coast – a stop in Bianco and a visit to an estate specialising in the “nectar of the gods”, the highly prized Greco wine – a visit to the vineyard and cellar with a tasting of Greco accompanied by pastries and dried fruit, amid the floral scents of the season – arrival in Roccella Ionica or Siderno in the evening – dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure – the tour leader is at guests’ disposal – overnight stay.

5. 5Day 5Locri – Gerace, “the Norman and Byzantine town” – Siderno Superiore…

   60 km. Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, a guided visit to the archaeological excavations of Locri Epizephyrii – we then continue to Gerace, the medieval citadel – guided visit of Gerace aboard a land train (an ancient monumental village full of characterful alleys, churches and patrician palaces, the cathedral, the Church of San Francesco, the castle – seen from the outside – and a visit to a craft workshop) – tasting of delicious granita in Piazza del Tocco – a visit to a local farm with its own olive mill and a small herd of Aspromonte black pigs – traditional lunch built on time-honoured recipes – in the afternoon, an excursion to Siderno Superiore – guided visit of the ancient village, which dates from the tenth century (splendid old palaces such as Palazzo Falletti, the Baroque Palazzo De Moia and Palazzo Englen, and the charming Church of San Nicola) – tasting of local specialities and local wine drawn straight from the barrel in ancient cellars – return to the hotel in Roccella Ionica in the evening – dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure – the tour leader is at guests’ disposal – overnight stay.

6. 6Day 6Mammola, “an island of good food”, and Casignana, “the finest mosaics”, 110 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion – departure for Mammola – a visit to the Santa Barbara Museum of Contemporary Art, which every year draws hundreds of artists from around the world to its exhibitions and cultural projects – we then continue into the village of Mammola, where time seems to have stood still – a stop at a small producer specialising in the traditional artisan soaking of stockfish, the ammollo dello stoccafisso – traditional lunch in a local restaurant where stockfish is cooked in every imaginable way – in the afternoon, a visit to the remains of the Roman villa of Casignana, richly decorated with mosaics – return to the hotel in Roccella Ionica in the evening – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, a folk show in traditional Calabrian costume – overnight stay.

7. 7Day 7Serra San Bruno – Stilo, “La Cattolica” – Bivongi, 130 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, a guided visit of Serra San Bruno (the abbey – seen from the outside – the museum and the charming park) – traditional lunch at a farmhouse inn with a menu built around local woodland mushrooms – in the afternoon, a guided visit of Stilo (the Byzantine citadel with the famous Cattolica) and of Bivongi (transfer by jeep to the celebrated Greek Orthodox monastery of San Giovanni Theristis) – return to the hotel in Roccella Ionica in the evening – dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure – the tour leader is at guests’ disposal – overnight stay.

8. 8Day 8The Jasmine Coast – Altomonte, “one of the most beautiful villages in…

   Italy” – Rome, 700 km. Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Altomonte – guided visit of the town (an ancient medieval village with a wealth of historic buildings, and the Church of the Consolation) – tasting of traditional liqueurs – lunch in a traditional restaurant – departure for the return journey – arrival in the evening. Please note: the scheduled visits may be rearranged between days according to museum opening times or operational requirements, but the programme remains unchanged.