Reggio Calabria, the largest city of the region and on the southernmost coast, is Calabria’s main connection to the nearby Sicily. It is visited by many on route to catching the 40-minute ferry to Messina, and it is worth allowing some time to spend an afternoon enjoying the views towards Etna and the mountains of Sicily, across the blue waters of the strait of Messina.
Reggio’s main attraction is in no doubt its stretching ‘lungomare’, a spacious promenade along the seafront which was described as the most beautiful kilometre in Italy by the poet Gabriele D’Annunzio. Lined with palm trees and decorated with outdoor sculptures, many Italians and tourists alike will be found strolling along the waterfront. Sicily is surprisingly close by, at only 3km across the minimum point of the strait. Enjoy clear views all along Reggio’s lungomare, particularly beautiful on a nighttime. The sections of beach are picturesque but stony, and a selection of bars and cafes along the lower pathway closer to the beach will only be open in the summer season. Yet all year round, you will find many wandering along the main stretch, stopping at bars and gelaterias such as ‘SottoZero’, with seating areas amongst very old twisted tree trunks. SottoZero has a spectacular range of ice creams and cakes even by Italy’s standards, with unique flavours such as dark chocolate, orange and cinnamon; white chocolate and bergamot; and ricotta and pear. The waterfront gets even busier on an evening, for the famous Italian passeggiata, and the lungomare has been used for many community activities such as en-mass spinning classes and car displays!
Only five minutes’ walk inland from the end of the lungomare, you will find the National Museum of Magna Grecia, home to many artefacts from the period of Ancient Greek settlements in the South of Italy. The most famous articles of the museum are the Bronzes of Riace, two life-sized warrior figures cast in the Golden era of Greece. They were discovered by a diver, who chanced upon the statues whilst on holiday in Calabria in 1972. Conservation work was carried out before they were displayed in Florence and Rome in 1981, and they now reside in Reggio’s museum. They appear on many promotional materials for the region, considered a symbol of Calabria’s history, and are definitely worth visiting the museum for.
Reggio’s main pedestrian shopping street, Corso Garibaldi, is higher up the hill and runs parallel to the sea. Wander down this long street and enjoy views down side streets out towards the ocean. Reggio may be a functional town and a handy port for connecting the region to Sicily, but it is definitely also a town for strolling, so make it a destination on your itinerary rather than just flying through!
