CALABRIA: DISCOVERING THE MEDITERRANEAN
	It is practically impossible to provide a simple key to enable anyone to understand this varied region, so free from monotony, which condenses many different types of landscapes, steeped in a history that has left ineradicable traces. Calabria is so changeable and contradictory, so harsh and yet so sweet, that it has as many souls as the great number of situations that have involved landscapes and people, crafts, traditions and things, all at the same time. It is this lack of homogeneity in the territory, environment and landscape that strikes us in Calabria. Whether we discover it as we land on one of the many splendid beaches that can be reached only from the sea, whether we allow ourselves to be swallowed up by its immense forests or set off to explore the rocky spurs overlooking the Ionian. We are struck by its unexpected virginity. A virginity that is exalted and not contradicted by the presence of old towns with defence works in the hinterland or of little villages almost surrounded by the sea. In this region, of which much is dreamed but little is known, we are struck by its extraordinary richness of forms. Calabria has everything: a crystal-clear primeval sea and little bays with pure golden sand; the solemn massif, the Pollino, where woodland species unique in the world are preserved intact; the generous, hospitable mountains of Sila; wild Aspromonte and the fertile countryside. That's quite a lot, but it's still not all! You can also see and learn to know a prehistoric Calabria, a Greek Calabria, a Byzantine-Swabian-Norman Calabria and a Christian Calabria. You can capture the obstinacy of a land that has been long isolated, that is still on a human scale and firmly anchored to its traditions; this is why it is still rich in living connective tissues, without homogenizing effects. You can appreciate the collective character of the people of Calabria, who know how to be extremely generous and cordial. There are very few peoples who have personally experienced a great attachment to their own way of life, to be safeguarded at all costs, who have yet at the same time succeeded in absorbing the many civilizations with which they have come in contact. Calabria is a place where cultures interweave, stand distinct and respect one another. It is a special land that still offers hospitality. This has been amply demonstrated. The first experiment in large-scale emigration was a success in Calabria. From Magna Graecia to Skanderberg, the great Albanian leader who fled with his followers towards the shores of Calabria and the Waldensian communities who found asylum and protection there. Edizioni ITALIA TURISTICA s.a.s. 35124 Padova - Via C. Anti, 9 Tel.++39-49-80.111.80 r.a. Fax.++39-49-80.111.82 e mail:italiaturistica@fromitaly.it