We met at Gatwick North Terminal for our flight to Naples, Sarah our tour manager met as many of us as possible at the BA check in desk the remainder she caught up with during the flight. It’s a 4 hour transfer to our hotel in Calabria, however, once you leave the Naples area the countryside is stunning and it gives you the opportunity of getting to know your travelling companions. There is a comfort stop en-route where you can get a drink and a bite to eat.
The Grand Hotel San Michele
Our first glimpse of this visually stunning hotel is as we sweep up the driveway, the slope up to the entrance is lined on one side with bougainvillea, now in full bloom. The hotel is situated on a steep hillside so if you have a room at the back that’s all you will see, luckily I had a room at the back corner and so had a view along the coastline looking towards Cetraro. The hotel has many terraces and all our meals were taken al fresco. The hotel lounge is sumptuously furnished with many sofa’s and fine pieces furniture, a grand piano sits in one corner which was being played for the guests entertainment on several evenings. The bedrooms are furnished simply and styled in keeping with the period of the villa. You will find all the staff at the hotel friendly and very helpful, most of them I believe have been working at the hotel for many years. I found the food to be very good with plenty of variety, you are offered at least 4 choices of each course at dinner, breakfast is buffet style and is served on the upper terrace overlooking the sea. This hotel is in a lovely location but is not near the town which is about 15 minutes drive away, so if you want to explore independently the hotel can arrange transportation at a reasonable cost.
Excursions
On this tour you will visit the hilltop towns of Belvedere and Altomonte each having it’s own distinct character where you can enjoy splendid views of the countryside from various vantage points. There are many narrow streets and alleyways to explore in these ancient towns and as this is not a tourist area you will find the cost of refreshments to be reasonable. Our visit to Diamante, a small coastal town was at lunchtime so it was quiet as most places close until later in the afternoon but there were a couple of places open for lunch. In total contrast you can join the excursion to the Sila Mountains and enjoy a 3 – 4 km walk through a pine forest, make sure you have suitable footwear if you opt for this trip as the path is rocky in places and there are many exposed roots. There is an optional excursion to Cetraro where you can visit a couple of the small museums in the town. At the end of the week is a full day excursion to the nearest city of Cosenza, I opted not to go on this all day excursion, preferring to relax at the hotel, so am unable to comment on what there is to see and do there.
Summary
This area of Italy has yet to become a tourist destination so you are unlikely to encounter many other foreign visitors, with coastal towns just starting to develop to attract Italian holidaymakers. Calabria is mountainous many of which are forested and many of the towns have grown around their ancient hilltop settlements. This area of Italy has it’s own distinct character which has a much more laid back and relaxing air about it, compared with the more established resorts in Italy.
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