We had no particular reason to visit Reggio Calabria other than that it was on the train line, looked like a nice place to spend a few days, and would be a change of pace from Palermo.
Leaving Palermo our train followed the northern coast of Sicily to Messina. On one side of the train the view was cities and mountains. On the other, cities and the Tyrrhenian Sea. The scenery was wonderful.
By far the most interesting part of the trip was the ferry crossing to mainland Italy. Upon leaving Messina Centrale, the engine was decoupled from the train and the train cars pushed onto a ferry. After the train cars were secured the doors opened so the few passengers could wander around the ferry.
The ferry had indoor and outdoor observation areas, tons of seats, tables, clean restrooms, and a snack bar. It was a nice sunny day and the views of Sicily and Calabria from the ferry were magnificent.
It took over an hour to get from Messina Centrale onto the ferry, across the strait, off the ferry, and to the train station at Villa San Giovanni. There, after a two hour layover, we boarded our second train of the day for the 15 minute trip down the coast to Reggio Calabria.
A travel podcast described the Calabria region of Italy (the toe of the boot) as having beaches, mountains, small towns, olive groves, and a trash problem. The suggested itinerary was to go to the beach, get a coffee or gelato, sit around in a café, and ignore the trash. Basically it’s a summer destination.
We arrived in Reggio Calabria with no expectations and nothing planned to do. In the winter, there is not much to do. It did not help that the iffy weather from Palermo followed us to Reggio Calabria. During our week here it was partly cloudy, windy, and occasionally rainy, with high temperatures around 55°F.
The first thing Stephanie noticed about Reggio Calabria is that it is clean. There is almost no trash on the sidewalks or in the streets. Coming from Palermo, this really surprised us. Stephanie commented that Reggio Calabria feels much safer than Palermo because of the cleanliness. I’ll admit that the feeling is noticeable.
Lungomara Falcomata, the seaside promenade, is about a mile long. There are walkways lined with palm trees at both street level and seaside, along with the occasional café. Parks are found at each end. Similarly, two blocks inland is Corso Giuseppe Garribaldi, a mile long pedestrian zone with nice shops and restaurants. Both are very popular with the locals and busy throughout the day.
Much of Reggio Calabria is built on a gently sloping hill. To assist the elderly, disabled, and just plain lazy, the city installed outdoor moving walkways heading uphill from the sea for four blocks. The walkways are located on Via Guidecca, starting near the center of Lungomara Falcomata. After strolling around town for a few miles we readily took the walkways uphill, as our Airbnb is five blocks from the sea.
Count us in the just plain lazy column.
Castello Aragonese, near the center of town, consists of two towers and some rebuilt walls. The foundation dates to the 9th century. Today, the castle is about a quarter of its original size, the rest having been destroyed over the centuries and not rebuilt. Most recently a large section was demolished after an earthquake in 1908.
We were the only folks at the castle on a random Thursday afternoon. Our €2 tickets unexpectedly bought us a guided tour from an elderly man who worked at the castle. He didn’t speak English, but could work Google Translate on his phone like a pro. Going on a tour via phones is an interesting experience. I’m not sure if everyone gets a tour, or if he was just bored and figured we needed help to follow the signs around. The castle is not that large. We took an elevator to the top, walked around, and followed stairs back to ground level. The entire visit lasted about 30 minutes.
The top of the towers is probably the best place in town to see sunset. Unfortunately, given the overcast weather during our visit, we did not see a decent sunset or even Mount Etna.
The other major tourist destination in Reggio Calabria is the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Reggio Calabria, a/k/a Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia. Southern Italy was part of greater Greece and the focus of this museum is on Greek antiquities found in Calabria. Many of the exhibits have a display indicating the location where the pieces were discovered.
In 1972 two large bronze statues, dating to 460 B.C., were found buried in the sand in the Ionian Sea just off the coast near Riace Marina, Calabria. The Bronzi di Riace (the Riace bronze) are the main attraction of the museum. The two statues are displayed in a separate climate and crowd controlled room on earthquake proof pedestals. You may have a short wait to get in, and out of, the room.
Our visit to the museum lasted about an hour and a half. The museum is bright and spacious, and the layout is easy to follow. Display signs are in both Italian and English. We both thought the museum is well done, certainly worth the €8 each that we paid.
We could have easily spent twice as long in the museum if we read more of the descriptions. Similarly, we probably could have gone a bit quicker but for several large tour groups that we kept running into. It can be difficult to get around a group of 20 elderly folks simultaneously wandering around while listening to a tour guide.
Pinacoteca Civica (the Civic Art Gallery), houses numerous paintings and a few sculptures created by local artists over the past several hundred years. The gallery is located on the second floor of Teatro Francisco Cilea, the opera house. It is free to visit, but you have to sign in.
The starting point is a slightly shaky glass spiral staircase to the second floor. Stephanie, who is afraid of heights, barely managed to get up the stairs. At the top, a guided path leads one through the art displays in a largely chronological timeline. There are several rooms and the art pieces are fairly well spaced out. We strolled around more slowly than usual, and were still out in less than half an hour.
At the end Stephanie took the elevator back down. In hindsight she probably should have taken the elevator up at the start.
A few blocks down the street from our Airbnb is Lievito, the best restaurant that we have visited so far on this trip. It’s a craft beer and pizza place. We had appetizers of bruschetta and arancinetti (speck, scamorza, and pistachios), with a diavola pizza and beer. The only negative is the European pop background music. Thankfully it was not too loud.
Prior to arriving in southern Italy we made a short list of potential day trips to various places that are easily reachable from either Palermo or Reggio Calabria (notably Agrigento/Valley of the Temples, Cefalù, Scilla, and Tropea). Unfortunately, because of the iffy weather, we did not bother with any of them. We may have to return in the summer for a beach trip to the seaside towns.
One week in Reggio Calabria was just about perfect. Another train trip awaits, on to Napoli.
Garrett and Stephanie
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Great read!
interesting…truly have never heard much about Reggio Calabria!