74 NATGEOTRAVEL.COM
But my husband, Ed, only glances at the views as he maneuvers
the rented Fiat 500X along squirrelly roads pocked with holes.
Unaltromondo,a Tuscan friend told us. Calabria, another
world. So far, what’s otherworldly is the beauty. Long, flour-
white beaches bordering a sea shifting across the blue spectrum.
The roadsides dizzy with wildflowers. Purple asters, face-size
Queen Anne’s lace, pink morning glories, blurs of yellow, bursts
of blooming cacti, and tumbles of vulgar magenta bougainvillea.
Finally, we can pull over. Below lies the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Calabria’s location, on the (misshapen) toe of Italy’s boot pok-
ing far into the sea, determined that the land would be from the JENS GYARMATY/VISUM/REDUX; PREVIOUS PAGES: MRGB/SHUTTERSTOCK (CHURCH)Tastes of Tropea:
A grocer displays
Calabria’s bounty;
Vecchio Forno
(opposite) serves a
wealth of seafood.“STUPENDOUS,” I SAY
ABOUT 20 TIMES EN
ROUTE FROM REGGIO
CALABRIA AIRPORT
UP TO THE COASTAL
TOWN OF TROPEA.
74 NATGEOTRAVEL.COM
But my husband, Ed, only glances at the views as he maneuvers
the rented Fiat 500X along squirrelly roads pocked with holes.
Unaltromondo,a Tuscan friend told us. Calabria, another
world. So far, what’s otherworldly is the beauty. Long, flour-
white beaches bordering a sea shifting across the blue spectrum.
The roadsides dizzy with wildflowers. Purple asters, face-size
Queen Anne’s lace, pink morning glories, blurs of yellow, bursts
of blooming cacti, and tumbles of vulgar magenta bougainvillea.
Finally, we can pull over. Below lies the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Calabria’s location, on the (misshapen) toe of Italy’s boot pok-
ing far into the sea, determined that the land would be from the JENS GYARMATY/VISUM/REDUX; PREVIOUS PAGES: MRGB/SHUTTERSTOCK (CHURCH)Tastes of Tropea:
A grocer displays
Calabria’s bounty;
Vecchio Forno
(opposite) serves a
wealth of seafood.“STUPENDOUS,” I SAY
ABOUT 20 TIMES EN
ROUTE FROM REGGIO
CALABRIA AIRPORT
UP TO THE COASTAL
TOWN OF TROPEA.