Nearby Scilla has three parts: the pleasant upper residential
town and castle; the broad crescent beach, Marina Grande, with
restaurants and concessions; and the Chianalèa district of narrow
lanes and fishermen’s cottages right on the water, with launch
slits that plunge into the sea.
We leave our car at the beach and walk around the bend to
Chianalèa. A bride and her groom in full carabinieri uniform
precede us, and I want to pick up her long train dragging across
the damp stones. They pause every few steps for photos. Pretty
as she is, he’s resplendent, with his red braid and gold buttonsa bit of luxe at the end of the trip and for its proximity to Scilla.
Below us, in Villa San Giovanni, you can catch boats to Messina
and the Aeolian Islands.
After dinner on the terrace, we order liquore al bergamotto.
This is the land of bergamot, the most fascinating of the many
flourishing and abundant citrus varieties. It’s a flavor in Earl Grey
tea, a fragrance in colognes such as Acqua di Parma. Though
the flesh is bitter, the juice is drunk for its healthy properties.
Not sure the liquore falls into the healthy category, but it’s a
bracing after-dinner drink.Far from popular
Tyrrhennian Sea
beaches, the
commune of Staiti
is a reminder of
Calabria’s slower-
paced spirit.Nearby Scilla has three parts: the pleasant upper residential
town and castle; the broad crescent beach, Marina Grande, with
restaurants and concessions; and the Chianalèa district of narrow
lanes and fishermen’s cottages right on the water, with launch
slits that plunge into the sea.
We leave our car at the beach and walk around the bend to
Chianalèa. A bride and her groom in full carabinieri uniform
precede us, and I want to pick up her long train dragging across
the damp stones. They pause every few steps for photos. Pretty
as she is, he’s resplendent, with his red braid and gold buttonsa bit of luxe at the end of the trip and for its proximity to Scilla.
Below us, in Villa San Giovanni, you can catch boats to Messina
and the Aeolian Islands.
After dinner on the terrace, we order liquore al bergamotto.
This is the land of bergamot, the most fascinating of the many
flourishing and abundant citrus varieties. It’s a flavor in Earl Grey
tea, a fragrance in colognes such as Acqua di Parma. Though
the flesh is bitter, the juice is drunk for its healthy properties.
Not sure the liquore falls into the healthy category, but it’s a
bracing after-dinner drink.
Far from popular
Tyrrhennian Sea
beaches, the
commune of Staiti
is a reminder of
Calabria’s slower-
paced spirit.