Fly and Drive in Calabria: the deep soul of the Mediterranean

Departure is an exciting time for many travellers. It marks the beginning of an adventure. Today you will start to be part of a community, which will give you a rewarding travel experience. You will have the opportunity to turn a simple trip into an opportunity for personal growth, cultural enrichment, Globest welcomes you to Naples. After collecting your rental car, you will drive to your hotel in the Naples area for overnight stay.

After breakfast you can dedicate the whole day to visit Naples, a city of disarming beauty, that raptures the senses, with its perfumes and views. It’s melody, it’s music but it’s also perfume, that of the clothes lying on the windows, tomatoes hanging in the air, fried pizza and true Italian espresso. Naples is history and art, but it is also an atmosphere that will envelop you and accompany you through alleys and neighborhoods, discovering palaces and baroque churches, courtyards and alleyways… You will discover the treasures of the historic center, the living heart of the city of Naples: the Piazza del Plebiscito, the Royal Palace, the Maschio Angioino, the Castel dell’Ovo, the Lungomare Caracciolo (outside – no entrance included). Free lunch. Late afternoon departure for Calabria. Accommodation in hotel in the area of Cosenza and overnight.

After breakfast you can discover the green heart of Calabria. You will cross the plateau of Sila, a naturalistic area where for the diversity of landscapes, the variety of animal and plant species and the beauty of the places is the National Park of Sila. Along the road you can stop at San Giovanni in Fiore, the oldest, largest and most populated town of Sila, a village characterized by ancient churches, medieval arches and known for the artisan shops of wood and wrought iron, for the manufacture of hand-knotted carpets. After a free lunch, you can go to Le Castella, small village on the Ionian coast now famous tourist resort. Visit the 15th century Aragonese castle (entrance not included), located on an islet connected to the shore by a thin tongue of sand. Overnight in hotel in the area of Catanzaro.

After breakfast you can leave for the visit of Stilo, an ancient village among the most beautiful in Italy. Climbed on Mount Consolino, it is arranged in steps and has noble stone buildings, small squares, stairways and alleys between characteristic dark stone houses. Attention: you will have to walk for about 1 km. For lunch we recommend that you stop at a «farm». In the afternoon another possible stop is Serra San Bruno, a small mountain village in the heart of the Parco delle Serre, surrounded by thick beech, fir and oak woods famous for the Certosa, the first monastery of the order of the Carthusians. La Certosa is a place of silence and prayer, where the monks live in seclusion and follow an austere and rigorous rule. It is not possible to visit the interior of the monastery, but you can access the museum of the monastery (entrance not included), which tells the history and life of the monks through photos and objects. Route to the area of Vibo Valentia, hotel accommodation and overnight stay.

After breakfast you can dedicate the morning to visit Tropea, the Pearl of the Tyrrhenian. Counted among the most beautiful villages in Italy is a charming seaside resort able to surprise and enchant built on the edge of a promontory that is reflected in the crystal clear sea of the Costa degli Dei. Splendid the old town, which still preserves intact the eighteenth-century urban structures, with its picturesque alleys, baroque palaces, large courtyards and majestic portals. In the afternoon you can reach Pizzo Calabro, an ancient seaside village perched on a promontory of tuff along the Costa degli Dei. We suggest you to take a walk in the historic center and you can have an optional tasting of the famous homemade ice cream of Pizzo: «il Tartufo», hazelnut ice cream with a heart of bitter melted chocolate, all covered with chocolate powder, A small jewel that embodies the soul of Calabria. Return to hotel and overnight.

After breakfast you can go to Reggio Calabria, one of the most beautiful cities in Calabria, lying on the Strait of Messina and tip of the boot of Italy. Visit of the seafront Falcomatà, one of the most beautiful walks on the sea in Italy, the Aragonese Castle and the National Archaeological Museum that houses the Bronzes, found in the seabed of Riace (from which the Bronzes of Riace). After free lunch, in the afternoon you can leave for Pentedattilo, a small ghost village perched on the cliff of Mount Calvary that resembles the shape of a cyclopean hand with five fingers and from which derives the name of the village in Greek. You will continue to Scilla, one of the most beautiful and famous villages of the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria, perched on a suggestive and panoramic rocky promontory overlooking the sea. You will visit the small seaside village of Chianalea, called the Venice of the south, characterized by the houses that emerge directly from the rocks close to the sea leaning against each other. Return to hotel and overnight.

After breakfast you can go to Campania. Along the way you can stop at the Certosa di Padula (entrance not included). Considered one of the oldest and most important monasteries in Italy, it is also one of the largest in Europe: an architectural jewel declared a UNESCO heritage. Although it was built in medieval times, the structure has a Baroque style, the result of numerous renovations that affected the building until the nineteenth century BC. Free lunch in Padula. In the afternoon you will leave for the area of Caserta, hotel accommodation and overnight.

After breakfast, drive to the airport for car delivery and boarding formalities. On this day of return, nostalgia for the places visited and enthusiasm for returning home mix. Today we close a chapter and open a new one, you are part of our Community, you will carry with you the promise of new future adventures even more extraordinary.  Have a good trip home.