calabria

Southern Italy, live the dream

Italy has always been one of the most desirable destinations in Europe for its wonderful cuisine and culture and the beautiful unspoilt southern region is one of Italy's best-kept secrets, and where the italians themselves choose to holiday. It is the original Italian Riviera with its Mediterranean climate and stunning coastline that has some of Italy's best and most beautiful beaches and sun-soaked lidos, as well as many hidden coves and beautiful bays. It is a region of natural beauty, seeped in history, art and culture. And more importantly , this undiscovered part of Italy is affordable, both in terms of the cost of property and daily living expenses.

Calabria

Calabria, the southernmost province of Italy is surrounded by the crystaline waters of three seas, the Mediterranean, Tyrrhenian and lonian seas. Across the lonian Sea lies Sicily, and beyond it the East coast of Tunisia on the African mainland, easily accessible by ferry. To the east lies Greece and the Middle East; to the west the Meditteranean stretched from the Straits of Messina to the Straits of Gibraltar. In the north of the region lies the stunning high mountain region, with an alpine landscape with skiing facilities, rich in forests and lakes where the wild boar still roam unhindered.

Reggio Calabria

Reggio Calabria is the regional capital, a university town overlooking the Straits of Messina, where hydrofoils and ferries cross to Sicily, seven miles away, every fifteen minutes. The city is a transport hub, with an international airport and main railway line up through Naples to Rome through panoramic landscapes. This is a modern city, with excellent nightlife and amenities. With its excellent shopping and cuisine, its modern city centre overlooked by the romantic and exotic Aragonese Castle, and important National Museum, Reggio Calabria combines all old world charm with a cosmopolitan, modern outlook city.

Brancoleone

Half an hour’s drive along the Jasmine Coast from the town of Reggio Calabria sits the lovely village of Brancaleone. Along this western side of the Ionian Sea you can travel for miles and miles along breathtaking white beaches, where the sand is soft as velvet. Along this unspoilt coast, washed by some of the cleanest waters in Europe, there is scenery of intoxicating beauty.

In Spring, the hillsides disappear under a carpet of wildflowers. The air is sweet with the perfume of jasmine and bergamot orange blossom.

The town itself is ancient and beautiful with a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere. It is an important diving centre, and from it the road leads up into the hills giving access to the mountain villages and ancient ruins of the Calabrian highlands.

This region is the centre of bergamot production which, with olive oil, is the mainstay of the local economy. Bergamot is used in Earl Grey tea and modern cuisine, and its essential oil is central to perfumery and the cosmetics industry. The importance of this crop has helped preserve the region as it is, wooded, stable and unspoilt.

The beach at Brancaleone is one of the main breeding areas of the rare loggerhead turtle which is in danger of extinction in the Mediterranean. These beautiful creatures still make their nests along the coast, which is now protected from over-development by national law and international treaty.

La Dolce Vita

From around just £57,000 you can live the Italian dream in a beachfront community constructed in sympathetic and local style which is the last word in quality and affordability. This is the latest region of Italy to attract international development, and it is estimated that property values in the coastal region will triple over the next decade. This is the region in which the Italians themselves spend long vacations, and investments here are made even more affordable with dependable rental incomes during the hot summer months.