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Coastal view of Scilla in Reggio Calabria, Italy, showing colorful buildings along the rocky shoreline at the base of lush green hills.
Italy

Calabria: Ancient History & Enduring Traditions

Program No. 25751RJ
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Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. Read More.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
10 days
9 nights
What's Included
Included
18 meals ( 8B, 6L, 4D )
4 expert-led lectures
10 expert-led field trips
An experienced Group Leader
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Catanzaro
Calabria: Ancient History & Enduring Traditions
Oct 1 - Oct 10, 2028
Program Number 25751
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Activity Note
Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag.
Afternoon:
After checking in at the hotel and getting your room, take some time to freshen up and relax before our Orientation session.

Orientation: 6:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions.

We will learn from the Group Leader who will give lectures and lead field trips. Program-related transportation will be primarily via motorcoach unless specified otherwise, necessitating ascending/descending a few steps. Meals will include wine, coffee, and water with other beverages available for purchase.

Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. During the winter months, some stores are closed during the afternoon hours.

Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/weather conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

We’ll then enjoy a welcome cocktail together at the hotel before dinner.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the full day ahead.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 98 miles throughout the day, approximately 2.5 hours total riding time. Walking about 2 miles, approximately 3 hours; mainly flat and follows wooden walkways and archaeological paths, with some uneven and natural surfaces. We will walk outdoors, partially through Mediterranean vegetation, with limited shade. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended. There are occasional steps and uneven sections, but no steep climbs.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will board our motorcoach and head to Capo Colonna with our Group Leader. The village was home to the ancient Greek sanctuary dedicated to Hera Lacinia, one of the most significant religious centers of Magna Graecia. Today, the site's most recognizable feature is a single standing Doric column, the last remnant of the once magnificent temple. The area also includes an archaeological park and museum, offering visitors a fascinating insight into the region's Greek heritage and stunning coastal scenery.

We will continue our ride to Santa Severina, a town with a long and rich history, is located on a rocky hill that only has a single access point: through the village square where a massive and beautifully preserved castle dominates with its presence. We’ll stop en route to see the stunning Aragonese fortress of Le Castella, dramatically set on the water.
Lunch:
At the restaurant in Santa Severina.
Afternoon:
We will embark with our Group Leader on a walking field trip of the medieval village. We will visit the baptistery, which is considered to be one of the most iconic and, up until recently, characteristic ancient Byzantine churches in all of Italy. We will enter the prominent castle in the square built of sandstone and fossil shell conglomerate rock. The interior hosts an archaeological museum and is decorated with countless stuccos and paintings.

We’ll then return to the hotel.
Dinner:
On your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 72 miles throughout the day, approximately 2 hours total riding time. Walking about 1.5 miles, approximately 2 hours total. In Badolato, the walk takes place through the medieval historic center, along narrow pedestrian streets, stone-paved lanes and uneven surfaces, with some uphill and downhill sections and occasional steps.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
With our Group Leader, we will board our motorcoach and head to San Floro to discover one of Calabria’s most fascinating living traditions: the ancient art of silk production. The experience begins at the Silk Museum, housed in the evocative setting of Castello Caracciolo, where we will learn about the history of Calabrian silk through ancient garments, Catanzaro damasks, textile heritage, natural dyes, and traditional weaving techniques. The visit continues with an introduction to the full silk-making process, from the mulberry leaves and silkworms to the cocooning and silk-reeling phases. We will see how delicate silk filaments are drawn from the cocoons and combined into a single continuous thread, revealing the skill, patience, and craftsmanship behind this centuries-old tradition. The experience also includes a presentation of the historic machinery used in silk processing, connecting local heritage with contemporary artisanal production.
Lunch:
At the farmhouse in San Floro area.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we will board our motorcoach and ride to Badolato, a beautifully preserved medieval village known for its authentic atmosphere, narrow stone streets, historic buildings, and panoramic views over the Ionian coast. We will enjoy an Authentic Calabria Experience, combining village history, local traditions, and a visit to a traditional catojo, a former ground-floor dwelling or cellar historically used in southern Italy as a modest home or storage space for wine and provisions. The experience concludes with a light tasting of local products, including olive oil, bread, mastazzola, and vinucottu, a traditional sweet specialty.

We will return to the hotel.
Dinner:
On your own.
Evening:
At leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 43 miles throughout the day, approximately 1 hour total riding time. Walking about 1 mile, approximately 1.5 hours.The visit takes place mainly through the historic center, along narrow pedestrian streets, stone-paved lanes and uneven surfaces. There are some uphill and downhill sections and occasional stairs. Extent and duration of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
After checking out of the hotel, we will board our private motorcoach and transfer to Vibo Marina. We’ll stop en route at Pizzo Calabro. We will set out on a walking field trip exploring the historic center of the village with our Group Leader.
Lunch:
On your own in Pizzo Calabro.
Afternoon:
We will then walk to a local ice cream artisan producer for a demonstration and tasting of the famous Tartufo di Pizzo ice cream led by the staffer.

We will then continue our transfer to Vibo Marina. We will check in at the hotel, and the afternoon will be free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Please note that the period scheduled for free time is subject to change depending on local circumstances and opportunities for independent exploration.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 70 miles throughout the day, approximately 2 hours total riding time. Walking about 1.5 miles, approximately 2 hours. The visit takes place indoors on mainly level, paved surfaces. Easy walking.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will board our motorcoach and ride to the historic Callipo facility, established in 1913 and regarded as one of the leading symbols of Calabrian food excellence. During the visit, we will learn from the staffer about the history of the company and its deep connection with the maritime traditions of the region, with a special focus on the processing and preservation of tuna and other seafood products. The experience offers insight into an important chapter of Calabria’s economic and culinary identity, where craftsmanship, quality, and local heritage come together.

We will then ride to Serra San Bruno, nestled in the peaceful forests of the Serre mountains.
Lunch:
At a restaurant in Serra San Bruno.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we will visit with our Group Leader the Museum of the Charterhouse of Serra San Bruno, founded in 1993 by the monks of Serra San Bruno, this museum serves as a threshold between monastic life and secular society. It offers insight into the contemplative traditions and daily rhythms of the Carthusian order, whose presence has shaped this Calabrian mountain town for nearly a millennium. We will encounter the physical traces of monastic life embedded in the landscape: the woods that surround the monastery, the churches, and the religious traditions that have persisted within Serra San Bruno itself.

We will return to the hotel.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
At leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity Note
Getting on/off motorcoach; driving about 70 miles, approximately 1.5 hours. Walking about 1.5 miles, approximately 1 hour total; some steps and inclines. Extent and duration of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
After checking out of the hotel, we will board our private motorcoach and transfer to Reggio Calabria. We will stop en route at the fishing village of Scilla and visit with our Group Leader the old district of Chianalea, a mystical place that wraps you up in its charm and allure. The encounter with Chianalea or Piana delle Galee, taking its name from the ancient boat) is an emotional experience that visitors cannot miss. It is a journey through history and myth, ancient traditions and new sensations, immortal beauty and evidence that is still vivid. Like those that are encountered along the main street, continually interrupted by narrow and characteristic lanes on the sides that open glimpses of incomparable impactful landscape between the houses, some of which date back to the 1600s, leaning against each other. We will visit the ancient workshop of a Luthier who will show you and let you listen to, playing them himself, some of the typical musical instruments of Calabria. In this small workshop you will find the art and patience of manual construction, the imagination and sympathy of the luthier Sergio who carries on a rare and now disappearing profession. You will be able to know and understand the peculiar characteristics of these instruments, the woods, the varnishes, their construction, and their ancient history.
Lunch:
At a restaurant in Chianalea.
Afternoon:
We will then continue our transfer to Reggio Calabria. We will check in at the hotel, and the afternoon will be free time.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
At leisure
Activity Note
Walking about 2 miles, approximately 1.5 hours total, on flat terrain.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Leaving the hotel with our Group Leader, we will walk to the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia, or National Museum of Reggio. We will visit the home to the famed Riace Bronzes, the two magnificent Greek statues from the 5th century BC. recovered thanks to a fortuitous discovery in the waters of the Ionian Sea in front of the small Calabrian village. For Calabria the two warriors were immediately a symbol of cultural identification and hope for redemption. Precisely to the two Greek warriors who are now the symbol of the strength and greatness of classical art: Warriors, heroes, gods? Who did the Riace Bronzes represent in ancient times, who made them, for what occasion and in what context could they be admired. The mystery of the warriors kept since the 1980s in the National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria is, still after half a century, unsolved. It is widely believed that it is one of the highest moments of sculptural production of all time and the most important archaeological discovery of the last century. The hypotheses on the origin, dating and authors of the statues are different. The analysis of the melting earth remaining inside the two statues demonstrates that they were in Argos, in the Peloponnese, Greece, probably in the mid-5th century. B.C. An infinite story, which has its roots in a glorious past. The Riace Bronzes, so shrouded in charm and mystery, represent a unique example of inestimable value for Calabria.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
Free time.
Dinner:
On your own.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 61 miles throughout the day, approximately 2 hours total riding time. Walking about 1 mile, approximately 1 hour total; some steps and inclines on uneven terrain.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will board our motorcoach and ride to Amendolea, a timeless village where ancient Greek traditions and language still survive. We will visit the Bergamotto. We will get to know an area of Calabria where nature and culture tell of ancient civilizations handed down from family in family, where they talk still the language of the Greeks of Calabria and learn from the staffer about the cultivation and production of the bergamotto, called the green gold, a citrus fruit unique in the world for its organoleptic and nutritional properties. The oil obtained is one of the most precious ingredients to produce perfumes.
Lunch:
At the farmhouse. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell lunch.
Afternoon:
We will return to the hotel. The rest of the afternoon will be free time.
Dinner:
On your own.
Evening:
At leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and depart in the morning.
Activity Note
Hotel check-out by 11:00 a.m. See your program’s “Getting There” information regarding transfers.
Breakfast:
At the hotel depending on departure time. This concludes our program.
Morning:
If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program.

We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on another rewarding program in the future. Don’t forget to like our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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