10 things not to be missed in Reggio Calabria
Welcome to Reggio Calabria,
before writing this page, which wants to be a kind of help for visitors to our city, I imagined having to leave urgently to an alien planet for a job that could not make me come back home … what I would like to see and what I would like to taste for the last time having only a few hours available?
Here is the best of the city of Reggio and surroundings, or at least what in my opinion makes this land unparalleled.
Let’s start with lunch, but what lunch? Here you do not go to the restaurant for lunch! Here is the legendary “aperitif”: a drink, pasta, pizza, sandwiches, caponata, parmigiana, olives, capers, and even sandwitches of all kinds … but look at the spicy if you’re not used, here, everywhere you go, the pepper is a must, so always say if you do not want it because for us the pepper is a basic ingredient of our kitchen. An aperitif in my city costs like a drink but provides a good caloric supply to face an entire winter. On the Via Marina there is the aperitif of Sottozero and Caffé Matteotti.
Now we will digest walking, walking on the wonderful Corso Garibaldi, always full of people until over midnight; how could I leave this city without having tasted the famous “crispelline” of Cordon Bleu? A bag of a few euros full of balls made of batter and anchovies is enough for two people and makes you feel the salt of our sea, the scent of our traditions … make sure they have just been made, however, must be hot, very hot !!!
We continue the walk to the beautiful shops of the city where the shopkeepers are all cute and kind, where entering the shops is nice even if you do not buy, because the hospitality of this city is unique and unforgettable.
We arrive at the Magna Graecia Museum, here two hours of diving await me in the history of a people that is the result of the fusions of the greatest peoples and that hosts two great warriors, now disarmed by time, that remind me that before we Italians were Greeks , and then I continue to walk in the corridors to discover that we were also Romans and much, much more.
I leave the museum and it is unthinkable to get away without having blessed my lips with the legendary brioche with ice cream of the Gelateria Cesare, the best ice cream in Italy; it is said that the Riace Bronzes have abandoned their swords but still keep their hands up waiting for someone to bring him a gelato of Cesare.
We continue to walk along Via Marina, the most beautiful kilometer in Italy, where ancient trees, huge statues and a breathtaking view of the whole of eastern Sicily and the Etna volcano enchant as the Fata Morgana enchanted the invaders hundreds of years ago.
Between Greek walls, Roman baths, the splendid amphitheater on the sea of Via Marina, I stop, take pictures and then continue the walk.
We arrive at the Duomo, a church that is a mixture of architecture and that in the period of September becomes the center of city life and of all those citizens who come back from all over the world.
We return to the center and pass by the Church of the Ottimati to enter the Aragonese Castle and enjoy a breathtaking sunset from the south-facing tower.
It ‘time for dinner and the usual question is repeated: fish, meat or pizza tonight?
Waiting for the decision we stop at the Café Noir, just below the Castle, where the aperitif of the dinner is unique, inimitable, elegant, attractive, sometimes to such an extent that you end up spending the whole evening there together with many beautiful people and lots of good live music.
But there are only a few hours left until I leave and I have to do everything, so this evening I have the alternative between the fish of “U’ Bais” o di “Kalamare“, or the delicious meat of the “Officina del Gusto“ ? And if you want to remember me for a long time the taste of my Italy with a 4 seasons pizza in “Hostaria dei Campi“ or the legendary 7 white cheeses with spicy salami of the pizzeria “Spaccanapoli” !!!
A day would not be enough for me to try everything, to see everything, I know that the departure will have to postpone it, I still could not see the Strait from the Castle of Scilla and its area of Chianalea, the famous Venice of the South rich in local restaurants that prepare the sandwich with swordfish and also luxurious restaurants with tables on the sea.
Maybe two days would not be able to show me and enjoy everything because Reggio is also Gambarie of Aspromonte, one of the few places in the world where you can ski watching the sea, Pentidattilo, the ghost town today full of craft shops, Bagnara, the city of pescespada in short, do you know what I’m saying? I do not start anymore, I stay here because basically here it is too good 😉 😛
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