Fiona Tells
I would like to introduce you to the most unknown and mysterious region of Italy.
With small stories, I will tell you about my Calabria, its people, and its natural beauty.
There is also a written interview in german (soon to be translated) about Fiona and her farm here.
S1. E1 — How did I get to Calabria?
When I met my husband Francesco, I knew he had grown up in Rome and worked in Milan, but soon discovered that his heart beat for Calabria, the home of his paternal ancestors.
Born and bred in Vienna, I did not know much more about Italy than the average Austrian tourist — the Adriatic Sea, Grado, Bibione, something about Florence, and a bit of Rome.
When Francesco talked about ‘his’ Calabria, which he knew mainly from holidays and his father’s stories, I asked him where it was located. He explained that it was situated even further south than Puglia, towards Sicily. I was terribly irritated, because I had visited the town of Santa Maria di Leuca in Puglia – at the very tip of Italy’s stiletto heel – and had been told that it was the southernmost point in Italy. Had I slept through my geography lessons at school? How was it possible there was something even further south? Shortly thereafter, I understood the relationship between Puglia (the heel), Calabria (the toe), and Sicily (the island).
S1. E2 — My first trip to Calabria
What an adventure! It was January 2001. There were no direct flights from Germany or Austria at that time, so I flew first to Rome and then to Lamezia Terme. Back then, you had to carry your suitcases between the airplane and the airport. When I arrived, it was evening and I couldn’t see much, but I remember the curves of the mountains one by one ….
The next morning, I had a big surprise: a breathtaking view, beyond my wildest dreams. The Savuto River Valley was surrounded by a sea of green mountains and picturesque villages. That was the moment when I thought …YES! I could live in this part of the world! Surrounded on either side by the glittering sea are the majestic mountains – a very important landscape element for an Austrian! – like the cherry on top of a cake.
S1. E3 — The contrasts in Calabria
In winter, you can ski in Sila and on the Aspromonte. In summer, you can dive into the deep blue Tyrrhenian Sea or into the turquoise waters of the Ionian.
You can also go for a walk/trek in the largest natural park in Italy, and those who are not bitten by wolves or bears can also swim in the fresh lakes of the Pollino or Sila. Just kidding!
There are also attractions for the culture enthusiast. One of my first trips took me to the castle of Vibo Valentia, which is now a state museum. There I found descriptions of explorer Friedrich Leopold Graf Stolberg’s 18th century journey to Calabria, which was commissioned by the Emperor of Austria.
S1. E4 — The Tyrrhenian side
I want to tell you some things about the Calabrian sea on the Tyrrhenian side, which is the closest sea to our home. From the beach, the sea is immediately very deep, which is why the color of the water is so dark. This stretch of coast is characterized by strong, reliable winds that make it ideal for kitesurfing. My favorite beach, located in Gizzeria, is called Hangloosebeach and is very popular with kitesurfers. It is not only a meeting place for sport, but also has a stylish bar and a trendy restaurant. Relaxation and ‘coolness’ pervade the place, with sport offerings and entertainment for both young and experienced surfers as well as regular beachgoers. In May and June, before the summer season begins, the beach draws kitesurfers from all over Europe. The Aeolian Islands are not far away and on clear days you can see them perfectly.
S1. E5 — The classic Calabrian
Yes it’s true, the classic Calabrian man is “scuro ed oscuro,” but for me as a real typical Austrian, the true Tyrolean man is also mysterious. I am convinced this particular temperament is due to living in the mountains.
Mountain people are often suspicious of foreigners as potential enemies. But unlike the Tyrolean, who smiles as soon as he identifies the foreigner as a tourist carrying money, the Calabrian smiles upon recognition that there is no real danger. In all the world, I have found nothing more hospitable than a Calabrian family who opens its heart.
S1. E6 — Men on the street
In the villages of Calabria, it is primarily men (of all ages) who can be found in the streets: standing, sitting or playing cards and passing the time with a beer, a glass of wine or a coffee in hand. The women are at home, chaste and mainly occupied with cooking — there is always an abundance of food, perhaps too much – or tending the vegetable garden and pickling their produce for the winter.
Between the hours of 1:00 and 5:00 PM, the villages seem empty, as each person spends the siesta in his or her own way. In the cities of Southern Italy, gender equality has been accepted in a special way: women frequent bars or clubs in groups of at least two and are happy to be among friends.
S1. E7 — A small anecdote
In the early years of our marriage, we traveled to the Calabrian town of Martirano Lombardo primarily in the summers to visit my in-laws’ house. One day, my father-in-law asked if I wanted to accompany him to Santa Croce. Being very curious and eager to absorb everything, of course I agreed. We drove along some dirt roads and soon arrived at a farmer’s house. My father-in-law spoke to the couple who lived in the house and, before I knew it, tomatoes and other produce were being loaded into our car and we were on our way back home. What a great disappointment! Because of my limited Italian, I thought we would be making a trip to a famous church and not a house in the middle of nowhere, or … stay tuned for my next posting to find out!
S1. E8 — The real first time in Santa Croce
The next day, I put my daughter in the stroller and thought: If I bring up my child in a place that loves children, I will be protected from a bunch of angry looking people. I was curious to get to know the villagers a little better.
She in the stroller and I on foot, we walked uphill and downhill, finally arriving in Santa Croce where we met the farming couple whom my father-in-law and I had visited the day before. They greeted me with “le facce scure,” the inscrutable expressions that are often typical of Calabrians. I immediately pulled my baby out of the stroller and positioned her between me and the man.
He spoke to me in Calabrese, a dialect derived mainly from ancient Greek, and I tried my best to answer in a mixture of Spanish and a little Italian. In practice, neither one of us understood the other, but thanks to the little girl’s wide smiles, the man’s demeanor softened. His name is Ricciotti, and he and his wife became my first teachers in Calabria.
S1. E9 — Una terrona
The next day, I put my daughter in the stroller and thought: If I bring up my child in a place that loves children, I will be protected from a bunch of angry looking people. I was curious to get to know the villagers a little better.
She in the stroller and I on foot, we walked uphill and downhill, finally arriving in Santa Croce where we met the farming couple whom my father-in-law and I had visited the day before. They greeted me with “le facce scure,” the inscrutable expressions that are often typical of Calabrians. I immediately pulled my baby out of the stroller and positioned her between me and the man.
He spoke to me in Calabrese, a dialect derived mainly from ancient Greek, and I tried my best to answer in a mixture of Spanish and a little Italian. In practice, neither one of us understood the other, but thanks to the little girl’s wide smiles, the man’s demeanor softened. His name is Ricciotti, and he and his wife became my first teachers in Calabria.
S1. E10 — Wash your hands in the mountains
I had another teacher who lived in the mountain above Martirano, in a place called Molinara. He taught me many things about the South: Which plants you can use to make particular grappas, how to wash your hands by rubbing certain flowers that grow near the springs, and so on. Sometimes we would walk together. He would bring his cows to graze, and we would sit under a large cherry tree while he shared stories of his difficult and full life. He would cut two branches from the tree and we would enjoy the succulent black cherries directly from those branches, savoring the view of the Savuto Valley in front of us.
S2. E1 — Mourning
Here in Calabria, death remains an important part of life. The rituals surrounding death and mourning are respected and observed, in particular the moving tradition of the open coffin.
It is customary for the widow (usually the wife is the one left behind) to receive guests at her home. As the mourners arrive to pay their respects, she “reintroduces” them to the deceased, explaining who they are and telling stories of their shared life experiences. The circumstance is very deep and emotional for everyone. Another common practice is for guests to leave food near the coffin for the ancestors who will attend the dead.
S2. E2 — Reggio Calabria
Let’s get back to enjoying life, so let’s go to Reggio Calabria.
The largest and most populated municipality of Calabria! Since the Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway was completed in 2016 (55 years after work began!), it is very easy to reach the city by driving just an hour and a half.
After parking, it is mandatory to stroll along “the most beautiful kilometer in Italy,” as writer and poet Gabriele d’Annunzio defined the Lungomare Falcomatà, Reggio’s seaside promenade.
Along the way you will encounter some very nice bars and ice cream shops where you can also find delicious aperitifs.
Surely you will hear German and English spoken.
And often you will meet Calabrians who lived their young lives abroad and welcome the opportunity to use the languages of their youth.
S2. E3 — Riace Bronzes
After the promenade, it is always interesting to visit the National Museum of Reggio Calabria.
Exhibitions vary, highlighting items from the Stone Age until the late Roman times, and the museum is the only one of its kind to be built around a necropolis.
However, the main attraction is surely the Bronzi from Riace, two life-size Greek statues of naked bearded warriors from approximately 460–450 BC that were discovered in the sea near the town of Riace in 1972.
The Calabrian government endured a long battle to have the bronzes returned to the National Museum following their renovation and initial discovery. Although there were concerns about the security of the artwork, everyone can now rest assured that they are safe, sound … and magnificent! After a few hours of art and culture, why not stop across the street to the renowned Gelateria Cesare for a delectable ice cream? Take it to go, and admire the charming houses and shops while enjoying a leisurely walk along the main road.
S2. E4 — Red Onions from Tropea
A great excursion is to visit the towns of Tropea and Pizzo!
When the day arrives, one should leave early and drive directly to Tropea. It is surely the most well-known town in Calabria. The water is a turquoise color that most people associate with the Caribbean Sea, and the city is built on a rock overlooking these blue waters, surrounded by fine sand. The combination provides an irresistible invitation to enjoy the sun and take a long dive. In the city of Tropea, one can find beautiful small shops and very inviting trattorias and gelaterias. Wandering around quickly becomes an occasion to notice nice mansions and reach the Duomo, otherwise known as the dome of the Norman Cathedral. But above all, the most famous product of Tropea is the humble onion — red and sweet and valued by the whole culinary world.
S2. E5 — Children’s Beach in Pizzo
One day we went to the town of Pizzo in search of the perfect beach for our little one. We considered our spot quite carefully, as the Tyrrhenian Sea becomes very deep very quickly, and for that reason can be dangerous for small children.
After our swim, I realized I had forgotten to bring a spare diaper. As there were no open shops (it being riposo, or Italy’s midday siesta), I went looking for an Italian mama in possession of spare diapers.
After initial failures, I finally got lucky when I found the family of a fisherman with innumerable children, one of whom was the age of our daughter. In addition to finding the diaper, we found the perfect swimming spot. The fisherman had created a pseudo swimming pool in the shallow waters of the sea; we liked it so much, we returned there many times over the years.
S2. E6 — Giada the dolphin
The daughter of the fisherman, whose name is Giada, became the best beach-friend of our daughter Clarice. Petite, tanned, with green eyes, Giada was the opposite of Clarice, who was tall and fair and with grey-green eyes. The two girls liked each other from the moment they met. We wondered how Giada was already jumping and diving in the water like a dolphin, while Clarice still used arm floaties. I asked Giada’s mother how her daughter learned to swim so well at so young an age. Her method was simple: When Giada was a baby, her brothers threw her into the water to see what would happen. The experiment worked well and, by age three, she was absolutely comfortable in the sea. Once Clarice learned to swim, the girls spent whole days together at the seaside collecting “golden sand” in bottles, eating fresh fish and french fries, and playing in the water. The other beachgoers called them “the light one” and “the dark one,” but no one could tell them apart until they emerged from the sea.
S2. E7 — Tartufo di Pizzo
And now Pizzo! The city has witnessed tragic historic events. General Joachim Murat, King of Naples and brother-in-law of Napoleon, fled Naples in 1815 and took refuge in Pizzo, where ultimately he was betrayed, tried for treason, imprisoned in Castello di Pizzo, and sentenced to death by firing squad. Thankfully, Pizzo is also blessed with good fortune. Due to an astonishing location and a romantic terrace overlooking the sea, the view from Pizzo yields breathtaking sunsets. It remains a magnet for couples in love and has been the location of more than a few engagements. However, Pizzo’s greatest claim to fame is its Tartufo. Almost as famous as the venerable Austrian Sachertorte, but in fact much more delicious, Tartufo, which originated in Pizzo, is arguably the best ice cream in the world. There are many purveyors of Tartufo in the town, but the place I prefer is Gelateria Chez Toi. The owner prepares the tartufi in a very small kitchen and if one is extremely lucky, it is possible to watch the master at work.
S2. E8 — The Cave-Church of Piedigrotta
Situated just outside Pizzo, you can find and visit a church built into a cave. The church is called Piedigrotta, and I would like to tell you its legend. During the 17th century, after a violent storm, a ship sank in the surrounding waters, but before the vessel went down, the captain and crew gathered below deck to pray for their lives before a painting of the Madonna. (At that time, every ship had an image of the Madonna on board.) The sailors promised that if she saved their lives, they would build a church in her honor and, in fact, the crew made it safely to shore. The following day, as they were searching for remnants of their ship, they found the painting, which they brought directly to a nearby church where they celebrated a thanksgiving mass. The next day, however, the image was gone, only to reappear again on the shores. This scenario repeated itself many times. Eventually, the residents of Pizzo decided to place the painting in a small cave dug into the tufa (a variety of limestone), close to the sea. This cave became the present-day Chiesetta di Piedigrotta. In the 19th century, local sculptors began to add artwork to the cave by carving stone figures representing Christ and the saints. Today, one can view not only many religious carvings, but also politically inspired scenes, such as the Kennedy-Brezhnev meeting! The cave-church continues to change and grow as more sculptures are added. People can visit from spring to autumn; in wintertime, the attraction is often flooded with seawater.
S2. E9 — The Calabrian Diaspora
People from Calabria emigrated in different waves over the last hundred years. The first exodus, which occurred at the end of the 19th century, was characterized by young men leaving their homeland in search of riches associated with the great American dream, but always with the intention of returning. Those who made it back bought land, often from their former landlords. The second wave took place in the 1930s. There were so many departures that Mussolini issued a ban on emigration in order to stop the tide! In the 1960s, most male emigrants left Calabria with their wives to settle in popular destinations such as Switzerland, Germany and the North of Italy. However, many mothers returned home to Calabria when it was time for their children to begin school. The fathers remained elsewhere to continue working and sending money home. Many families built houses for themselves and future generations, which demonstrated their strong desire to remain connected to their ancestral homeland. Today, things are different: whoever decides to emigrate packs the luggage, chooses the destination, and typically stays forever.
S2. E10 — The Hard Heads
My husband advises me to avoid making generalizations and judgments, but …. people from Calabria are hard-headed and stubborn, just like the Viennese. However, there is an important distinction between them: The Viennese do not have similar strong feelings about honor and family. For example, if I have a problem with a Calabrese, I can be certain that nobody – really, not one relative — from that person’s family will ever have contact with me or my family again. And by “family” I mean extended family, including aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. These circumstances mark the end of friendships, even for family members who had no part of the issue that created the tension. In this regard, Calabrese society is more similar to Arab culture than to European culture!
S3. E1 — Catanzaro
We live exactly between the modern capital of Catanzaro and the ancient capital of Cosenza, and in the following episodes I will tell you about both. Catanzaro rose to power during the Byzantine period and was a major stronghold against the Saracen attacks from 906 A.D. onward, reaching its peak during the Kingdom of Aragon. Beginning in the Middle Ages, the city was the European center of production for silk and damask fabrics, but the thriving textile industry was struck by silkworm disease in the early part of the 19th century, causing its decline and eventual demise. Weavers fled the city or dedicated themselves to other pursuits, and Catanzaro’s economy never regained its ancient splendor.
The city, built on three hills that dominate the surrounding area, is accessible by high bridges. The most imposing of these, called Fausto Bisantis Bridge, is built on a single arch, the widest in Italy. When you arrive in Catanzaro at night, it appears like Utopia. From the darkness emerges a fantastic and illuminated aerial city.
S3. E2 — Cosenza
Cosenza is a city famous for its history and its characters. Germans know it from the poem Das Grab im Busento, written by August von Platen-Hallermünde (1796-1835), which speaks of the city, its river Busento and Alarich I, King of the Visigoths.
The first barbarian to conquer Rome, Alarich died in Cosenza and was buried under the river along with his horse, his armor and an immense treasure. The digging of the grave and restoration of the riverbed after the funeral were performed by Roman slaves, who were subsequently killed by Alaric’s soldiers in order to keep secret the exact location of the burial site. The king’s tomb and treasure remain a mystery for archeologists! Cosenza impresses also for its Norman Castle (likewise called Hohenstaufen Castle or Swabian Castle).
In the old town, I suggest a visit to the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Church of the Dominicans and, naturally, to the Duomo. Next to the Duomo, there is a cozy restaurant featuring excellent Calabrian cuisine and wine. In the newer part of the city, along the street called Corso G. Mancini, you will find an open-air museum displaying sculptures by famous artists – such as Salvador Dalí, Giorgio De Chirico, and Giacomo Manzù — donated to the city by the art collector Carlo Bilotti.
S3. E3 — Travelling in the South
I will now touch on a difficult issue about which I often get questions: the mafia in Calabria, known here as ‘Ndrangheta. First, I would like to state clearly that travelers to the South are not affected by the ‘Ndrangheta and, indeed, they will not even perceive its existence. Much has been written about the origin of this criminal phenomenon, in particular why it developed in Southern Italy. There are surely direct connections between the presence of ‘Ndrangheta and the region’s former severe poverty and widespread social injustice. However, organized crime is not unique to this part of the world; it has also developed in northern Italy, Germany, and in fact all over Europe. Those of us without familial connection to the mafia prefer to stay far away from it, as no good can result. The exceptions are the heroic people and extraordinary organizations that fight for justice by overtly opposing this criminal system.
S3. E4 — San Giovanni in Fiore
A hot summer day is the perfect time to travel to San Giovanni in Fiore because the village is located is the Sila Mountains, where the weather is much cooler than along the seaside. The most famous son of this city is Gioacchino da Fiore (1135-1202), abbott of the Cistercian Abbey of Corazzo and founder of the Order of Florense. Da Fiore studied the Revelations of the Holy Scriptures with permission from Pope Lucius III. A theologian and an accomplished intellectual who contemplated humanity, da Fiore influenced Dante Alighieri, who placed him in the paradise of the Divine Comedy among the blessed wise men. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI stands out among the many scholars of da Fiore’s theology.
The art of goldsmithing has developed over time in the town of San Giovanni in Fiore. A few times each year, traders riding donkeys would bring gold into the city with which artisans produced jewelry and ornaments that became famous all over Calabria. Today, the local museum displays historical objects of the highest workmanship.
S3. E5 — Hospitality in Calabria
Anyone who has ever been a guest in a Calabrian home knows how necessary it is to have an expandable stomach and a well-padded bottom. After a heartfelt greeting, you will be seated almost immediately at the table and, before you know it, the hostess will begin shuttling between the kitchen and the dining table. Just when you (mistakenly) think you have control over the amount and array of foods on your plate, the most scrumptious delicacies will arrive!
After the appetizers and the first course, the meat will be served, accompanied by various potato dishes – and then the road of suffering really begins. If you are able to think straight during this period of consumption, you will observe that the hosts eat comparatively little while urging their guests to consume more and more. Vegetables and salad will follow along the same pattern, and if you are lucky, you may be able to avoid a second piece of cake. By the end of the meal, you are happily indulging in coffee and grappa, without which it seems the world will collapse. When you feel the only way home is to crawl (or roll), you can imagine a grin on the hostess’s face that means “we won once again!” 
. Time to prepare for a sleepless night.
