Calabria is a region in southern Italy located at the "toe" of the Italian peninsula south of Naples.
The region consists of mountains, with the imposing Pollino chain in the North, the Sila forested plateau in the center and the Serre and Aspromonte chains in the South, and hundreds of miles of wonderful coastline.
Calabria currently remains relatively undiscovered and therefore provides many low cost properties, rich culture, superb Italian food and hundreds of kilometres of beautiful coastline, with some of the cleanest beaches in Italy.
Calabria is a narrow peninsula extending into the heart of the Mediterranean for three hundred kilometres. It is located at the tip of the "boot" between the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west and the Ionian Sea and Gulf of Taranto to the east. It is separated from Sicily by the Strait of Messina, where the narrowest point between Capo Peloro in Sicily and Punta Pezzo in Calabria is only 3.2 km. Although the sea seems ever present in Calabria, it is mainly a mountainous region.
Three mountain ranges are present: Pollino, the Sila, and Aspromonte. All three mountain ranges are unique with their own flora and fauna.
The Pollino Mountains in the north of the region are rugged and form a natural barrier separating Calabria from the rest of Italy. Parts of the area are heavily wooded, while others are vast, wind-swept plateaus with little vegetation. These mountains are home to a rare Bosnian Pine variety, and are included in the Pollino National Park.
La Sila is a vast mountainous plateau, about 1,200 metres above sea level, which stretches for nearly 2,000 square kilometres along the central part of Calabria. The highest point is Botte Donato, which reaches 1,928 metres. The area boasts numerous lakes and dense coniferous forests.
The peninsula narrows at the Savuto river valley, which starts in the Sila and extends to the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia.
The Aspromonte massif forms the southernmost tip of the Italian peninsula bordered by the sea on three sides. This unique mountainous structure reaches its highest point at Montalto Uffugo, at 1,995 metres, and is full of wide, man-made terraces that slope down towards the sea.