A Few Things to Love About Southern Italy

Last week my friend and expat-in-southern-Italy counterpart, Tina of Tina Tangos wrote about three things to love about living in Italy.

And yes, it is all about the food.

Read the rest of this entry »

Auntie Adventures: Italian Beach Bums

A couple of weeks ago I started off my Auntie Adventure tales with a story about how Cole, my nine year old nephew, stalked met some Calabrese women on the lungomare in Catanzaro. Unfortunately (for me) it didn’t stop there.

Read the rest of this entry »

Things Southern Italians Know … like how to ward off the malocchio

Adjusting to life in southern Italy-without a drop of Italian ancestral blood in my veins-took a bit more practice than it did for my Italian-American counterparts. You see, I didn’t grow up eating seven fishes at Christmas or fearing the dreaded malocchio.

Read the rest of this entry »

Five Fabulous Fortresses in Calabria

Like most of southern Italy, Calabria has castles sprinkled throughout its medieval towns and villages. There are hundreds of them, some with barely a glimmer from their glory days, others remaining imposing monuments of their ancestors’ conquests.

Read the rest of this entry »

How to Spend a Perfect Spring Day in Catanzaro

Choosing to spend your vacation in Calabria is just the first step in planning the perfect southern Italy vacation, but between beaches and mountains, ruins and architecture, your options are downright daunting.

Read the rest of this entry »

First of the Month Recipe: Homemade Calabrian Lasagna

You know you are loved when you visit a home in Calabria and are served a generous helping of homemade lasagna. For many Calabrians, lasagna is a special meal and in the busy world we live in today-yes, even here in Calabria-it is hard to find time to prepare this dish the way you should.

Read the rest of this entry »

Some Like it Hot: An Overview on Calabrian Cooking

Seasonal ingredients, local olive oil and red hot chili peppers form the foundation of Calabrian cooking and have spurred the now-famous reinvention of home-style, Italian paesano food.

Pasta, always al dente, is usually eaten once a day and is served in heaps and tossed with the perfect sauce to complement its shape and texture.

Read the rest of this entry »

Medieval Villages of Calabria, Part I

After the fall of the Roman Empire, a host of invaders flocked across southern Italy, establishing some of the most charming villages in Calabria. This period in our history is called “the Middle Ages,” and the towns they created along the way-Medieval villages-are everywhere in Calabria.

Read the rest of this entry »

Five Fun Things to Do When You Are in Calabria

Until now few people have had the chance to travel in Calabria, opting instead to visit the Big Three or basing themselves in Italy’s northern regions.

But things are changing.

Read the rest of this entry »

Medieval Villages of Calabria, Part II

Last week I ran down six beautifully well-preserved Medieval villages in the provinces of Reggio Calabria and Crotone. The more popular villages of Gerace and Stilo made the cut, but that list was far from complete.

Read the rest of this entry »

How to Pack a Beach Bag for a Summer in Calabria

Summertime is just around the corner and here in Calabria things are heating up and everyone is preparing for the beach. If you are planning a trip to southern Italy this summer, you might be wondering what you should pack for your beach bum days.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ciao Chow! Five Things to Try When You are in Calabria

Last week I was invited to join the hosts of Eye on Italy for their podcast taping and to share information on traveling in Calabria. Inevitably, the subject of food came up and I was asked, along with fellow American in Calabria and podcast co-host, Michelle Fabio, which Calabrian foods are our favorites.

Read the rest of this entry »

My Five Favorite Italian Slang Words

Last week Jessica of Why Go Italy shared her five favorite Italian words as part of a meme over at Italofile.

Melanie tagged me for this meme way back when and I thought there was no better time than now to partake.

Read the rest of this entry »

Five Places to Go in Sicily

Sicily is one of the most diverse regions in Italy, so it is darn near impossible to narrow it down to just five places you should consider visiting.

But I tried.

Read the rest of this entry »

Auntie Adventures: Boardwalk Surprises

I’ve been in southern Italy almost two weeks now and no, I’m still not in the swing of things. You see, this time when I returned from my summer trip to Texas, I wasn’t empty-handed. In fact, I now have not one, but two adolescent boys-my nine year-old nephew, Cole and a friend’s 14 year old son, Jake to show around Calabria.

Read the rest of this entry »

Spotlight on Capri

Over the last few months I’ve tried to feature southern Italian travel destinations outside of my beloved Calabria-and few places in the bel paese are more beloved than Capri. If you are considering a visit to this chic and stylish island, here are a few ideas to add to your itinerary by avid Italy traveler, Katie Greenaway.

Read the rest of this entry »

My Bella Vita Travel Services

Visit our B&B in Catanzaro!

Archives

Learn Italian with Free Podcasts

For Sale: Catanzaro

Magazzino per vendere in Catanzaro, Calabria   Contact Us for more information.

For Sale: San Fili

House for Sale in San Fili, Calabria (Italy)

* 1 bedroom house on three floors
* 45 square meters/484 square feet
* Renovations needed
* €15,000
* Located in the mountains in San Fili, 9 kilometers from the beach at Paola
* Contact us for more information

About My Bella Vita


Cherrye Moore is a Texas-born freelance writer living in Catanzaro, Italy. Read how it all started here.
***
Sign up for my newsletter to receive personal anecdotes, recipes and little-known facts about Calabria and southern Italy.

65 Calabria Travel Tips-$9.99

Add to Cart

My Bella Vita on Facebook

Panama Canal hotel


www.flickr.com
My Bella Vita's items Go to My Bella Vita's photostream