Calabria

Calabria is the home of big, bold flavors. The sun-soaked region lies in the toe of Italy’s boot, near its southernmost end. Flanked by crystal-blue seas, it has more than 500 miles of coastline, many of which are covered by gorgeous, not-too-crowded beaches. Calabria sees more than 300 days of sweltering Mediterranean sunshine every year. That heat gets converted to serious spice in its famous chiles, which were introduced to the region by Spanish traders in the 16^th century. They caught on quickly, and today, every Italian knows that Calabrian chiles are the best in the world.

The region has an ancient, diverse history. Starting in the 8^th century BCE, Calabria was a prosperous center in the Greek colony known as Magna Graecia. It was conquered by the Romans, then became part of the Byzantine empire for five centuries. All of these influences can be seen in the local art and architecture, in the food, and the love for all things spicy. Chile-spiked soppressata and spreadable ‘nduja are two iconically spicy Calabrian salumi that is DOP-protected—meaning they’re so popular that the name can only be used by products made according to strict tradition in the region.

No visit to Calabria would be complete without stops at some of the picturesque mountaintop towns that date back to the medieval period, such as Gerace and Tropea. The latter is also home to an ultra-sweet variety of red onions known locally as la Regina Rossa (“the red queen”). It’s said that the true mark of a Tropea onion is that you can eat it raw, like an apple! You can celebrate those spicy peppers at the annual peperoncino festival in the town of Diamante, where you’ll find chile-themed singing and dancing in the streets—and lots of eating, of course!