Experience tourism in Calabria: a day like Italians!

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that I live in Calabria, in the south of Italy. And not only that: I’m the only Portuguese-speaking guide around here, in addition to being a tourism promoter in the region and passionate about this place! In other words: Calabria is part of my daily life and, whenever possible, I want to talk about this very special place for you! That’s why this post is so special to me! Today I tell you EVERYTHING about an experience tour in Calabria: a day like Italians! Here at Your Travel to Italy with Ana Patricia you make the trip of your dreams !!! ALSO: see our “Accommodation in Italy – Tips for your holidays!”

Our Introduction

Calabria, as we have already said, is a region located in southern Italy. Famous for its splendid beaches, Calabria is one of the Italian regions that best translates the true essence of the “dolce vita” and the “dolce far niente”. With small and, dare I say, discrete towns, it is a region that is home to countless historical and cultural heritages.

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A very special project in Calabria

Calabria has a project dedicated to the revitalization and enhancement of the territory. The Association “Tra Chjiazza, Rughi e Carriari” (“Between rails, roars and carriages” – in free translation from the Calabrian dialect).

This association aims to make the region known for its culture, history and local cuisine, in addition to making tourists feel, in fact, at home!

With a fantastic tourist structure, the association presents the project “Identity Journey: rediscovering the origins”, focused on the so-called “Tourism of the Roots”, and promoted by the municipality of Maida in collaboration with the University of Calabria and the Faculty of Tourism Sciences. The project takes the tourist to live unique experiences as a true local resident.

Why is the project so special?

It is a very special project because it involves the whole community, encouraging citizens to collaborate with ideas, projects and programs, making everything even more authentic. The project is all integrated through the creation of a network that includes hotels, restaurants and agriturismi, not to mention that the residents themselves open their homes to tourists.

Furthermore, there are other objectives involved such as encouraging cultural exchange; village revitalization; a new form of tourism, called “residential tourism”, which takes visitors to the “grandparents’ house”, awakening unique emotions; and movement of the local economy.

Want to learn more about Calabria?
I invite you to visit our special website: Your Travel to Calabria

Proposals for Experience tourism in Calabria: a day like Italians in Maida Village

The project presents three proposals to interested parties and, below, we will see all of them in detail.

First Proposal: a family day out

This is the simplest proposal of them all, but it’s still amazing!

What will I find?

Here it is proposed to spend a typical day with a Calabrian family for the preparation (and tasting!) of lunch. The chosen dish, of course, is typical of the region and made using local products obtained in the town’s shops and in the family’s vegetable garden.

How is the program?

The day starts at 10:00 in the morning and goes until 18:00, remembering, of course, that the schedules can change. The price of this proposal includes lunch with the family and the experience of cooking together.

Second Proposal: overnight in Maida

Arrival in the village will be at the end of the day, with a very special moment of welcome in one of the houses in the village that have been called “la casa della nonna“.

Where is the overnight stay?

The overnight stay will be at this location and there is the possibility of having dinner in a typical trattoria or at the home of a local family.

How is the program?

The next day begins with a typical breakfast prepared by the ladies of the city, followed by a guided tour of the village, then a tour to the home of a local family to prepare lunch with typical dishes from the region, and the afternoon is spent getting to know traditions and local culture.

This proposal includes 1 night stay with breakfast, dinner on the first day, a guided tour of the village, the experience of cooking with a Calabrian family, and lunch with typical dishes.

Third Proposal: 2 overnight stays in Maida

There is also an expected arrival in the village at the end of the day and a special moment of welcome in one of the houses in the village that have been called “la casa della nonna“.

Where is the overnight stay?

The overnight stay will also be at this location with the possibility of having dinner in a typical trattoria or at the home of a local family.

How is the program on the first day?

The next day also begins with a typical breakfast prepared by the ladies of the city, then there is a guided tour of the village, followed by a trip to the home of a local family to prepare lunch with typical dishes from the region, to, then, spend the afternoon getting to know local tradition and culture.

Second day:

After breakfast prepared by the ladies, we will have a guided tour of the village, and then continue the tour going to the home of a local family to prepare lunch; lunch, already included in the price, offers typical dishes from the region and, to end the day on a high note, we will spend the afternoon getting to know more about local life. On this day dinner is free.

Third day:

On the third and last day, after breakfast, we will head to a local farm where we will participate in the olive harvest, in addition to understanding more about olive oil production and being able to taste the local product. At the end of the tour there is a beautiful souvenir of the experience: a small bottle of limited production extra virgin olive oil. Want to know more about olive oils? Click here!

The price includes 2 overnight stays with breakfast, dinner on the first day, guided tour of the village, preparation of lunch and lunch with the family, and experimental workshop with olive oil tasting.

Good to know…
Transportation within the village and to destinations covered by the experience are included; the cost of transfers from the airport/station (and vice versa) to the village must be considered separately.

To find out more about the project, prices and reservations, contact me!
CLICK HERE!

How is the experience in practice?

Well, to answer what experience tourism is like in Calabria: a day like Italians, nothing better than the testimony of those who have experienced it firsthand, right?

Two of my clients had this experience recently and I asked them to tell me what they thought of it all.

Kindly, Marcos and Rosa sent me some beautiful feedback and now, with a heart full of joy, I would like to share it with you too:

“I write to express my sincere thanks for a dream come true.
We have been in Italy since September 16th and my wife’s wish was to be able to experience Italy, feel the country’s culture and connect with its origins, (in addition to) remembering and understanding, in the most positive sense of the word, the behavior your father, your grandmother, your mother and your aunts.
Her requirement was (…): “I don’t want to do tourism, I want to feel that I’m living in Italy and experiencing the reality of the place! I want to reconnect with my ancestors by observing the tone of their voice, the gestures they make, the things they eat and the way they prepare everything.”
It was in Maida, with her help, (that) in just 2 days, everything happened like magic and the dream of a lifetime came true! By coincidence, or by divine gift, (the dream) came true on the occasion of my wife’s birthday!
The realization of (this) dream began with the welcome given by Maria Assunta and Franco. (responsible for the project). We felt, from the first minute, that we were in the right place and with the right people!
The dream came true when we were given a place to live, a grandmother’s house where you can feel her presence in every object in the house, in addition to the delicate welcome treats.
We lived an incredible experience of preparing an Italian CENA (dinner), visited an amazing olive oil farm, worked together with contadinos (peasants), and had lunch with what they eat.
At night, we walked around the burgo (village), had history classes and met people from Argentina and Brazil who were looking for the same dreams; we had dinner with them and did a (cultural) exchange.
Today, we had a grand finale visiting a farm, seeing the gardens, picking chicken eggs, eating fruits from the forest, experiencing the preparation of Italian bread in a family community, and celebrating my wife’s birthday at a splendid lunch!
We came to Maida in search of a tourist experience, but we found much more than that: we found friends, and a family that (made us) feel part of it.
In thanking everyone who was involved in this effort, I said that they have no idea of the happiness they brought to life by fulfilling a dream.
Patrícia, I am writing to thank you and encourage this type of tourism to continue and develop.
I believe that many people of Italian descent, when they travel to Italy, want what we had, but maybe they don’t even know how to ask for it.
We were lucky enough to make contact with you, Patrícia, and to meet Maria Assunta, Franco and all of Lino’s and Antonella’s family.
I conclude by expressing our most sincere thanks!”

Marcos and Rosa in Maida

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Conclusion

Experience tourism in Calabria: a day like Italians! If you want to LIVE Italy, in the most literal sense of the word: come to Calabria with me!

If you feel insecure or have no time, and need help to organize your trip, do not hesitate to look for me! I will love to help you make your dream trip to Italy. And how can I do that? Continue reading this post until the end and you will understand how can we make your life and journey easier.

Did my post help you? If yes, make sure to leave your comment below, but if you still have questions, just leave them as a comment below and I will reply, O.K.?

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