The Land that Time Forgot (Calabria)

Member Name: Brooke3

Product:	Calabria
Date:	26/03/09 (142 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Learning the history of my family

Disadvantages: dirty restaurants, dirty beach, boredom...

Sixty years ago my grandparents moved from Calabria to the UK and I am eternally grateful to them for doing so! In August I took a trip to Calabria to get back in touch with my Italian roots and learn a little bit about my heritage. This review is based on that experience and is in no way meant to be used as a guide when visiting Calabria. It is simply my opinions on my experience.

-Arrival-
We arrived at Lamezia airport sometime in the morning and it was like nothing I have ever experienced in any other airport. We tried to make our way to get our bags without getting injured but found it to be impossible and unfortunately it was my seven year old sister who ended up being hurt. People really don't care who they have to hurt to get from A to B in the quickest time possible, it's like the tube only far worse and it doesn't help that the airport doesn't seem to have been built to accommodate so many people.
The planning of the airport is absolutely awful! There is no room to queue, the signs aren't clear and the staff were incredibly rude and unhelpful.

We managed to rent a car with very little difficulty but we later heard from friends who didn't speak fluent Italian that it wasn't so easy for them and they were charged more than we were. This is something to keep in mind if you decide to visit this area, prices do seem to be much dearer if they think that you're English.

-The Beach Experience-
Calabria has some of the most naturally beautiful beaches that I've ever seen but unfortunately every beach that we visited was completely ruined!
I was actually shocked by the amount of litter that was on the beach. There are a few bins dotted around that no one seems to use and for the most part people just pile their rubbish up in the middle of the beach. You literally have to walk around piles of cans and bottles when you're making your way down to the sea.
The sea isn't much better. There were days when we couldn't swim in the sea because there was so much dirt and litter. On the days when the sea was considered clean enough to swim we still had to swim around rubbish.
I just don't understand why people would ruin anywhere so beautiful in this way. There is absolutely no respect for nature or the environment.

-Food-
If you like Italian food then you'll be happy enough but if you're like me and like some variety you'll be disappointed. I know that when you go to another country it's good to eat like the locals but in this instance it wasn't so appealing to me because the locals eat exactly what we eat at home. For the two weeks that I was there I craved some variety in food but there were only Italian restaurants.
The restaurant standards in Calabria seem to be a lot lower than they are over here in the UK and in other parts of Italy that I've visited. We went to a lot of restaurants, all of them considered to be upmarket restaurants and I was shocked at how poor the standards were. The cleanliness of the restaurants left a lot to be desired and there was one restaurant that was so dirty that I couldn't eat my meal, I felt so ill.
The service was generally very good and the waiting staff very friendly but it was so slow compared to over here. This isn't a criticism because I think it's more of a cultural thing. Meals take hours over there which in some ways is excellent. It's such a pleasant way to spend an evening and you never get anyone rushing you out as soon as you've finished your dessert. But at the same time when you go into a restaurant hungry you want your food as soon as possible.
The selection of food on the menus is very limited and you shouldn't expect to get the same range of Italian food that you do over here. Dishes like lasagne are only eaten at home in Calabria so you shouldn't expect to be able to get all Italian food in restaurants.

Buying food in the supermarkets obviously gives you more choice about what you eat but again it's still quite limited. It's not like going into tesco here where you can buy food from all over the world but you may be able to pick up something a little bit exotic.

-Getting in Touch my Heritage-
This was the point of my trip and I was able to visit both of the villages where my grandparents lived. If you do want to visit these villages and experience exactly what life is like in Calabria you will need a car. Public transport is very limited (two buses per day if I remember correctly).

Driving into Montesoro, the village in the mountains where my grandparents lived, was like travelling back in time. Nothing seems to have changed and this was the highlight of my trip.
I love history and being in this place made me feel like I was in a historical period. It's almost a surprise when you get invited into someone's house and find that they have electricity. The village is tiny and in some ways feels quite oppressive. The houses are all built so close together and it's all concrete, no trees lining the streets or anything. However, when you do make it to the edge of the village you are rewarded by the most breathtaking views of the sea. It was stunning.
I don't think that Montesoro would have the same appeal to anyone who didn't come from the area.

We continued up the mountain to Filadelfia where there was a market and I was shocked by how many people were there. It was the height of tourist season which meant that most of the Calabrese from all over the world were in Calabria and it seemed like most of them were at this market. It was interesting seeing all of the different things that were being sold and haggling for a good price but the whole experience was completely ruined by the fact that they were selling animals and keeping them in the most appalling conditions.
Filadelfia is much bigger than Montesoro and has a lot more going on (restaurants, bars etc.) but still has all of the character that Montesoro has. It does feel slightly more modern but not much.

Although I enjoyed visiting these villages and seeing the houses where my ancestors grew up the whole experience only made me feel more alienated from my heritage. The way of life there doesn't seem to have changed since my grandparents left and it made me feel quite sad because while it is interesting for me as an outsider to visit it was also clear that very little social progress has been made. This is still an area gripped by superstition and conservative Catholicism and all of the negative things that go with that (homophobia, misogyny etc.). This probably wouldn't be so clear if you were just visiting as a tourist but interacting with the people who live there it was very obvious.
-Festivals-
August seems to be the month for festivals in Calabria so we picked a good time to visit.
We attended a big festival in Montesoro (or big by their standards) where they have a singer singing in the square and various market stalls around the village. I enjoyed it for about half an hour and then I got bored. If the music had been to my taste it would have been great but as it was I didn't like the music that much and the stalls kept me amused for about fifteen minutes. I imagine that if you're a local this would be a great night out because everyone is out in the streets dancing to the music, chatting and drinking. As I didn't know that many people this part of it didn't appeal to me so much and I would say that this is something more for people who live there than tourists.

We were also there for Ferragosto which is a national holiday in Italy that has some kind of religious significance, although I'm not sure exactly what that is.
There is a procession of a statue of the Madonna (the mother of Christ, not the superstar) and people gather in the city and on the beaches to see her pass. Not being a Christian I couldn't see the appeal to this and wouldn't have followed the real Madonna if she appeared, never mind a statue but I did enjoy all of the food and the fireworks and if you're in Italy during this festival it's definitely worth going for the fireworks. They weren't up to the standards of Disneyland but they were still good. This festival will hold particular appeal if you're a Catholic.

-My Opinion of Calabria-
Although there were some high points to my trip in general I hated it! It was great seeing the villages and if I do ever return I will just go for a couple of days so that I can do this.
I ended up being so bored. There is very little to do and what there is to do isn't anything that appeals to me. I'm the kind of person that likes to visit museums and historical landmarks (I know, I'm a geek) and there just isn't anything like this in the area, or at least not that I'm aware of.

Multi-culturalism hasn't hit this part of Italy yet and it is rare that you will see anyone who isn't white. There seemed to be a lot of racism in the area and a lot of homophobia so this isn't somewhere that I could recommend anyone from any kind of minority to visit.

It is illegal to smoke inside but this doesn't stop people and I often found the staff, as well as the customers, smoking in café's. I hate passive smoking and this really annoyed me.

Visiting Calabria was like stepping back in time and this was appealing for a couple of days but after that it just got tiresome. The standard of living in the parts that I visited was very low, with people either out of work or working menial jobs for little pay. As a tourist it's possible to ignore these things but they are my family and it was difficult for me to reconcile the life that I lead with the life that they do. The whole trip left me feeling sad but so very grateful to my grandparents for immigrating to the UK.

Summary: My experience of Calabria