Cedar Coast a Calabrian treasure trove

The north-western stretch of the Calabrian coast, from Scalea to Diamante, is the main gateway into this beautiful, and yet sometimes overlooked, southern Italian region.

Most tourists bypass it in their rush to get to Tropea and the famous Coast of the Gods, and Scalea’s suburbs are not that pretty, but I think leaving too quick is a mistake.

Look beyond the line of hideous (and most often unfinished) holiday homes of the middle-class Neapolitans, and you’ll find a place that’s worth investing a lot of your time.

Connected to Naples and further north to Rome via the high-speed Trenitalia network, Scalea train station is a perfect entry point for most Calabria-bound tourists.

I’ve spent over a week in the region, bunking down in the quaint hilltop village of Santa Domenica Talao. Thanks to the help of a few friendly locals, I’ve travelled around to get to know this unsung, yet beautiful, area.

Rent a car or an eBike if you decide to do the same.

This is my complete guide on all you should see and do in Calabria’s Cedar Coast.

Coastal beauties of San Nicola Arcella

Less than 10km from Scalea, the village of San Nicola Arcella is set in a beautiful horseshoe bay with crystal-clear turquoise waters.

This coast is a rocky wonder, with outcrops at the sides of the bay forming an amphitheatre.

Set in this is the undisputed beauty of the Grotta del Saraceno (Saracen Cave), with its iconic Arcomagno. This natural stone archway is set like a guardian in front of what may possibly be one of Calabria’s top beaches.

Over-tourism is a euphemism for what has been going on down there, particularly in August. To control this, there is now a €3 ($4.80) entry fee, and visits are restricted to 30 minutes from 8am to 8pm.

It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the beach and over the arch to reach a hidden bay to swim.

But San Nicola Arcella isn’t just a beach. Sitting dramatically over a promontory looking at the sea, the Crawford Tower was one in a system of coastal protective beacons. It was bought by the rich American writer of early horror stories, Francis Marion Crawford, who visited this bay on his boat and rented the tower. He lived in the tower and wrote during the last years of his life.

In July and August, travellers can join one of the guided sunset tours by writing to prolocosannicolaarcella@gmail.com or going to the information point in the town.

Piazza Altieri is the centre of the nightlife, from about 7pm. The bar and bistro Qce’ce’ dishes up aperitivos, taglierina and drinks. You can even stay upstairs at the annexed B&B Suitetti.

Finally, don’t miss Palazzo Principi Lanza, the former summer residence of the Prince Spinelli Lanza of Scalea. It dominates a cliff with views over Dino island (one of Calabria’s only two offshore islets), the Crawford Tower, the coast of seaside town Praia a Mare, and the Gulf of Policastro, extending all the way towards Naples.

It’s a nice place for cocktails, dinners and guided tours (which can also be arranged through the email address I have given).

Street art & spiciness in Diamante

On the southern end of the Cedar Coast, the seaside hamlet of Diamante is famous for its beautiful mural art and has branded itself as a Calabrian centre for the local chillies.

The Museo del Peperoncino (Chilli Museum) at Maiere, 4km from Diamante, is in a duke’s palace and has nine rooms telling the history of peperoncino and what is done with it.

The Festival of Peperoncino is held on the second weekend of September every year, and brings 200,000 visitors. Participants engage in various challenges, including an eye-watering peperoncino-eating challenge.

Diamante’s mural craze started in 1981, in a bet to revive the town. Via Pietro Mancini, where the townhouse is, has many large murals. One depicts the Italian police. There is a large indigenous face by popular Neapolitan artist Jorit, which is etched on the facade of Diamante’s townhouse. Nearby is an apartment complex whose front walls are painted with a giant seated woman.

Walking up to the Mother Church (Immacolata Concezione) from the main road brings you through a maze of small alleys full of character, with hanging flower pots and dozens of other murals.

High life in Santa Domenica Talao

Perched on a hilly ridge about 10km inland from Scalea’s coast, the town of Santa Domenica Talao is scenic and quiet. It possibly has the valley’s best vantage point, with views along the Cedar Coast.

That’s probably the reason why, in the baroque times of the 16th century, Prince Spinelli of Scalea founded the town, encouraged by its fresher climate.

The central Church of St Giovanni was built first, and the town developed around it. Not much has changed since. The church has an interesting crypt from the original 16th-century foundations, which contains human skulls and bones and several realistic Nativity scenes.

The town is also famous for its cuisine.

The most surprising place I visit is Vigreen, a sustainable, vegetarian, vegan-friendly trattoria on a hillside. It has an organic farm and an open-air theatre for cultural events ranging from alternative music to theatre, spoken words and dance. It’s also cheap for what one gets: €25 ($40.70) per person for a three-course meal and the night’s shows.

And the town is near Kartodromo, one of the largest go-kart racing circuits in the region.

Archaeology & rafting at Papasidero

Beyond Santa Domenica Talao, the Calabrian part of the Pollino National Park beckons.

The adventurous could walk the Sentiero dei Monaci (the Monks’ Path), through the hills between the villages of Papasidero and Orsomarso. This 6km-long trail is dotted by frescoes from the 10th and 11th centuries, and there is the Madonna delle Grazie Church and forest views.

Papasidero has a long and even rather sad history, as the plague hit this region harshly. St Sofia Chapel, perhaps of Basilian origin, has vivid frescoes with saints from that period.

The star, however, is the Santa Maria di Costantinopoli Sanctuary, which is partially rock-hewn in a super-scenic setting over the Lao River. It has two bridges. The Ponte della Rognosa, underneath, is a memento of when the sanctuary was used as an isolation hospital (a lazaretto) during the times of the plague. Above it, there’s the stone bridge donated in 1907 by a local-born tycoon, Nicola Dario, which is still used.

There are several rafting operators in Papasidero offering white water rafting descents of the gin-clear, stunning Lao River. They raft the river canyon and stop at its best-hidden nooks, from as little as €40 ($65) per person.

Eight kilometres from Papasidero, the Romito Cave is an important archaeological site with a preserved palaeolithic carving of an auroch (a type of prehistoric buffalo).

It has been dated to 12,000 to 14,000 years old and is considered the best example of the artistic realism style of the times. It was discovered in 1960. The following year, six bodies were unearthed here, shedding light on the burial techniques of the times. This is explained in the little museum (which has English captions) near the cave’s mouth.