This is where mainland Italy runs out: the toe of the boot faces Sicily across the Strait of Messina, three kilometres of water, and the Aspromonte massif fills the interior behind the coast. Reggio Calabria became a metropolitan city in 2016, replacing a province whose borders came from Bourbon-era Calabria Ulteriore Prima; its 97 municipalities lie between two seas, the Tyrrhenian to the west and the Ionian to the south and east.
Most visitors come for two bronze statues: the Riace Bronzes, two Greek warriors in Reggio's archaeological museum. After that, Scilla, where the fishermen's houses of Chianalea stand right at the waterline; the small Byzantine church known as the Cattolica di Stilo, on the Ionian side; and Gerace, a medieval town on a rock. Palmi and Gioia Tauro, down on the Tyrrhenian plain, show the working Calabria.
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Our editors' ranking: the area's most important places, drawn from the individual town guides. See the national rankings →
1 🖼️ Museums Riace Bronzes – Archaeological Museum 📍 Reggio di Calabria Two Greek warriors of the fifth century BC, found on the seabed in 1972 and kept in Reggio Calabria. 
2 🏛️ Squares & old towns Chianalea 📍 Scilla Houses on the water, one narrow street and the swordfish boats, under the castle. 
3 ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries The Cattolica of Stilo 📍 Stilo Featured on the Italian passport, the Cattolica di Stilo is a 9th-century Byzantine masterpiece with five iconic domes. Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
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📅 Every year, on 18 October
On 18 October San Luca celebrates its patron and namesake Saint Luke the Evangelist; the town is the birthplace of writer Corrado Alvaro and lies near the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Polsi.
📅 Every year, on 24 October
On 24 October Stignano celebrates its patron Saint Raphael the Archangel; the town preserves the Casa di Tommaso Campanella and Villa Caristo, a Roman archaeological site.
📅 Every year, on the last Sunday of October
On the last Sunday of October Sant'Ilario dello Ionio celebrates its patron Saint Hilarion the Abbot, an ancient feast once linked to the tapping of the new wine and the slaughtering of the pig.
📅 Every year, on 6 November
Ardore celebrates Saint Leonard on 6 November, in the church dedicated to him.
