Calabria’s most beautiful beaches

From the main beach of San Nicola Arcella, less than ten kilometers to the south of Praia a Mare, take the footpath and its 300 steps up the rocky edge. The downhill section, short but steep, discourages enough would-be visitors to make this remarkable site almost intimate. Below you lies Arcomagno, one of Calabria’s most beautiful coves: an 18-meter-high limestone arch rises out of the turquoise waters of a natural pool, surrounded by granite walls of gray and gold sculpted by centuries of patient erosion. Step into the warm sea in the shade of the arch, gazing out on endless blue framed by soaring stone pillars.

Perched on a headland of volcanic rock, Tropea overlooks the Costa degli Dei (Coast of the Gods) and the Sanctuario di Santa Maria dell’Isola, a 6^th century church standing sentinel on a rocky outcrop. A flight of steps cut into the stone leads down to the shore, and onto Mare Piccolo beach. Sloping gently into the waves, this beach allows you to wade and play in a wide swath of sea with your feet still touching the sandy bottom. As the shallow water deepens, so does its color, from palest blue to darkest azure. From the shore, you can swim out to the islet or rent a pedal boat to explore the Grotta del Palombaro, a small cave accessible only at low tide.

Ten kilometers south of Tropea, Grotticelle Beach stretches for nearly a kilometer across a natural triple bay, tucked between the headland of Capo Vaticano and the cliffs of Santa Maria. Sheltered from the wind, this series of coves offers both lidi (private beach clubs) and areas for public bathing. Don’t forget your snorkel and mask to explore the seabed where sandy expanses make way for rocky plateaus teeming with groupers and octopuses. Enjoy the cape’s incredibly transparent water all the way out to its rocky outcrops.

Between Palmi and Villa San Giovanni, the main port for boats leaving for Sicily, follow the Costa Viola, named after the purple-hued reflections on the sea at sunset. This rugged stretch of coastline is dotted with a number of coves, but Cala Janculla, only easily accessible by boat, is the most secluded. A few short minutes in the sea brings your boat to an 80-meter-long beach of light-colored pebbles, in a cove surrounded by scrub-covered cliffs. The silence of this site — broken only by water lapping against the bow of your boat — enhances the unspoiled feel.

Fifty kilometers from Reggio di Calabria, turn off the SS106 at Bova Marina to reach Rocca del Capo Beach, a mix of white sand and gravel at the foot of Capo San Giovanni d’Avalos. Here, a steep footpath takes you to a lookout point where a statue of the Madonna del Mare keeps watch over the Ionian coast, surrounded by the ruins of a 16^th century Norman tower. Make your way back down to the shore, pick a spot on one of the public beaches, and take a good look out to sea: on a clear day, you can see all the way across the Strait of Messina to the volcanic cone of Etna.

On the Ionian Coast, in the Gulf of Squillace, Soverato Beach shows off its two kilometers of white sand along the lungomare (seaside boardwalk) lined with palm trees. Unlike the Tyrrhenian coves tucked beneath steep cliffs, Soverato opens onto a wide bay surrounded by gentle slopes. Its sandy seabed leads you gradually into deeper waters, making bathing accessible to everyone. This beach is full of lidi, but you can find a few spiaggia libera between the paying beach clubs. The water is uncommonly clear, inviting you to dive beneath the surface to explore the vast seagrass beds just a few steps from the shoreline.

In the Marine Protected Area of Capo Rizzuto, some twenty kilometers to the south of Crotone, take the narrow steps down from the Contrada Marinella to reach Punta Marinella, a series of small sandy bays regularly ranked among the most beautiful in Calabria. Here, you revel in the typically crystal-clear waters of the Ionian coast, whose shallow seas are home to Posidonia seagrass beds, gorgonians and various wildlife, including many seahorses. The beach features both public and private areas in an unspoiled natural setting that exudes a lovely calm, even at the peak of the summer season.