Golden sandy beaches, turquoise sea, picturesque fishing villages and centuries-old pine forests - Calabria is a treasure trove in the south of Italy that beguiles all the senses with its natural beauty. The region on the "tip of the boot" already served the ancient Greeks as a vineyard. Even today, the full-bodied DOC wine Cirò is pressed from the "Greco grape" in Calabria. In the west, the Strait of Messina separates the Italian mainland from the island of Sicily. The strait is only three kilometres wide at its narrowest point, which, according to the Odysseus saga, was guarded by the sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis in ancient times. A symphony of colours Calabria welcomes its visitors with a symphony of colours. Property owners in Italy tell of how the colour of the sea changes from hour to hour. Depending on the incidence of light, the surface of the water glows emerald or mint green, cobalt, turquoise or ink blue. On the horizon, the sea and the sky merge into a single shimmering shade of blue. Breathtaking contrasts to this are the strong golden hue of the oranges, the delicate green of the pine forests and the fiery red of the peperoncini. The hot chillies are a trademark of Calabria and are used to season and refine countless dishes. A paradise for outdoor activists and adventurers With its three national parks, the 800 km long coastline and the almost 2,000 m high mountains in the hinterland, Calabria is a paradise for outdoor activists and adventurers. The network of hiking trails in the Aspromonte National Park is several hundred kilometres long. The mountain regions are home to golden eagles, wolves and peregrine falcons. A charming hiking destination in the Pollino National Park is the pilgrimage church "Madonna del Pollino", which stands at an altitude of 1,500 metres above sea level. Those who love action and thrills will get their money's worth on a rafting tour on the Lao River. Canyoning trips are also offered in the surrounding rocky gorges. Tropea: The "St. Tropez of Southern Italy An architectural jewel on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea is the small town of Tropea. Anyone who buys a property here in Calabria will be rewarded with a box seat by the sea, as the residential buildings are perched on steep, 40-metre-high cliffs. Some houses seem to grow directly out of the rock, so skilfully were the geological features of the rocky coast exploited in the construction of the buildings. Cobbled streets wind through the old town of Tropea, where trattorias, fashion boutiques and ice cream parlours jostle for space. On Corso Vittorio Emmanuele, hungry visitors can enjoy a pizza cipolla in the open air, thickly topped with the region's typical red onion, cipolla rossa. If you are looking for a Calabrian original as a souvenir during your holiday in a holiday home in Italy, opt for a jar of red onion jam. Dream beaches under the southern sun Calabria is washed by the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas. Countless fine-sand dream beaches line the coasts, of which the beach of Tropea is one of the most famous. A bathing paradise is the rocky bay Praia I Focu, which lies at the foot of the rocky cliff Capo Vaticano. Behind a rock face and only accessible through a naturally formed rock gate is Spiaggia dell'Arcomagno. Some of Italy's most beautiful beaches are to be found on the Capo Vaticano coastline, just a few kilometres south of the resorts of Tropea and Pizzo. On a clear day, you have a breathtaking view of the island of Stromboli with the volcano of the same name.