Calabria is no such place that can be trumpeted tongue-tongued. It is a place that can sit and wait, waiting, waiting, until you choose to look at it in the way that it really is. My initial experience of a road trip on its curvy routes was the first time when I had very little conception of what was there.

 I was aware of the rocky shore, the ancient towns set high on cliffs, and the endless citrus orchards, but I was not expecting the sensation of driving through the whole lot of it. Calabria is told gradually, as a confided secret, in fragments, and each twist along the pathway discloses a bit of its character.

Before starting the road trip, I had to travel and I wanted the start of my trip to be stress-free so I booked Airport parking Heathrow as it allowed to set me a relaxed pace to travel.

The journey started at Pizzo.

 At a local town we started at Pizzo, a seaside town, which makes you warm as you enter. The streets winding down to the water bend in a soft manner, and give you an idea of the Tyrrhenian Sea that is next to impossible.

 The water is deep and clear, blue which changes with the sky. I parked in a small piazza and began to walk to the shore going by gelato shops advertising tartufo, the specialty of Pizzo.

 A man who was passing by, sensing that I was undecided on the flavor to take, smiled and merely told me, You must have the traditional one.

The Road to Tropea and Its White Cliffs.

Tropea had the effect of entering a post-card. The town is built on top of the sea, and the buildings appear like they were cut out of the rocks. The afternoon I spent in passageways, where clothes were hung over the doors and tomatoes and garlic smelled in open kitchens.

At the beach, there was soft sand, and the sea was as clear as to see the fish moving under the water. Although Tropea is loved by the tourists, it does not miss the pace. Here the people talk in low tones, and the waves even appear to be in no hurry to reach the shore.

Quitting Tropea I pursued a portion of road that is called the Coast of the Gods. The title is dramatic, and the motivation does not let down. The olive trees, vineyards and shots of other islands in the distance follow you like a moving landscape picture.

Note: Always check Long Stay Parking Stansted before travelling and book according to your needs.

The Interiors of Calabria and Ancient Villages.

The shore is lovely, and then is the interior of Calabria, where the road turns into an adventure. I turned inland to the Sila Mountains, where the climate became cooler and the landscape changed to no more sea-scenes, but massy old-pines and expansive meadows.

The roads here are winding through woods and past ancient stone houses which appear not to have changed with time. I discovered one small trattoria in a village, which is run by a family, and consists of three tables.

As I stood indecisively in the door, wondering whether they were open, the owner beckoned and with a good smile said, Sit. Eat.

You are welcome. Then followed a supper of pasta prepared by hand, of lamb which had been roasted in the fire, and a little of the red wine of the place, which smelled of soil and berries. It was plain, straight forward fare, and I was half at home.

Scilla and Mythic Calabrian Edge.

The last place I visited was the seaside town of Scilla, which has a burden of myth. This was the dwelling place of Scylla, the monster of the sea in the Odyssey of Homer according to ancient legends.

But Scilla now is anything but a terror. Its ancient fishing district, Chianalea, is constructed so near the water that the waves run on the houses. It is like walking on the border of the half-dream/ half-reality world.

I was sitting on a very long rock, and I saw fishermen repairing their nets, and the sunset was orange above the Strait of Messina. The water was flashing like molten gold as the light flickered over it.

It was one of those moments in travelling when one gets the feeling that something is settling inside him, it is a feeling of tranquility that lingers even after you move on.

A Journey That Stays With You

The experience of road tripping around Calabria is not about checking a list of famous places. It is taking up roads that lead to what is anticipated and the impromptu. It is trying the figs in a roadside stall, telling the tales to the strangers, and riding across the land which seems wild and hospital at the same time.

Calabria will not leave you because it makes an effort to impress you, but because it is real. Honest. Unpolished in the best way.

The impression you get is that you have visited a section of Italy that is still clinging firmly to its traditions, where beauty is not artificial, but experienced.

And it is the reason why all the picturesque avenues in Calabria seem to be of invitation, an invitation which you shall be disposed to accept many more than once.