Perfumes and Flavors of Calabria.

Calabria is like a fascinating and intriguing woman who has many faces to discover slowly.

Guido Piovene, an Italian writer and journalist, wrote in his “Journey to Italy” in 1957: “Calabria seems to have been created by a bizare God who, after having created several worlds, enjoyed to mix them together”. We can say also that Calabria is like a fascinating and intriguing woman who has many faces to discover slowly. In fact, among the regions of Southern Italy, Calabria appears as a harsh and strong land, but at the same time rich, generous and authentic. Travelling in this land is like travelling in many worlds.

Among the many and different itineraries, “Perfumes and Flavors of Calabria” is the travel proposal that perhaps best contains the diversity of this region by combining the beauty of the landscapes, the typicality of its gastronomy and the enterprise of the local people. The main theme of this itinerary is the extraordinary fact that some typical products are used in cosmetics as base of the perfumes by famous companies, but also in cuisine for the preparation of dishes which tells about this land and who lives there. The days of this travel program are dedicated, in fact, to some products that represent the uniqueness of Calabria: the liquorice, the bergamot, the lavender and the cedar.

The Calabrian liquorice, defined by the British Encyclopedia as “the best one in the world“, is a natural plant, which grows mainly on the Northern Ionian coast. It’s located in the area of Corigliano-Rossano where the Amarelli family since 1500 has carried on the industrial tradition of processing and transforming the root of this plant. The history of this product and of the family is told in the “Giorgio Amarelli” Liquorice Museum, in front of the factory, in an old palace where the company is settled. Biotherm cosmetic creams and a Kenzo perfume that contain liquorice are also exhibited here. The experience dedicated to liquorice continues with a visit to the Rossano historical centre, in the Sibari plain between the Sila mountains and the Ionian Sea. Rossano is considered the capital of Byzantine culture and art with its churches and especially with the Codex Purpureus, a Greek Gospels of the 5th-6th century, which became a UNESCO heritage site in 2015 and housed in the Diocesan Museum.

The bergamot of Calabria is grown in the province of Reggio Calabria on the Ionian coast which goes from Scilla to Monasterace. It is a citrus fruit with old origins, many legends are told about it, but we certainly know that the first “bergamot field” in Calabria dates back to 1750. It has great organoleptic properties and is famous among perfumers all over the world for its essence used as a base for the preparation of perfumes and cosmetic products. It is also used a lot in gastronomy to prepare juices and jams and for flavoring confectionery products and tea, first of all the famous “Earl Gray”. One of the most fascinating properties is that it’s antidepressant: its smell stimulates serotonin and therefore induces a feeling of well-being. So the charm of the product combines with that one of the area where it is grown. On this day we visit a farm which grows the bergamot in the Grecanica area where the old Greek language is still spoken. Then we continue with a sightseeing of Reggio Calabria facing the Sicily and above all the National Archaeological Museum of Magna Graecia, one of the most prestigious in Italy, which houses the famous Riace Bronzes.

The “Loricanda” lavender grows naturally between 900 and 1700 meters a.s.l. and it’s so called to pay homage to the loricate pine, the monumental tree symbol of Pollino National Park. In the 1950s it was the main business in Campotenese and it was sold to the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, including the Carlo Erba company. Then because of the reforestation of the Pollino National Park, this plant disappeared and now grows naturally in some open sunny areas. From the 2007 Selene Rocco and her family have started to grow this wild lavender and created the Lavender Park on their property in Campotenese. It is a magical place all purple, a botanical garden that contains the Loricanda lavender and other 70 species which produce a very pure essential oil used as base in various cosmetic products and as herbal teas. The day continues with a walk in the historic centre of Morano, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, which appears to the visitor as a nativity scene perched on the mountain.

The “Smooth Diamond” Cedar of Calabria is a citrus fruit that grows along the stretch of the Northern Tyrrhenian Coast, from Tortora to Cetraro, which is known as the Riviera dei Cedri. It is the finest variety in the world, sought after by the food industry for its exceptional properties, for the preparation of candied fruit and juices, and by the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry. It is considered the fruit of the most beautiful tree in the Jewish tradition. The day includes a visit to a cedar field for knowing more about this very delicate plant which is grown and cared for on the knees due to its low size. Then we continue with a sightseeing of Diamante, a village famous for its Murales, more than 100 paints on the walls of the houses in its historical centre and for the Hot Pepper Festival held in September.

A trip to be experienced in Calabria which involve you!

Brunella Brusco

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