3 reasons to visit Calabria in autumn

Not just a seaside region! Autumn in Calabria is the ideal season to immerse yourself in a relaxing atmosphere, with the landscape tinged with warm tones, the chance to taste the first fruits of the forest, and visit the villages where the most mouth-watering festivals take place.

Discover Calabria in autumn through 3 precious suggestions that will make you enjoy an experience in contact with nature, among tastings, festivals and small communities where the watchword is "slow living".

Here are some suggestions of places to visit in Calabria in autumn according to your interests.

Foliage in Calabria

If you are wondering what to see in Calabria in autumn, we suggest you start with one of the most popular and romantic experiences of all: foliage in Calabria, in the woods of the main national parks and state and regional reserves, from north to south.

What is foliage? The term indicates the autumn period when leaves fall due to the loss of chlorophyll. It is a magical time for those who love nature, immersive walks and hiking in the mountains, walking on a carpet of leaves and photographing fairytale-like scenery. 

Practising foliage in Calabria means enriching one's collection of leaves with specimens of native plants and discovering marvellous places, following the main paths and trails.

October and November are the perfect autumn months in Calabria for foliage and the collection of other typical products of the Calabrian undergrowth.

Typical autumn products

One of the reasons to visit Calabria in autumn is definitely the food and wine. There is no more generous season to taste some of the typical goodness that comes directly from the territories of origin and production, many of them with a seal of quality.

Among the main products of autumn in Calabria are mushrooms and chestnuts: Calabria's woods are rich in prized mushrooms, starting with the delicious Porcino della Sila and delle Serre, and including many edible varieties that seekers recognise at a glance; the chestnut is another great protagonist of autumn in Calabria.

In the past, grinding chestnuts produced the so-called "poor man's flour", now a gourmet ingredient in bread and pastries.

Among the excellences of the Calabrian autumn is rightfully its majesty, the Round Hazelnut of Calabria Bio, produced in the precious hazelnut groves on the hills of Cardinale, in the province of Catanzaro.

This variety of hazelnut, cultivated since Bourbon times and awaiting the PGI mark, is one of the most eagerly awaited fruits of the Calabrian autumn, used by the national confectionery industry to produce famous spreadable creams. 

A typical product of the autumn season that the Calabrians cannot do without are the legendary home-made pickles: whether in oil, in salt or in spirit, pickles represent one of the oldest regional gastronomic traditions. A year-round way to enjoy the summer fruits, the gift of a sun-kissed land.

Among the places to visit in CaIabria in autumn are the small inland towns and villages in the hills, many of which, among Italy's Most Beautiful Villages, offer the experience of trying their hand at picking and preparing typical products and pickles, savouring the fragrance of autumn flavours.

The unmissable itineraries for sampling Calabria's wine and food excellence in the autumn? Undoubtedly the Wine Route and the Oil Route, with the possibility of guided tours, tastings and, in some cases, overnight stays in the wine and olive oil estates of the producers.  

Traditional festivals

Speaking of typical and traditional products, autumn in Calabria is a riot of festivals and events dedicated to food and wine, an opportunity to discover what to see in Calabria in autumn and which places to visit between one tasting and the next.

Not to be missed is the "Sila Autumn" gastronomic event, to discover the typical goodness of the Sila National Park: from the Sila IGP Potato Festival to Caciocavallo Silano PDO, two "musts" of Calabria's autumn and winter season. 

Among the events not to be missed in autumn in Calabria is the Mushroom Festival in Serra San Bruno, in the province of Vibo Valentia. This event emphasises the prized Porcino delle Serre mushroom and the other varieties of mushrooms present in the Archiforo Wood, with mycological exhibitions, markets, conferences and entertainment over two weekends in October.

The Chestnut Festivals include the one in Sant'Agata d'Esaro (CS) and the one in Martone (RC).