The Basilian Way in Calabria

If you love trekking and paths that combine nature, art and spirituality, you are in the right place! Get ready for a unique experience by walking the Basilian Way in Calabria, on the ancient traces of eastern monasticism in western lands.

Discover the rich proposal of Paths in Calabria and the thematic hiking network throughout the region, choosing the walk that suits you according to your interests and training level, modulating the experience over several stages in a flexible and sustainable manner.

What do you expect? An unforgettable itinerary through forests, valleys and historic centres with an eye on the sea.

The Basilian Way in Calabria is an itinerary that follows in the footsteps of the Italian-Greek monks known as Basilians, followers of the Order founded by St. Basil the Great (330-379), who was extremely important for the development of monasticism in the West and for a series of contributions made to the rural world of the time: from agricultural techniques to silkworm breeding and silk production, to name but a few. The Basilian monks in Calabria, by virtue of being hermits and anchorites, gave rise to various forms of cave dwellings that can still be visited today, shaping the landscape and the dynamics between man and nature according to the needs of 'cave living', which was already widespread throughout the Mediterranean basin. In addition to hermitages and small laure (cavities carved into the rock) used as places of shelter and prayer, the Basilian monks are also responsible for a series of monuments and places of worship that are true works of Italian-Eastern art.

Walking along the stages of the Basilian Way in Calabria means embarking on a journey to discover the ancient roots of Europe in the Mediterranean, linking East and West through the common thread of beauty, nature and spirituality. Each walker, depending on their needs and sensibilities, will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a slow experience and get to know the whole of Calabria at a leisurely pace, tuning their heart and mind to the emotional frequencies of the landscape, the artistic gems and the villages encountered along the way.

The Basilian Way starts in Basilicata and ends in Reggio Calabria, covering a total of 1,535 kilometres divided into 81 stages. In Calabria, the Basilian Way passes through 10 of Italy's Most Beautiful Villages and 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, included in the region's 73 unmissable stages.

Among the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy in the province of Cosenza, the Basilian Way passes through Rocca Imperiale, on the Upper Ionian Sea, for a taste of the delicious PGI Rocca Imperiale Lemons, and Oriolo, perched around its castle. On the same side, the important towns of Cassano all'Ionio, with the National Archaeological Park of the Sibaritide, and Corigliano-Rossano, where you can admire the Basilian building of the Pathirion and the Codex Purpureus Rossanensis, the ancient gospel UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The internal Basilian Way, towards the Tyrrhenian Sea, takes us to the heart of the Pollino National Park, to discover Cerchiara di Calabria, the "City of Bread" and home of the Shrine of the Madonna delle Armi, and the Italo-Albanian (Arbëresh) villages, led by Civita, another of The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy not to be missed. Descending towards the Sila National Park, after passing by unspoilt lakes and reserves, we reach the Florense Abbey of San Giovanni in Fiore, the chosen place of Abbot Joachim (crossing the Joachimite Way).

Any stops on the Basilian Way in the Crotone province? Two other jewels among The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy: Caccuri, set around its landmark tower and home to the literary prize of the same name, and Santa Severina, with one of the best-preserved castles in the region.

The Basilian Way in the province of Catanzaro allows us to discover the wonders of the Sila, between the dense woods of Tiriolo, a village of archaeology and traditional weaving, and the crystal-clear sea of the Gulf of Squillace, with the village set on a hill, around the castle of the same name, embellished by the potters' workshops. Here the path inspired by St Basil the Great encounters another "magno" character, Senator Cassiodorus and the so-called "Cassiodorean places", which include a visit to the village of Squillace and to the National Archaeological Park of Scolacium in Borgia. From the sea, we cut through the green lung of Calabria by crossing the Serre Regional Park, not before stopping in the village of Badolato, among The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy on the Ionian coast.

The capital of the Serre is the unmissable mountain town of Serra San Bruno, where the Charterhouse of the Saints Stefano e Bruno represents the definitive break between Eastern and Western monasticism: on the initiative of Roger the Norman, the founder of the Carthusian Order in Europe, St Bruno of Cologne, was sent to these woods to counter the advance of the Italo-Greek rite and build the beautiful Carthusian monastery, one of the few still inhabited, and the Shrine of Santa Maria del Bosco.

From Serre to Reggio Calabria, the Basilian Way stops at some of the most symbolic places of Eastern monasticism in Calabria: we are talking about the unmissable treasures of the Cattolica of Stilo, in one of Italy's Most Beautiful Villages, which can be reached after stopping at the evocative Cave of Mount Stella (Pazzano), and the Monastery of San Giovanni Theristis in Bivongi, still run by Eastern monks. Passing through Gerace, one of Italy's Most Beautiful Villages, the Basilian Way travels along the Costa dei Gelsomini and reaches the Greek area to discover the current Greeks of Calabria. These are the communities of Bovesìa, which in the village of Bova, also one of Italy's Most Beautiful Villages, is the nerve centre of an ancient Eastern community. After an unmissable stop to discover the ghost town of Pentedattilo (in the municipality of Melito Porto Salvo), the Basilian Way ends in the centre of Reggio Calabria, a city at the crossroads of cultures and guardian of the Riace Bronzes (on display at the National Archaeological Museum), which, overlooking the Mediterranean, represents the perfect synthesis between East and West.