• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Esplora Travel

Esplora Travel

exclusive cultural, expert-led small-group tours

Menu
  • Tours
    • SICILY
      • Small group Sicily tours
        • Treasures of Sicily
        • Hidden Sicily
        • Sicilian Vineyards, Wine and Food Tour
        • Easter in Sicily Tour
        • Baroque Sicily
      • Sicily walking tours and holidays
        • Walking in the Madonie Mountains
        • Walking in Eastern Sicily
        • Walking in Western Sicily
        • Walking in the Aeolian islands
      • NEW for 2022! Sicily by train
    • SOUTHERN ITALY
      • Cultural tours in Southern Italy
        • Calabria Tour
        • Puglia Tour
        • Walking in the Aspromonte
    • CENTRAL ITALY
      • Secret corners of Umbria
    • TURKEY
      • Istanbul – short breaks
      • Treasures of North Western Turkey Tour
    • GREECE
      • Cultural Tours in Greece
        • Classical Greece Tour
    • CAUCASUS
      • Cultural tours in the Caucasus
        • Armenia and Georgia Tour
        • The Mountains of Georgia
    • MALTA
      • Small group Malta tours
    • DAY WALKS IN THE UK
    • Close
  • Dates
    • 2022 Tour Dates
    • 2023 Tour Dates
    • Close
  • Destinations
      • ARMENIA
      • GEORGIA
      • MALTA
      • SICILY
      • SOUTHERN ITALY
      • GREECE
      • TURKEY
    • Close
  • About
    • About…
      • Who we are
      • Why travel with us?
      • Sign up for our newsletter
    • FAQ
      • Questions about our tours
      • Covid protocols for travel to/within/from Italy
      • Travel with confidence
      • Our Terms and Conditions
    • Recent Articles
    • Reading Lists
      • Our Sicily reading list
      • Our Southern Italy reading list
      • Our Turkey reading list
      • Our Armenia & Georgia reading list
      • Our Greece reading list
    • The Armchair Traveller
    • Our Instagram page
    • Close
  • Reviews
  • Contact
  • Book my tour
  • Show Search
Hide Search

The Aspromonte

Walking in some of the last forest wilderness of Europe

The last wilderness in Italy…

Travelling down on the train from Rome, the thickly-forested peaks of the Aspromonte Mountains come as one of the huge surprises of Southern Italy. After the chocolate-box prettiness of Sorento, the gently rounded landscape of the Cilento and the Pollino, the vast citrus plantations around Lamezia and the cerulean blues of the Straits of Messina, the sheer scale of the mountains towering to the East as the train nears Villa San Giovanni are enough to make one’s jaw drop. Rising up to 6,000 feet and snow-covered in winter, their peaks are Alpine in scale. It is little wonder to learn that their precipitous slopes, remote mountain-tops and evergreen valleys were once the refuge of bandits. Exploring the Aspromonte Mountains is to experience the thrill of traversing some of the last un-chartered territory in Europe.

We spend five days walking to Greek-speaking villages, treading the balcony of the Gods, and stepping beneath canopies of beech trees.

  Enquire about this tour
The Aspromonte National Park

Tour Features

  • Available for small private groups.
  • Flexible departure dates
  • Accompanied by a leader throughout your journey
Tour highlights:
  • Pentedattilo
  • The Aspromonte mountains
  • Gerace
  • The Riace Bronzes
Accommodation:
  • 1 night in Reggio Calabria
  • 1 night in Gambarie
  • 3 nights in Gerace
Included meals:
  • All meals are included
Arrival and Departure:
  • Transfers and pick-ups/drop-offs from/to Lamezia Terme, Catania or Reggio Calabria
Activity level:
  • Some strenuous walking.
Cost:
  • £850 per person
View over the Aspromonte Mountains

Itinerary:

Day 1

Arrival and onward to Reggio Calabria

We can accommodate airport arrivals at either Lamezia Terme (in the Calabria region and served by Ryanair flights from London Stansted) or in Catania (Sicily, served by BA and Easyjet from London). A further option is arrival by plane in Naples and travelling to Reggio Calabria by train.

There is time to visit the museum in Reggio Calabria to see the Riace Bronzes before our evening meal.

Overnight accommodation in Reggio Calabria.

Day 2

Pentedattilo and Bova

We begin the day with a walk from Amendolea to Bova in the very Southern tip of the peninsula. Bova is one of the last Greek speaking villages of Southern Italy and we can pay a visit to the museum of the Greek dialect.

In the afternoon we visit Pentedattilo – a once-abandoned and mystical village which has been painted by Escher and Edward Lear.

Overnight accommodation in Gambarie

Days 3, 4 & 5

The Brigand’s trail

For the next three days we follow the Brigand’s Trail. On the first of these days, we begin in Gambarie and trek to the top of Montalto for some truly spectacular views across to Mt. Etna in Sicily. Driving down to Gerace to sleep each evening, we return in the morning to the point where we left off. And in the two successive days, we walk through the forest to Zomaro.

On the final afternoon, there is time to explore the town of Gerace.

Overnight accommodation in Gerace.

Day 6

Departure

We can organise transfers either to Lamezia Terme, to Catania in Sicily, or to Reggio Calabria for those who prefer to take the train. Alternatively, if you would like to extend your stay in Calabria we can suggest some beautiful towns on the coast where you can relax and unwind after your walking.

Explore more

AITP
ABTA
ABTOI
International Passenger Protection
Esplora Travel

Footer

Esplora Travel

16, Cockcroft Place, Cambridge, CB3 0HF, UK

tel:+44 (0)1223 328446

trips@esplora.co.uk

ABTA membership number: Y6134

Esplora Ltd is registered in England and Wales with registered number: 06733585

Copyright © 2022 · Navigation Pro on Genesis Framework ·

Keep In Touch

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube