2 weeks in southern Italy - anyone been to Cosenza, Calabria? What to expe

We visited my wife's ancestral home town of Bucita, which is just west of Cosenza, a few years ago. We drove into Cosenza for a while, just to look around. We had no problems. In the tiny village of Bucita, we tried to speak to some locals. They spoke no English, but a couple of them immediately went and fetched the local woman who did. She told us she had learned English from watching American shows on TV. We had a great time and the villagers couldn't have been more charming and helpful. They proudly showed us their pride and joy, the beautiful local church dedicated to Santa Lucia. Hopefully your experience will be as good.

Hi Tom. Thanks for recounting your experience. Sounds like you had a great time. Looks like not too many on this board travel that far south.

Just use common sense when travelling/staying somewhere and you'll have no problems. If you were to worry about Mafia, Camorra, Ndrangeta,Sacre Uniti you would'nt be able to visit Italy at all. Even though they are traditionally based from certain areas they are everywhere in Italy.

My parents' families comes from Calabria in the cities of Nicastro and Sambiase. They are a little farther south than Cosenza, but Calabria, nonetheless. The area is pristine with a lot of poverty. I have been traveling there since 1980 and have seen much modernization over the years. I have never had any problems with the mob and I doubt you will, either. We generally stay for a week visiting family and interesting places in that province. There are now 2 shopping centers (centro commerciale) outside of Nicastro. One is called "Due Marti" and looks like any shopping center complete with a food court and a McDonald's. The people are friendly and the food is good. The cost of living is substatially lower here than other parts of Italy. In recent years the area around the Golfo di Sant' Eufamia Lamezia has bee discovered for the beaches and condo construction is underway. Go and have fun. Buon viaggio,

I appreciate learning of your first hand experiences RB. That is most helpful information, exactly what I was after. Thank you! From pictures it looks like gorgeous country. We look forward to seeing it. Tony

Hi Tony,
I'm in Ostuni, Puglia now, and I'm trying to continue our itinerary from here to Paestum then Cosenza, before continuing on to Sicily. I wanted to ask you what the road from Cosenza to Paestum is like -- easy or difficult to drive? Do you remember how long it takes? We also plan a brief one night stop in Matera, before continuing on to Paestum. Any tips are appreciated! Grazie mille!

Hi Angela. When we went to Cosenza, we traveled there from Matera along the Gulf of Taranto. That was the worst road I had seen in Italy as far as driving safety goes, I felt, because of the speed of the highway and the number of small towns and intersecting streets along it, especially as we neared the western side of the gulf. Sounds like you will be taking the more direct highway across country from Matera to Paestum. In Matera, if you haven't already made reservations - we stayed at Locanda di San Martino Hotel, via Fiorentini, 71, 75100 Matera, Italy telephone: +39 0835 256600. Wonderful rooms and a pool/spa that is built into the limestone. Very picturesque and memorable. From Cosenza we followed the coast highway to Paestum, stopping in Paola at Saint Francis Sanctuary (beautiful on the hill above town and the site of a WWII bombing "miracle". From there we traveled to Maratea to see the statue of Christ located above the town, then lunched in a town with a beautiful coastal boardwalk named Sapri, then on to Paestum. I thought all the roads were typically Italian, if you know what I mean. The road leading up to the statue of Christ was full of hairpin turns and fantastic views but maybe not a good road for those with a fear of heights. Cosenza to Paestum along the coast highway with all the stops I mentioned was probably a six hour day. Continued on next post..

continued post.. We really enjoyed the ruins at Paestum. We stayed in Hotel Villa Rita, Via Nettuno 9, Paestum 84047. Phone: 39-082-8811081. I would recommend it heartily if you would be staying the night. It is located within a half mile of the ruins, the rooms are certainly nice, but the evening meal was the big treat. We went down to the dining room where it was elegantly decorated, soft music playing, maybe a dozen tables total, all white tablecloths, waiter in white dinner jacket, no prices on the menus. We were served a very nicely presented three course meal and well taken care of. I thought, oh my what's this going to add to my room tab. I was pleasantly shocked on check out to learn it was only $31 Euro for the meal for my wife and I. We really enjoyed the drive from Cosenza to Paestum with the stops we made, but you can make it much quicker using the A3 highway if you prefer. Oh, if you stay the night in Cosenza, make sure you check out there downtown shopping core. It is quite a happening place for the evening strollers. Hope this helped. Enjoy your travels. Tony

We began in the Puglia region and went all the way to the tip of the boot. Poligano a Mare, Arberabello, Ostuni, Lecce, Gallipoli. No problem in any of these places. Far fewer tourists and the towns were absolutely ancient and incredible. Happy to provide details if any of these towns interest you. Have fun!