Traditions and events

Folklore tradition of Calabria comes from very far away. Farm-related rituals, connected to farming practices, have been over the years contaminated by Christian ritual practices and by Oriental people, coming from the sea. A welcoming and inviting land, Calabria has always stood out for its sharing character, a special feature which has enriched our cultural, historical and artistic heritage. Nowadays, with its religious rituals, patron saints feasts, festivals and social events, we are telling the history of an identity, which still bears traces of ancient customs and traditions. Your trip will be topped with a series of unmissable events, which will make you have fun, dream, excited, know.

Unmissable experiences

Among our villages, one of the most beautiful villages of Italy stands out: Stilo. In this fascinating frame, in early August, you can get a Renaissance vibe, owing to the famous Palio di Ribusa, an event which was restored in 1997 after being interrupted for 280 years. For a few days, the people from Stilo dress up as knights, minstrels, ladies and jugglers. The parades take turns with dances and and buffets, reaching the climax with the traditional dispute, the Giostra dell’Anello, where the knights represent the ancient families of the county of Stilo.  A historical festival with an authentic taste, full of twists and turns and folklore.

It does not only involve history, but also religion. If you come and visit us during the Easter period, do not miss the evoking rituals of the Holy Week. The passion of Christ is recalled by means of very evoking scenes, where participation and emotional involvement of the people is at its top; the main characters of the events are also the confraternities of the town in their traditional costumes. The events start on Holy Thursday and they reach their climax on Easter Sunday with the Cunfrunta. This is the moment when the statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, carried on the shoulders by the members of the confraternities, meet among the main streets of the village, thus provoking joy and applauses by the attendees.

Among the villages, there are also several feasts dedicated to the patron saints. They are not only religious moments, but also an occasion to gather together for adults and youngsters, a way to pass on folklore and food and wine traditions, a practice which tells about the past, but also about the present.

You may also not want to miss the Kaulonia Tarantella Festival, a summer event, which combines entertainment, culture and tradition. This event takes place near Monasterace, in the town of Caulonia, since 1999, specifically on the last days of August, and depicts Calabria’s traditional music as a great cultural driving force, a heritage left to us by our Magna Grecia ancestors. During the festival, dance lessons take turns with concerts and authentic highly technical plays. All accompanied with traditional instruments: tambourines and barrel organs.

Unusual experiences and fun facts

Near our destination, you will find many cultural events you may want to attend.

If you are a movie lover and happen to be in the surroundings during summertime, you cannot miss the Magna Graecia Film Festival, a wonderful initiative started in 2004, which was first held in the Ionian towns of Soverato and Montepaone and which now takes place in Catanzaro. The festival is free of charge for thousands of attendees and features some very high level productions.

Instead, you will have a jazzy vacation if you visit Roccella Ionica during the Roccella Jazz Festival, a touring music festival, which every summer welcomes internationally known artists. A creative and fun moment, where jazz is also combined with other artistic forms, such as literature, photography and dance.

Something good is also offered by our village of Monasterace, where every summer the summer school of the Web Marketing Festival of Rimini takes place. This course combines a training programme with a vacation by the sea, tainted with the colours of the Ionian Sea; a solution, which is highly appreciated by all digital marketing experts of the peninsula and not only by them.

In our villages, many food and wine events are organised. Among these, in August there is the Eggplant Festival in Guardavalle Marina, where you can appreciate the thousand ways of cooking this vegetable, which abundantly grows in our countryside. Or still, in July, there is the Anchovies Festival in Santa Caterina dello Ionio, where a purposely-made menu is arranged, enhancing the taste of this delicious oily fish.