Outings – Leisure – Marseille-Provence Airport offers a new air route to Reggio Calabria

The metropolis of Reggio Calabria, at the tip of the Italian boot, aims to become an essential tourist destination. And for this it is counting on six new destinations in Europe, including Marseille and the region, by opening a direct air connection from April 26.

“The presence of the French is not very large at the moment and we want to stimulate tourism. Many French people have roots in Calabria and can come and discover the village where their family comes from. It is a new destination with many cultural, scenic, wine and gastronomic options…“, underlines Antonino Tramontana, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Reggio Calabria, received on Thursday, April 18, by the President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce for France in Marseille, Domenico Basciano, and the Consul General of Italy in Marseille, Fabio Monaco.

With two flights a week operated by the Ryanair company, on Mondays and Fridays, for a period of three years, summer and winter, the Calabrians want to attract the French from the South for the holidays, but also strengthen the ties between the two. universities and stimulates trade. “There is a historical link between Reggio Calabria and Marseille. In the archives of our Chamber of Commerce there is evidence of ancient oil trade, probably intended for the production of soap. Reggio Calabria is also linked to France for another product: bergamot, the essence of which is an essential ingredient in the perfume industry.“, indicates Antonino Tramontana, who came to Marseille with tour operators and the support of several communities in southern Italy.

What to do in Reggio Calabria?

Beaches, mountains, rich historical past, gastronomy, wine tourism, traditional festivals… the Chamber of Commerce team has no shortage of tourist arguments to promote the destination.

“We are going to take a trip to the center of the Mediterranean, from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Ionian Sea, through the forests of Aspromonte. A journey that began long ago with the colonization of Magna Grecia, starting in the 8th century BC“, begins Eleonora Uccelini, Calabrian specialist in tourism. “In Reggio Calabria we walk and look at Etna and Sicily“, because 3 kilometers separates the two regions through the Strait of Messina. That makes Reggio Calabria a starting point for a visit to Calabria but also Sicily.

Reggio Calabria is famous for its Riace bronzes preserved in the National Archaeological Museum, but also for its grandiose religious processions (Varia de Palmi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site), its kitesurfing in the Strait of Messina, its costa viola that shade of purple at dusk, the hiking trails overlooking the sea, the vineyards and good wine, the seabed… In the Aspromonte National Park with centuries-old trees you can walk all year round.

And many surrounding villages, fishermen or lost in the mountains, are timeless visits. Another argument that appeals to the French is the food: cold cuts (capocollo), cheeses (ricotta, pecorino), olives, meatballs, seafood, black pork, ice cream, Greco di bianco DOC wine, bergamot jam… can be discovered.

And to make your mouth water on this last point, the Chamber of Commerce is currently working on the completion of the Calabrian Gastronomy Week in Marseille and its surroundings. Several Italian restaurants offer a typical Southern menu in June.