Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy
In their haste to reach Calabria’s beaches, many travelers mistakenly overlook the region’s largest city, Reggio. This handsome and little-touristed place of around 200,000 inhabitants is built on slopes overlooking the Strait of Messina (the strait between Calabria and Sicily).
The city was founded by the Greeks around 730 B.C., who settled this strategic location at the exact center of the Mediterranean in the 8th century BC. They called their colony Rhegion, which was subsequently Latinized by the Romans and transformed through the ages under the area’s various rulers.
Later, Reggio became an important center of Byzantine culture until being occupied by the Arabs in the 10th century. Spanish rule ended with Napoleon’s invasion in 1806.
The city thrived during the late 18th century, when the Lungomare Falcomatà, “the most beautiful kilometer of Italy,” a long seaside promenade, was constructed.
On a visit in 1847, the English artist and writer Edward Lear wrote: “Reggio is indeed one vast garden, and doubtless one of the loveliest spots to be seen on earth. A half-ruined castle, beautiful in colour and picturesque in form, overlooks all the long city, the wide straits and snow-topped Etna volcano on the island of Sicily beyond.”
An earthquake destroyed large areas of Reggio in 1908, and much of it was rebuilt in the art nouveau style. Lining the Corso Garibaldi, the principal thoroughfare, these elegant buildings give the city its singular charm.
Reggio is home to one of the most important archaeological museums, the prestigious National Archaeological Museum of Magna Græcia, dedicated to Greater Greece (the name given by the Romans to the Greek-speaking coastal areas of Southern Italy).
The Museum houses the Bronzes of Riace, rare examples of Greek bronze sculptures which became one of the symbols of the city.
These statues spent more than 2,000 years submerged under the waves of the Ionian Sea. A diver discovered the pair in 1972 and within a week the bronzes were recovered by an elated Italian government. How often do you get a chance to see two 2,500 year-old bronze warriors from classical Greece?
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Mediterranean Beef Rice Bowl
In a dream: I transported myself someplace on the Mediterranean shore on a gorgeous Sunday. I can't help but stare out at the placid Mediterranean waters. I look around and see happy diners, both locals and visitors.
Inspired by my dream, I decided to make a simple dish—no need for a fussy marinade. A good cut of beef, flavored modestly with garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper, and finished with an easy red wine pan sauce. Enjoying this with some crisp cucumber, juicy tomatoes, and creamy Greek vinaigrette dressing over some steaming white rice.
"Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate." — Alan D. Wolfelt
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Italico Brass (Italian, 1870-1943)
Fuochi d’artificio
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