This weeks guest post is by Alex Robertson Textor, features and blog editor of EuroCheapo.com.

One well documented side-effect of the low-cost air revolution across Europe is the mass discovery of regions previously overlooked. The southwest of France is often held up as the archetypical example of this phenomenon.

Calabria, the province taking up the foot and the toe of the Italian peninsula, provides another example. Calabria has long been a domestic holiday secret among Italians. The advent of low-cost flights to Lamezia-Terme (as well as the coast’s status as a secondary package holiday destination) has raised the region’s profile across Europe. At last count, nine low-cost carriers included Lamezia-Terme on their route maps, with cities in Germany served particularly well.

Brits aren’t left out by the budget air rush to Calabria, either. Ryanair flies between Stansted and Lamezia-Terme.

Calabria is raw and full of good values. Cities like Pizzo and Vibo Valentia, both easily accessible from Lamezia-Terme, are packed with interesting sights. Pizzo’s Piazza della Repubblica is idyllic, lined with gelaterie featuring the city’s trademark tartufo gelato. Pizzo also boasts the 15th-century Castello Murat. Vibo Valentia, to the south, is crowned by a breathtaking Norman castle.

Pizzo by jan de vries

Best of all, it’s possible to experience a side of Italy in Calabria more or less vanquished in more touristed parts of the country. In any number of hill towns, it’s possible to drink home-harvested wine, eat spicy pasta, beans, and rabbit, and luxuriate in a very slow pace, while staying at guesthouses that charge less than 40 euros per night.

[tags]Italy, Calabria,[/tags]