Blame it on a severed ear mailed to a stubborn billionaire more than 30 years ago, but Calabria is better known for kidnappings than hospitality.
In 1973, kidnappers snatched young J. Paul Getty III from his pampered life in Rome and whisked him south to Calabria where he was held for US$ 17 million ransom. His grandfather, J. Paul Getty Sr., who was at the time the richest person on the planet, refused to pay. After five months, the impatient kidnappers mailed the teen’s bloody ear to the Getty family and grandpa paid up. As other kidnappings of wealthy Northern Italians followed, Calabria’s reputation as a dangerous region grew.
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| On the second Sunday of September, the 1,400 residents of Falconara Albanese honor their patron saint, Our Lady of Good Counsel, in a religious festival. |
Although the crime spree ended long ago, Calabria, the toe of Italy, remains one of the country’s least-visited regions ― a region with sincere people, dramatic natural beauty and ancient religious festivals.
On the second Sunday of September, the 1,400 residents of Falconara Albanese honor their patron saint, Our Lady of Good Counsel, in a religious festival that begins with a solemn mass and a procession through the narrow streets of this mountain town, some only five feet (1.5 m) wide.
As small but sturdy young men slowly carry the serene-looking icon through the narrow, rocky streets of this 17th century town, followed by a marching band playing Sousa music, the faithful shower her with Euros.
While women prepare the Sunday meal of pasta and hot peppers,
the men of Falconara Albanese compete in festival games. Visitors can enter for a chance to take home a prize ― a carton of cigarettes, two pounds of fresh mozzarella cheese or a stick of spicy sopressata, a Calabrian salami ― but cheering for the local boys is more fun than climbing a 30-foot (9 m) greased pole or joining a fierce game of tug-of-war.
Continued: Travel in Calabria, Italy: An Unexpected Gem
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