Discovering Calabria in Italy, where tourists are seen as a blessing, not a curse

It has sandy beaches, hilltop towns and emerald seas to make fans of Italy swoon, yet this southernmost region remains an undiscovered gem

Let’s start with an exclusive: “Italian town wants more tourists and cruise passengers.” It’s true that many in Italy are fed up with the country’s 22 million annual visitors, and that its most celebrated city has banned cruise liners and makes tourists pay a daily tax, but in deepest Calabria, as in several other areas, overtourism is not an issue – rather the opposite.

The main piazza in Santa Severina, a few miles from the Ionian coast, is dotted with bars and cafes beneath the walls of a Norman fortress and the dome of a Byzantine church. There’s a small formal garden leading to a terrace with wonderful views – we are more than 300 metres (980ft) high – over the Sila mountain range.