Reggio Calabria

Reggio Calabria needs 1 day: the Museo Archeologico Nazionale della Magna Grecia, home to the Riace Bronzes -two Greek bronze statues from the 5th century BC rescued from the sea in 1972-, in the morning, and a stroll along the Lungomare Falcomatà, the seafront that Gabriele D'Annunzio called «the most beautiful kilometer in Italy», with views of the Strait of Messina and Mount Etna on clear days, in the afternoon. April-June and September-October bring the mildest weather. It's inexpensive by Italian standards. Founded by Greek settlers in the 8th century BC as Rhegion, it's now the gateway to the southern tip of the peninsula, separated from Sicily by just 3 km at the narrowest point of the Strait of Messina.