To follow the itinerary as written below, fly into Lamezia Terme, most easily accessible via a connection in Rome or Milan, and rent a car — Calabria’s roads are well-maintained and signposted.

If you plan on going to Basilicata first, however, follow our suggested Basilicata itinerary and on day 9, instead of heading to Naples, drive instead about three hours to the hotel recommended below.

Either way, the dramatically sited Due Mari restaurant in the town of Tiriolo, a 15-minute detour from the main E848 road, makes for an excellent stop for lunch.

Then continue on to the 30-room Praia Art Resort, 40 miles to the east. This series of whitewashed villas surrounded by immaculately tended gardens has a residents-only beach club and three restaurants, one of which has a Michelin star.

Overnight at the Praia Art Resort.

Take a full day to relax at the Praia Art Resort, enjoying its sandy beach and pine-shaded pool.

On the following day, make a day trip northeast. Drive about half an hour to Capo Colonna to see the ruins of the fifth-century B.C. temple of Hera Lacinia, which has glorious views over the sea.

Continue northwest about 20 minutes to Crotone, which has a small but very worthwhile archaeological museum. Its star piece is an intricate and well-preserved fifth-century B.C. diadem of golden leaves, discovered in excavations at Capo Colonna.

After lunch at Ristorante Da Ercole on the palm tree-shaded seafront in the heart of the old town, drive about 30 minutes back to the Praia Art Resort.

Overnight at the Praia Art Resort.

Check out of the Praia Art Resort and drive southwest along the coast, detouring inland to visit the hillside hamlet of Stilo, known for its ninth-century five-towered Byzantine church.

Return to the coast and continue south, detouring inland again to visit the former Norman stronghold of Gerace, dramatically sited on a 1,600-foot rock. (It takes about three hours of driving time from the Praia Art Resort to Gerace, including the detour to Stilo.)

Head about two hours northwest to Calabria’s opposite coast and the sensationally scenic town of Tropea, built atop a cliff overlooking the sea.

Check into the 11-room Villa Paola, a former 16th-century convent. From its clifftop location amid terraced gardens, it has mesmerizing views of the Marina di Tropea.

Have dinner at the hotel at a candlelit table in the garden (make an advance request).

Overnight at Villa Paola.

Take a full day to explore Tropea, one of the best-preserved medieval towns in southern Italy. Visit the 12th-century Norman cathedral, which houses a painting of the Madonna of Romania by a pupil of Giotto. And it’s worth climbing the 300-some steps up to the Santa Maria dell’Isola monastery, which has stupendous views of the sea and Tropea.

Have lunch in the dappled shade of La Pergola, and perhaps enjoy a gelato at Gelati Tonino, known for unusual flavors such as red onion and squid ink.

Return to the hotel in the afternoon and relax.

Overnight at Villa Paola.

The Villa Paola can arrange for a private boat and skipper to explore the Costa degli Dei, the aptly named “Coast of the Gods,” with turquoise seas lapping cliffs and sandy beaches. Our skipper pointed out local landmarks, anchored so that we could swim in the sea and poured aperitifs of Spumante as we cruised back.

Dine tonight at Al Pinturicchio, the best table in Tropea’s old town.

Overnight at Villa Paola.

Depart Tropea and continue south. If ceramics are at all of interest, stop in Seminara, which is home to the studio of artist Enzo Ferraro and produces both traditional baroque-style designs, including babbuini pottery featuring grotesque figures of animals and flowers, as well as contemporary pieces. (Visits are by appointment only.)

At around this point, turn onto the scenic SS18 coastal road and follow it about 40 minutes to the town of Scilla, a picturesque fishing town of pastel houses overlooked by a castle on a crag of rock jutting into the sea. Have lunch at Osteria del Centro, located high above the port.

From Scilla it’s a little less than an hour southwest to the region’s largest city, Reggio Calabria. This handsome and little-touristed place of about 200,000 inhabitants is built on slopes overlooking the Strait of Messina. 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.

Alas, Reggio does not have a hotel of a standard to merit a Hideaway Report recommendation, but the Hotel Medinblu provides a friendly, comfortable and well-located base from which to explore. Book a Superior Room. An excellent breakfast is served on a rooftop terrace with a dramatic view of the Strait of Messina.

Check into the hotel, and in the early evening take a passeggiata along the Corso Garibaldi, joining other locals in a stroll, or watch the fashion parade from the patio of a café.

Have dinner tonight at Lisca Bianca, an easy walk from the Medinblu.

Overnight at the Hotel Medinblu.

Spend a full day exploring Reggio Calabria. Sightseeing highlights include the Castello Aragonese, a Norman fortress overlooking the city; the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, home to the Riace bronzes, two life-size ancient Greek statues of naked warriors that date from around 460 to 430 B.C.; and the Pinacoteca Civica, which houses a fine art collection.

For your passeggiata this evening, have a stroll along the Lungomare Falcomatà, with art nouveau buildings on one side and the sea on the other.

The restaurant L’A Gourmet L’Accademia offers more sea views and is an excellent choice for dinner.

Overnight at the Hotel Medinblu.

Fly out of Reggio Calabria’s airport and connect to your flight home, or continue on to Sicily. It takes about two hours by car, depending on the timing of the ferry, to reach Taormina from Reggio.

Taormina ranks among Italy’s loveliest towns, with its Greco-Roman amphitheater overlooking Mount Etna and the sea. The Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo has similarly spectacular views, and a stay at this alluring 71-room resort would make a splendid finish to this itinerary. Depart then from Catania’s airport, about an hour’s drive from the hotel.