In a region admittedly less developed than the typical Italian vacation fare, a little help goes a long way. The trio behind Explore Calabria, more a curatorial expert panel than a traditional guide group, live and breathe Calabria and have dedicated their futures to preserving the region’s heritage and culture while helping it to grow sustainably as a tourism destination. Explore Calabria does offer traditional tour guide services and is currently developing group tour programs for the near future, but their true value is in the extensive research they’ve undertaken throughout the region, and the high standards they have for recommendations, both to the traveling public and to the businesses within Calabria. Instead of focusing solely on bringing visitors in, Explore Calabria works tirelessly with local businesses and municipal governments to make improvements that stimulate healthy growth in the region’s tourism industry. They’re also a hell of an advertising powerhouse. If you’ve seen any epic drone footage of an impossibly stunning Italy online lately, it was likely one of their viral vids, so appealing that other regions have asked their assistance in shooting footage for their own tourism.

For Explore Calabria, promoting the region is a lifestyle, not a career. Two of the team, a married pair, relocated from the UK after visiting Calabria often enough that they felt compelled to stay year-round, and help others discover this unsung paradise. The third is originally Italian but spent most of her life in Canada before realizing she’d rather return to her roots and rediscover the region that everyone else also seemed to have forgotten.  Together, the three are poised to put Calabria on the map as a bucket list destination; if you’ve seen any of their videos, it’s already on yours.

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Contributor Brandon Schultz |

Locale Calabria, Italy |

Topic Travel |

Photo Gallery Calabria | Travel |