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A Day in the Life in a Small Calabrian Town
6:30am
When I travelled to Calabria in 2023 with my parents, brother and fiancé at the time, mornings felt very different to what we were used to back in Sydney.
There were around 30 of us altogether staying throughout the town across a few different family homes. My family stayed at my Nonna*’s house, while my cousins, Zia*, and Zio* stayed next door at my other Zia’s house. The rest of the family were scattered throughout nearby homes across the town, but somehow everyone was always together.
Even though we were on holiday, I still found myself waking up early around 6:30am. I would do my usual routine — shower, hair, light makeup — before heading next door to my Zia*’s house where everyone would slowly gather for breakfast together as she had the most room for all of us.
Some mornings we would have yoghurt and fresh fruit, while other mornings my Zio would walk down to the local bar to get 2 bags of cornetti*
7:30am
By the time we finished breakfast, or colazione* as they call it, it would usually be around 7:00–7:30am and we would begin the ten minute walk down to the bus stop near my Zia’s house.
Unlike Sydney, where buses arrive every few minutes, the buses through the towns in Calabria moved at a much slower pace — one bus in the morning and another returning later in the afternoon around 3pm.
We would take the bus from our family’s town down to Vibo Valentia, arriving around 8:00–8:30am.
8:30am
When we do go to Vibo Valentia we would stop at Cin Cin Bar. You could smell the freshly made pastries and coffee long before you even walked inside.
After breakfast we would wander through the main streets of Vibo Valentia, walking through boutique stores, local fruit and vegetable shops and small cafés. Honestly, the produce tasted completely different — fresh cheeses, pastries, fruit, drinks and snacks that somehow felt both simple and unforgettable.
Most of the day was spent slowly walking around, shopping, chatting and enjoying the atmosphere.
(Well… everyone else window shopped. I actually shopped.)
2:00pm
By around 2pm we would make our way back to the bus stop to head home. Most afternoons were hot, so the bus rides back were usually quiet.
By 3pm we would arrive back in town and walk another ten minutes home.
At that point many of my cousins, aunties, uncles and other paesani* (town locals) would already be gathered in the piazza* — the town square — sitting together, chatting, playing cards, drinking espresso or simply standing around enjoying each other’s company.
Most afternoons we would head back to my Nonna’s house, drop off our shopping bags and then walk next door again to my Zia’s house to spend time with whoever was there.
4:00pm
Afternoons in the town were always slower.
Many of the local shops would close for pausa* — the midday break where businesses either closed for the remainder of the day or reopened later in the afternoon.
There honestly wasn’t much to do during those hours. I would usually spend the afternoons wandering through the tiny narrow streets of the town, somehow getting lost while also never really being lost at all.
No matter where you walked, you always somehow found your way back.
5:00pm
Around 5pm it was coffee time again.
To me, that felt incredibly late for coffee, so instead I would usually drink my mint drink — basically mint cordial, ice and water.
My brother and husband always ask why I would willingly drink something that tastes like mint mouthwash, but honestly I love it. It’s refreshing, especially in the heat.
8:00pm
Dinner in Calabria was always later, especially during the ferragosto* months of June, July and August when Italy is at its busiest.
Our dinners were surprisingly simple. Most nights my uncle — who owns the local butcher in town — would bring over fresh meat for us to cook.
Dinner usually included salad, bread, salami, fresh smoked scamorza* cheese, marinated olives and pickled tomatoes and mushrooms gathered from the forest about thirty minutes from town.
(*Important note: only certain varieties of mushrooms/fungi are safe to pick. Many are poisonous, so proper guidance is essential.)
10:00pm
After dinner, cleaning up and chatting for hours, it would usually be around 10pm when all of us cousins and the men would head down to the piazza again.
The town would still feel alive.
People gathered outside talking, laughing, smoking cigarettes, drinking espresso and spending time together late into the night.
It was those slower days, warm evenings and simple everyday moments throughout Calabria that later became part of the feeling and inspiration behind Giardino di Luce.
Italian Words
*Nonna — Grandmother
*Zia — Aunty
*Cornetto — Italian-style croissant/pastry
*Colazione — Breakfast
*Paesani — People from the same town/community
*Piazza — Town square
*Pausa — Midday break/rest period
*Ferragosto — Peak Italian summer holiday period
*Scamorza — Traditional smoked Italian cheese