It's no secret that Italy has some of the world's best food. However, after visiting all 20 regions, I've learned that the country isn't one-size-fits-all when it comes to dining in la dolce vita. Each region has niche dishes and products that locals wear like a badge of honor, like mozzarella di bufala from Campania, pesto alla Genovese from Liguria, and arancini from Sicily.
As crazy as that might sound to hear, a traditional Northern Italian lasagna isn't stuffed with ricotta, and it doesn't come topped with a layer of melted mozzarella either. The work that falls to ricotta in many recipes - providing the creamy layers in the filling - is instead accomplished with a silky bechamel sauce in a traditional lasagna. For those not familiar, bechamel is one of French cuisine's five mother sauces, a simple sauce made with butter, flour, milk, and seasonings.
Calabria, tucked between the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas, is Italy's best-kept secret. It's a land of dramatic coastlines, ancient ruins, hilltop villages, and untouched natural beauty. And as one of the few less-traveled paths left in Italy, Calabria makes for a deeply immersive cultural journey, best taken over the course of five or seven days. Here are a few of the best towns to visit when traveling to Calabria.