Calabria is one of the most overlooked Italian destinations—­underdeveloped and unfairly dogged by a louche reputation. (Easy Jet was forced to apologize after a 2020 ad cheekily promoted it as a land of “Mafia activity.”) The province, spanning the toe of the Italian boot, is home to breathtaking beaches, stunning mountain vistas, ancient hilltop villages, and unique, spicy cuisine.

Last year a group of enterprising and passionate hiking guides knitted the landscape into a three-day cross-­country trek, starting in the beach paradise of Soverato on the Ionian coast and ending about 34 miles west, in the 14th century fortress town of Pizzo on the Tyrrhenian Sea.