There are those certain travel experiences you know you’re going to remember forever. The unexpected moments, because the best memories in Italy aren't always found in the places everyone tells you to visit. Sometimes you'll find them at the end of a winding country road, in a home tucked into the hills, where someone you've never met welcomes you into their kitchen.

With flour on your hands, homemade wine in your glass, and a plate of pasta made by YOU just waiting to be devoured... here is where those unforgettable moments are found: In the friendly conversations that stretch late into the night and in the generosity of people who don't have to do anything extra, but do it anyway.

That's what happened to us one evening in Calabria. And what started as a simple pasta-making experience became one of the most unforgettable nights of our trip. And here is why you absolutely cannot skip doing cultural experiences while visiting Italy...

Making Pasta in Calabria: Our Unforgettable Fusilli Calabresi Experience

During one of our trips to my beloved Calabria, my mother, aunt, my friend, and I decided to do something a little different. Instead of spending another day at the beach, we booked a traditional pasta-making experience through Vera Italia. It ended up being one of the highlights of our entire trip!

We left my apartment in Scalea and headed into the countryside, eventually arriving at Gianluca's rural home tucked into the hills of Santa Maria del Cedro. And the setting alone was absolutely beautiful. Their home had gorgeous views over the surrounding countryside, and there was something so peaceful about being there.

It felt completely different from dining in a restaurant or going on an organized tour. This was someone's home. Someone's family... someone's everyday life. You don't get a more authentic Calabrian experience than that.

When we arrived, Gianluca greeted us along with his mother and his wife, and from the very beginning, everyone was incredibly warm and welcoming. We immediately felt comfortable. They handed us our traditional head coverings; we washed our hands, and we were officially ready to dive in.

Me (April), ready to make some pasta

My mom, Niki, and my aunt Toni. I have no idea why I didn't get a picture of my friend Karyn or why we didn't all take one together. Oops!

Time to Make Some Pasta!

We gathered around the table set up outside, with an unbelievable countryside-view backdrop! Our mission for the evening? Fusilli calabresi. And if you've never made traditional Calabrian fusilli before, let me tell you... it's not quite as easy as it looks.

Gianluca's mamma showed us how to make the dough and explained the process step by step. Then came the fun part. The ferretto. It's a traditional thin metal rod used to shape the pasta. You wrap the dough around the rod and then slide it off, creating that beautiful spiral shape.

Sounds simple, right? Well... not exactly. At least not for us. There was definitely a learning curve. Our first few attempts were... let's just say rustic. We watched Gianluca, his mamma, and his wife demonstrate the proper technique. Then we tried and tried again.

Eventually, we started getting the hang of it. And that's what made it so much fun. It wasn't just about making perfect pasta. It was about learning something that has been done in Calabrian homes for generations and actually getting our hands involved in the process.

We weren't just dropping ready-made pasta into a pot or watching someone else make it. We were doing it ourselves. And we loved that!

Gianluca's mamma showing us how to make the dough

Our handmade pasta dough and the ferretto (traditional metal rod) to form the fusilli

Gianluca demonstrating how to form the fusilli with the ferretto

Our completed fusilli Calabresi

And Then There Was Sauce...

Once our fusilli were ready, it was time for the sauce. And this is where I need to tell you something. This may have been the best tomato sauce I've ever eaten. And it wasn't complicated. In fact, it was incredibly simple. Fresh tomatoes and basil from their garden, sweet Tropea onion, olive oil, and salt. That's it.

No complicated recipe. Just incredibly fresh tomatoes, cooked simply and served with the pasta we had just made with our own hands. It was absolutely delicious.

And I'll be perfectly honest; I hate onions! Now hear me out. I like the flavor, but for whatever reason, the crunch of an onion nauseates me! I also don't like squishy, raw tomatoes. I know, something's wrong with me. Haha.

Now, Gianluca's sauce was pure perfection. The onions were fried until they weren't even noticeable: all flavor, no crunch. And there was not a single trace of tomato squish, just the incredibly flavorful sauce. Yum!

Fresh Tropea onions simmering in olive oil

The outdoor setup

The outdoor stove and setup (see the view below?!?)

The sauce of all sauces!

Homemade Food, Homemade Wine, Sunset & Good Conversation

As the sun sank into the glistening turquoise sea, Italy's golden hour cast its spell over the Calabrian countryside, bathing everything in a warm, golden honey hue.

We sat down at the table with our freshly made fusilli, the sauce of all sauces, fresh homemade bread, and glasses of their homemade wine. The evening air was thick and warm, the food was delectable, and the conversation kept flowing, just like the wine.

Karyn and I translated for my mom and aunt. We laughed a lot. We ate slowly. We drank wine. We talked about everything from Calabrian food to life in Italy. And we drank more wine.

I remember looking around that table and thinking that this was the kind of Italian experience you can't recreate in a restaurant. This was someone's home: their food, their wine, their family, and their traditions. And for one beautiful evening, they shared it all with us.

As we were talking about typical Calabrian foods, I mentioned that peperoni cruschi were one of my absolute favorites. If you don't know what peperoni cruschi are, they're dried sweet peppers that are quickly fried until they're crispy. They're a specialty you'll find throughout Calabria, and I could honestly eat them by the handful!

Apparently, mentioning how good peperoni cruschi are was enough to convince Gianluca that we needed to make some. So they did. And this wasn't even part of the experience we had booked. That was one of the things that really stood out to me about the evening.

He didn't have to do that. He simply heard that we loved something and wanted us to try it. So out came the peppers. And then, because there was leftover oil from frying the peppers, Gianluca had another idea: Fried eggs in the pepper oil.

He made us fried eggs in the leftover oil from the peperoni cruschi, and we ate them with fresh homemade bread. I mean... come on. Our bellies weren't the only things that were full; so were our hearts!

Gianluca from Sfizi di Calabria showing off his dried peppers

Making peperoni cruschi

Peperoni cruschi ~ Sweet & salty crispy peppers

Fried eggs in pepper oil

Then We Got to Go Shopping...

Even though our cultural experience included taking home a ferretto, a bag of pre-made fusilli, and two bottles of sauce, Gianluca opened up his store at our request.

He owns Sfizi di Calabria, and let me tell you, if you're looking for traditional Calabrian products, this is your place!

We ended up buying quite a few things to bring home. Of course, there was 'nduja (spicy Calabrian sausage). We also picked up cedro liquor, cedro jam, homemade wine, and other traditional Calabrian goodies.

After eating, drinking, and spending the evening with this wonderful family, being able to take a little piece of Calabria home with us made the night even more special.

Sfizi di Calabria in Santa Maria del Cedro

Why You Should Do More Than Sightsee in Calabria

If you're planning a trip to Calabria, I really want to encourage you to do something like this.

Yes, go to Tropea. See the beaches. Visit the hill towns. Explore the churches and piazzas. Eat at the restaurants. Do all of those things. But don't just see Calabria. Experience it. Take a cooking class. Learn how to make pasta. Visit a farm. Go olive oil tasting.

Learn about the traditions of a particular town. Spend time with local people. Take a tarantella dance class. These are the experiences that give you a glimpse into what life in Calabria is actually like.

And I think that's especially important in Calabria because so much of what makes this region special isn't necessarily something you can put on a sightseeing itinerary. It's the people, the food, and the Calabrian traditions passed down from generation to generation.

It's the family recipes and sitting outside while someone pours you another glass of wine. It's eating tomatoes that were grown a few feet away and learning to make pasta with a ferretto instead of buying a package at the grocery store.

It’s the people you meet and the conversations you have that open up a window into another way of life, allowing you to see the world, even for a moment, through the eyes of a different culture.

That's the Calabria I fell in love with! That's why I chose to buy a home there. And that's why every time I go back, I find myself falling in love with it all over again.

(Discover all the incredible Calabrian experiences available with Vera Italia here and check out Gianluca's authentic Calabrian products at Sfizi di Calabria here)

Sipping our homemade wine as the sun set behind us

Drying peppers

Our handmade fusilli Calabresi with homemade wine

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