Near Botricello
Botricello Beach
Botricello, a town located in the Gulf of Squillace, middle Ionian, between Catanzaro and Crotone, known for its wide and free beaches with white sand and ideal for long walks in the early morning. Free and equipped beaches at the seafront of Botricello and Belcastro Marina. A few kilometers from the Hotel Onda Bleu (3.5 km) the beach of Steccato di Cutro is ideal for Kite-surfing, horse-riding excursions from the sea of Botricello towards the hill. Hot croissants “at midnight” at the patisseries of the village and every Thursday morning the open-air market along the streets of the station of Botricello.
The Aragonese Castle
Le Castella is a fraction of Isola di Capo Rizzuto, in the province of Crotone, is located on the Ionian coast of Calabria, 17 km from the Hotel Onda Bleu. The castle and the Aragonese fortress are well-known: the current building overlooking the remaining islet is the work of the Aragons who at the end of the XVth century built and strengthened the defensive system of the Kingdom of Naples to defend it from Arab raids from the sea. Tourist village on the sea famous for night walks around the illuminated Castle, the flea market and the commercial shops open even in the evening. From Le Castella we organize guided tours by boat to the seabed of the marine reserve or you can rent the boat to spend the day on the sea.
Archaeological area of Capo Colonna
The archaeological site of Capo Colonna is a state archaeological site located in Capo Colonna, near Crotone, easily accessible from the Onda Bleu hotel only 35 km away along the coast road s.s.106.
The sanctuary of Hera Lacinia of Capo Colonna, dependent on the ancient town of Crotone, was one of the most important sanctuaries of the Magna Graecia from the Archaic period up to the 4th century BC. Today’s name recalls the ruins of the temple (with the last “column” standing).
The Marine Reserve of Capo Rizzuto
The Marine Protected Area Capo Rizzuto, established in 1991 and managed by the Province of Crotone, has an extension of almost 15,000 hectares and is the largest in Italy for size. A few kilometers (8 km) from the hotel Onda Bleu you reach the Marine Reserve, where on it overlook eight headlands, including that of the archaeological park of Capo Colonna, with the only column of the temple of Hera Lacinia left standing ; at the other end of the park is Punta Le Castella, with the Aragonese castle. It extends for about 100 meters from the coast, divided into an integral reserve zone, south of Capo Colonna and towards Capo Cimiti (6 km of coastline), an area where access, navigation, bathing and all that is forbidden it can alter the underlying marine environment. Here the visits are guided and regulated. The other area is called “Riserva Generale”, starting from the ground of Crotone, up to the western part of Le Castella covering almost 30 km of coastline. Here, in this area of ”Riserva Generale”, the limitations are reduced, compared to the “Riserva Integrale” area, and it is also possible to practice standing or towing fishing. We recommend visiting the Le Cannella di Capo Rizzuto beach.
The Castle of Santa Severina
Santa Severina in the province of Crotone, is 35 km from the Hotel Onda Bleu and is located in a district of valleys (the view of the Marquisate overlooking the Ionian Sea) dominated by the river Neto. It is part of the most beautiful villages in Italy. With the Byzantine domination, from the 9th century to the 11th the city experienced its period of greatest splendor: to visit the Baptistery (the oldest Byzantine monument of Calabria), the old Cathedral, the Church of Santa Filomena, the Castle whose construction it dates back to the period of Norman domination (XI century) on a pre-existing fortification of the Byzantine era, all more striking testimonies of the Byzantine period.
Valli Cupe and Canyon Calabresi
Located at the foot of the Silane plateau, in the middle of a rich naturalistic context, the Cupe Valleys can be considered among the most fascinating and evocative naturalistic sites of the Catanzaro Presila and of the whole Calabria.
The naturalistic area of the Valli Cupe (in local Calabrese dialect: Valli cupi) is an important naturalistic site located near Sersale, in the municipality of Catanzaro, far from the Hotel Onda Bleu 27 km. The particularity of the area is linked to the presence of waterfalls, canyons, ancient trees, botanical rarities and monoliths. With the enchanting waterfalls (Campanaro, Paradiso, Inferno and of the Rupi) immersed in uncontaminated places, the canyons that conceal unexpected biodiversity treasures, the breathtaking views of gorges and precipices that descend, the numerous monumental trees and a floristic and faunistic heritage of the highest value, the area of the Valli Cupe is considered one of the naturalistic beauties of the Italian peninsula.
Day and Night Soverato
Located in the southern part of the Gulf of Squillace, about 50 km from the Hotel Onda Bleu, Soverato is the most important tourist center on the Ionian coast and precisely because of the beauty of its equipped promenade is called “the pearl of the Ionian”. To visit the beaches of Pietragrande, Caminia and Copanello a naturalistic mix of sand and rocks. Nightclubs, discos and pubs are very popular in the area, even open until the early hours of the morning
Taverna and Mattia Preti
Admire the frescoes by Mattia Preti “the Cavaliere Calabrese” famous Italian painter of Taverna in the province of Catanzaro, just 47 km from the Hotel Onda Bleu, at the town’s civic museum. To visit in Taverna, an ancient village rebuilt several times, the Church of San Domenico with the cycle of frescoes (designed by Mattia Preti) that reproduce the phases of the life of the Saint, the Church of Santa Barbara with the sides of the nave six altars and several paintings like the baptism of Christ by Mattia Preti.
The Certosa of Serra San Bruno
The Certosa di Serra San Bruno (also Certosa dei Santi Stefano and Bruno) is a certosina abbey located near the homonymous town in the province of Vibo Valentia between the Calabrian Serre and 90 km from the Hotel Onda Bleu. The beginning of the construction of the Charterhouse dates back to 1084. The most interesting experience is the visit of the museum, conceived as a spiritual and historical itinerary on the presence of the Carthusian order in Calabria: visit the Saint’s cell and his library; the day of the monk is reconstructed, the long night prayer and the life defined as solitary, fraternal, ascetic and contemplative is appreciated. A special atmosphere in an ideal area where you can walk along paths immersed in nature trails.
The Cattolica of Stilo
Stilo (Stilu in Calabria, Stylon in greek-calabro) is a town in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, and included in the circuit of the most beautiful villages in Italy, is from the hotel Onda Bleu 94 km
Stilo, the city of the sun and home of Tommaso Campanella, in its history has counted as many as 18 churches, many of which were lost after the earthquake of 1783. Of Greek origin, then passed under the rule of the Byzantines in the tenth century became the most important Byzantine center of southern Calabria. Famous the Catholic of Stilo a Byzantine architecture, similar to the type of Greek cross church inscribed in a square, typical of the Middle-Byzantine period.
Footprints in the Park
Orme nel Parco is the first eco-experiential park in Calabria, in Tirivolo area in the municipality of Zagarise, just 40 km from the Hotel Onda Bleu, immersed in a beautiful beech forest of three hectares, in one of the most evocative and unspoiled scenery of the Sila National Park, where you can breathe the purest air in Europe. Through the use of protection devices provided, which allow you to move in total safety, you can make acrobatic paths between the trees with games that differ from each other for the level of difficulty or solicit the psycho-motor factor through the control of emotionality with sport climbing.
By renting mountain bikes you can discover one of the most beautiful National Parks in Italy. Through guided tours it is possible to experience the rhythm of the seasons and natural phenomena. The Adventure Park is eco-friendly, offers attractions and activities for everyone: school children, families, organized groups, companies.
Sila, the Calabrian Plateau
La Sila is located in the central-northern area of the Calabria region, which extends for 150,000 hectares making it the most extensive plateau in Europe, through the provinces of Cosenza, Crotone and Catanzaro. It is divided (from north to south) in Sila Greca, Sila Grande and Sila Piccola. Lake Ampollino in Cotronei, Villaggio Palumbo, just 60 km from the Hotel Onda Bleu you can easily reach the 1,600 meters of height s.l.m. Important sites of Sila Grande, Lorica and Camigliatello, with the Arvo and Cecita Lake, 90 km from the Hotel Onda Bleu. Monte Botte Donato (1,928 mt.s.l.m.) the highest elevation of the Sila
