Practical Information for visiting Gerace

Gerace is on the quiet side of Calabria and takes some reaching.

The nearest station is at Locri on the Ionian coastal line, which is slow and infrequent; it connects south towards Reggio Calabria and north towards Catanzaro.

By road, Reggio is about an hour and a half over the Aspromonte or round the coast, and Catanzaro about two hours north.

The nearest airports are Reggio Calabria, with a thin schedule, and Lamezia Terme, about two hours away, which is the region's main airport.

Tropea, on the other coast, is roughly three hours by road — the Calabrian mountains make crossing the peninsula slower than the map suggests.

Buses serve the coast rather than the hill towns.

Coverage for mobile networks is good in the town, unreliable in the Aspromonte behind it.

Gerace is safe and quiet, and visitors are not a target for anything.

The Locride carries a reputation in Italy for organised crime, and the region's recent history includes the kidnapping era. None of it involves visitors, and treating it as a personal safety issue on a trip would be inaccurate.

The real hazards are structural and environmental. Parts of the town are derelict and unstable; do not enter closed buildings or climb on ruins.

The streets are steep, cobbled and stepped, with unfenced drops at the edges of the rock, and they are slippery in rain.

Mountain roads inland are narrow, winding and poorly lit, sometimes with livestock.

The fiumare flood suddenly after rain in the Aspromonte, even when it is dry where you are standing; do not cross a running one.

Summer wildfire is a serious risk in the foothills.

Emergency services are reachable on 112.

No vaccinations or special precautions are needed; standards are those of Italy generally.

The terrain is the practical issue. Gerace is a continuous climb on cobbles and steps, and much of it is difficult for anyone with limited mobility.

In summer the town is exposed and shade is limited in the squares, though the altitude helps.

Ticks are present in the grazing land and scrub around the town.

There is no pharmacy open at all hours in a town this size; the rota is posted and covers the surrounding villages.

The nearest hospital with an emergency department is at Locri, about ten kilometres down on the coast, with larger facilities at Reggio Calabria.

Provision in the Locride is thinner than in most of Italy, which is worth knowing if you have a condition that may need attention.

EHIC and GHIC cards are accepted; travel insurance is worth having.

The single emergency number across Italy is 112, reaching police, ambulance and fire, generally with English-speaking operators.

Other numbers still in use: 113 police, 118 medical, 115 fire.

The nearest emergency department is the hospital at Locri, roughly ten kilometres away on the coast. The main provincial hospital is in Reggio Calabria, about an hour and a half by road.

There is no foreign consulate anywhere near. The nearest consular representation is in Naples, and embassies are in Rome.

Report thefts to the Carabinieri, who have a station in the town, for the report an insurer will require.

An ambulance can reach the edge of the old town but not most of its lanes. If you are staying up in the town, know the nearest square or vehicle access point, because that is where help will stop.