Catanzaro
Catanzaro is the region's capital, home to about 100,000 people. It is an interesting mountaintop city in that it sits on a rock split in two by a valley, and thus a concrete-steel bridge connects city sections. Though the city is centuries old, most of its ancient sites are gone, having succumbed to earthquakes in 1783 and 1832 and bombings during World War II. What's left today is less than spectacular, though the city does remain a transportation hub from which you can explore this part of Italy.
You aren't going to miss much if you skip the historic sightseeing in town, though if you have time to spare, there is the town cathedral, which was entirely rebuilt after Allied bombings in 1943. Several other historic churches are also spread around the city, some with Renaissance and Byzantine architecture on a smaller scale than you will find when touring other regions in Italy.
Fact
One of Catanzaro's claims to fame is that it was the birthplace of artist Domenico “Mimmo” Rotella, a leader of the Decollage movement until his death in 2006. Decollage is the opposite of collage, which is the creation of artwork by layering. In Decollage, you strip away — as Rotella did famously with advertising posters torn from outdoor walls in Rome.
A better bet in this part of Calabria is to head straight to Catanzaro Lido, a resort area on the Ionian Coast. The beaches here are less spectacular than those to the north on the Amalfi Coast, but they're a perfectly respectable choice if you want to spend a night or two at a local hotel while exploring small towns along the Ionian Sea. You can use Catanzaro as a hub for your travels, as opposed to a destination unto itself.
