december-2009

146 | DESTINATION GUIDES
Lamezia
Italy
DIALLING CODE +39
CURRENCY €
FROM THE
AIRPORT
Visit the Europcar
desk on arrival
for special easyJet
infl ight rates.
Holiday Taxis
(easyJet.holiday
taxis.com) take you from
home to the airport, then
city or destination.
The fare to the city
centre is about €20.
Routes 4 and 5
go to the centre.
end of a winding road.
It’s a perfect spot for an
unforgettable evening.
EXCLUSIVE Villa
Marinella (Via Villaggio
Racise, tel: 0961 922
008) Head to the heart
of La Sila National Park
and prepare to enjoy an
evening’s feast at this
restaurant. Favourites
include the Sila-grown
porcini mushrooms.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY Birreria
Degli Amici (379 Via
Lungomare) Saturday
and Sundays see
karaoke nights at this
pub and there are
several, well-placed TVs
showing various events.
LIVE MUSIC Way
Out (Via San Francesco
di Paola) Way Out is
staged on two levels and
is the weekend hotspot
for locals who want live
music. The bar offers
more than 100 varieties
of rum, whisky and beer.
LATE & LIVELY
Discoteca Soho
Musical (199 Via
Romualdo Montagna, tel:
0984 790 199) This club
blasts out techno, house
and pop. Weekends are
lively and the club stays
open till 3am.
THIS MONTH
SHOP La Perla del
Sud is full of Calabrian
Christmas desserts
such as pandora,
torrone and stuffed fi gs
covered with chocolate
(12 Via Bausan).
SEE Each year
Christmas Eve sees the
celebration of the end of
Christmas Novena – the
nine-day countdown to
Jesus’ birth. Just after
midnight the churches in
Catanzaro are fi lled with
people beginning the
Christmas celebrations.
GO The amazing
ninth-century Byzantine
Cattolica di Stilo, 90
minutes from Catanzaro,
is one of Calabria’s
most photographed
monuments, due to its
beautiful brick façade.
ESCAPE Relax on
the steam train that
transports travellers
from Cosenza into La
Sila National Park, then
warm up with a hot
chocolate in one of
the cafés.
TAXI TAXI
Tickets: €0.77.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €15 Pub
Antico Feudo (3 Via
Capri) Inspired by
the Highlands, this
Scottish-style pub helps
customers match Italian
dishes with more than
30 imported beers.
UP TO €30 A’Tijana
(Viale Fiume Mesima,
tel: 0961 751 838) This
classic Calabrian trattoria
serves homemade
morzello – a local
speciality that is made
with tripe, tomatoes and
red peppers.
UP TO €50 New
Meeting Ristorante
(165 Contrada Campo,
tel: 0961 998 512)
Expect fresh seafood
and a lively banquet
room, tucked away at the
GRAND HOTEL
PARADISO
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
This stylish hotel
offers a fantastic
bar, a modern, wellequipped
gym and
superb rooms to
rest in. The ideal
base for a break in
Lamezia. Breakfast
included. From €116,
book at holidays.
easyJet.com.
NO WAY!
The world-famous
philosopher Pythagoras
established the fi rst
Pythagorean School
of Mathematics in
Crotone, Calabria in the
sixth century BC.
Cherrye Moore/
my-bellavita.com
Lanzarote
Spain
DIALLING CODE +34
CURRENCY €
FROM THE
AIRPORT
Visit the Europcar
desk on arrival
for special easyJet
infl ight rates.
Holiday Taxis
(easyJet.holiday
taxis.com) take you from
home to the airport, then
city or destination.
A journey to the
centre of Arrecife
costs about €12.
On routes 22 and
23, buses leave
every 30 minutes,
stopping at Playa del
Reducto and Arrecife’s
bus station, from 7am–
10.25pm Monday–
Friday and 9am–
10.25pm at the weekend.
Tickets: €1.15.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €15 Angelo’s
(Calle Las Tabaibas,
Costa Teguise, tel:
928 827 138) Sample
authentic Italian food
at very reasonable
prices right on the
seafront at Angelo’s.
UP TO €30 Tipico
Espanol (49 Avenida
Papagayo, Playa Blanca,
tel: 928 517 539) Enjoy
a refreshing gazpacho
followed by a delicious
platter of freshly caught
local fi sh at this eatery.
UP TO €50 Puerto
Bahia (5 Avenida
Varadero, Puerto
del Carmen, tel: 928
513 793) Offering
predominantly seafood
dishes, this traditional
Canarian restaurant,
located beside this pretty
harbour, is consistently
recommended for its
great food and service.
EXCLUSIVE El
Mirador (Puerto Marina
Rubicón, Playa Blanca,
tel: 928 519 427)
Overlooking the Marina
Rubicon, El Mirador
serves modern and
creative cuisine in
a beautiful setting.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY Coffee
Express (Calle El
Correillo, Playa Blanca)
Browse the internet
on the free WiFi while
sipping a steaming
coffee and indulging in
great pastries in this
popular café.
LIVE MUSIC King’s
Head (Avenida
Maritima, Playa Blanca)
Located on the idyllic
seafront promenade,
this venue offers relaxed
live music most nights.
LATE & LIVELY
The Bank (Centro
Comercial Atlántico,
Avenida de las Playas,
Puerto del Carmen)
Formerly known as
Dreams, The Bank is
the latest incarnation of
Lanzarote’s biggest club.
Twentysomethings pack
this place out till 6am
most nights of the week.
THIS MONTH
SHOP Palm Centre
offers an upmarket and
eclectic collection of
gifts for all friends and
relatives, and is especially
popular with locals
looking for Christmas
presents (Edifi cio
Aparthotel Los Fariones,
Puerto del Carmen).
SEE The annual Misa
del Gallo (Midnight
Mass) is a perfect way
to start your Christmas
celebrations. Head down
to the 15th-century
church of Nuestra
Señora de Guadalupe
in Teguise, where the
Christmas Eve service
includes traditional
music and dance recitals
(Plaza de Teguise).
GO Finish off an
afternoon’s shopping
and sightseeing in
Arrecife with some
tapas in one of the
many bars located
along the Playa de
Reducto, a Miami-style,
palm-lined avenue.
ESCAPE Guinate
Tropical Park, in the
north of Lanzarote,
offers a great day out
for all the family with its
variety of animals and
exotic birds. Take the
40-minute journey on
bus LZ10 from Teguise
to Haria and then the
LZ202 to Guinate – the
park is situated at the
foot of Mount Corona.
NO WAY!
Twenty six villages and
hamlets were destroyed
during the devastating
volcanic eruptions
of 1730–1736 – the
island’s most fertile
farmland was lost under
layers of lava and ash.
Ashley Wootton/
discoverlanzarote.com