Calabria

Calabria is located at the tip of the boot of Italy, and is engulfed in a mountainous cocoon, which prevents a lot of agricultural work to the north. The first to inhabit this region was believed to be the greeks, as it as named part of the Magna Grecia, or great Greece. Although the Greeks were great mariners, due to the sheer cliffs that surround the coast of Calabria, they were not able to sail around/fish around the area. Since they could not fish much, they mainly specialized in Farming animals, such as sheep and pigs, and scaling the mountains to the north of that region.

During the years before the Romans, there was a serious problem with pirates, and the people did not have a good way of getting away, as they were stuck between the mountains and the sheer cliffs surrounding the region. They decided to move their villages inland, allowing them to build fortresses and keep the pirates out of their city borders.

During the years following the Romans, the Barbarians, later known as the Normans, invaded this area, along with Puglia and Sicily. They conquered this area for many years, then were forced out by the Arabs whom invaded later on. In talking about cultural differences, the food and cuisine of Calabria is very split between Italian, greek and Arabian food, with many different flavor profiles, due to the many invasions.

With the Mountains to the north, comes the fact that it created a rain shadow on Calabria, in which it barely rain, in which it creates an arid climate in the mountains, which aids in the making of Salumi. Again, since the Region is located on sheer cliffs on all sides and the Mountains to the north, they relied on mostly meat and starches to survive, as they could not fish unless they went to their southern coasts.