Finally Getting My Apartment Lease In Argentina Without A DNI!

Monte Grande, Argentina. My new home.

Rough Summary of My Rent & Move In Cost for the TLDR Crowd:

• $1,800 Move in cost: 3x the rent, deposit, first month, and guarantor fee
• Monthly rent now: $550, it was $600 but the contract is in pesos, so now it's cheaper since the peso sank
• Utilities: $100-$150 a month
• Internet: $10 a month, included installation (had to put it in my girlfriends name)
• Furniture: I probably paid about $3k. I didn't go budget, higher end appliances, nicer bed, sofa, etc. Big stuff from local vendors, smaller/medium items from Mercado Libre. Probably could have done it for $1.5k if I wanted decent but not terribly expensive. I plan on doing a whole music/art section soon, but that probably is not a standard expat budget item!

      Early January 2026, a short time before I would move to Argentina I was sitting with my laptop in my home office in Scottsdale, AZ. My house was about to become an Airbnb and rake in tons of money (or at least enough to pay my Argentina rent!), I was about to retire from the fire department, and according to all the listings I had seen on zonaprop, living soon in Argentina was going to be a breeze!!! But then life hits you.

      I had set up my first Airbnb for a month, I thought it would be sufficient time to find an apartment, secretly I was hoping to be like many expats and have the luck of the Airbnb host offering me their place as my long term apartment... Then life hits you more. My first Airbnb was nice, but it would no way be home. The host even gave me a problem about having someone help me with the bags into the unit (exceeding maximum guests). When asked why I was in Argentina I told her to look for an apartment and live here. She had several closets locked, so it was clear this was not going to happen as a full time apartment. So lesson 1, don't bank on the first Airbnb.

      Next problem that was clear from the get go, was my neighborhood. I am not in Buenos Aires, I am in Monte Grande. I chose Argentina for many reasons, but my girlfriend lives here in Monte Grande, so not gonna lie, that was why I chose this neighborhood to be my home. The things we do for love! Ok, kidding aside, it was clear that my neighborhood, like many outside of CABA, Buenos Aires center, is not foreigner friendly, I don't mean racist, I mean it is not set up for expats. There are far and few furnished short term rentals, if there are Airbnb's, many lack the essentials for long term, cooking, laundry, etc. Apartments in my area are 20-50% cheaper than Buenos Aires center, but Airbnb's are 200% more than the center! Imagine paying more to live in the suburbs of New York City while Times Square is cheap, welcome to Argentina!

     So it was clear I would go a "normal apartment route", I started touching base with realtors as well as the typical back door apartments, i.e. facebook marketplace, a friends place etc. The back door options weren't that good. I am not rich, but in this particular area my salary is pretty decent so I wanted an apartment that was pretty decent. I kept an eye on everything but decided a traditional realtor was the path for me.

Too much time on Zonaprop, too little time getting to know Argentina

     But alas, I am a foreigner. Some realtors never even replied to me with my out of country phone number, some would reply and I'm gonna be frank, they were absolutely lazy or inefficient. many people in the process were. I know it's American standards, I am a snob blah blah blah.... But I couldn't believe how hard it was to get a hold of realtors, add to this that the apartments I were looking at were by far the most expensive in the neighborhood, and in this neighborhood which is a lower/middle class neighborhood, if I wasn't going to rent the apartment, there weren't 10 other potential candidates behind me.  I am writing this article in July, not some, but many of the apartments I had seen on the listings in January, are still vacant! Which gets to the next amazing element, that I do not recommend anyway!

I was rejected when I offered the entire contract up front.       

      For several apartments I was asked about my immigration status, understandable. I am an owner as well. To put them at ease I offered the total contract up front if there were a problem. And we are talking two year contracts! No one wanted my money! If someone offered me a year up front of cash for my Airbnb in Scottsdale I would kiss the ground they walk on and give them a month free, in Argentina, it was a straight up rejection. This turned out to be a dumb idea anyway, because the apartment I am living in now had a few major plumbing issues right from day 1. Luckily they hadn't taken me up on my offer!

       The efficiency and overall work ethic was terrible. I know I'm being an arrogant American again here, but I can't describe it any other way. Many of the agents only worked 4 hours a day, 10am to 2pm. If you couldn't get a hold of them then you wouldn't get them. One of them I had actually told them I wanted the apartment and they never replied (it's still listed), as far as I can tell from Whatsapp, they still haven't even read the message. Too many people wanted cash only, the rent isn't that expensive, but being that in general the highest bill is the 10,000 peso ($7), once in a blue $20,000 ($14 as of today), the idea of walking around with 850,000-1,000,000 of pesos didn't seem to keen to me. Lets get to that story!

     Finally the day arrived, I found an apartment, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, a balcony, and a private terrace. It was also in the corner of the building so my guitar playing wouldn't bother the neighbors, great price as well. I was in! I went to the adjacent city about 10 kilometers away to make a deposit/reservation, from there they gave me the contract... Thank God I speak fluent Spanish. They wanted me every month to pay the rent, in cash, at the realtors office, 10 kilometers away! I laughed it off and got my money back ASAP. Life keeps hitting you.

     The inefficiency was getting worse with no replies, or delays, no information, etc. It was so bad that when one person who was extremely efficient, I assumed she was a scammer! Luckily she was not, I didn't use her for my apartment, but I wrote a 5 star review on google for being one of the few good ones in the process. But that's how bad it was, when someone responded promptly, I didn't think, wow she's a good employee, I thought.... Shit... Could be a scam.

    I had another place that wanted $950, cash, in dollars, monthly, for a two year contract! You can only bring $10,000 into the country, so I would have to go to a cambio every month to find dollars, to pay them. My job is not to find your money. I have had property for 15 years with renters in the USA. If you want someone to pay you, you make it easy for them. I had all sorts of apps over the years, paypal, venmo, cashapp, zelle, etc to make my renters lives easier, they were trying to make my life harder.

      Mid May, reality set in... Hard. After a solid month of apartment tours, my Airbnb was up. I set up a next Airbnb for the same day, but of course you have the check out period. I had two big suitcases, and two guitars. Easy to walk from the taxi to the check in desk at the airport, but not too easy to walk around the downtown area for 6 hours. I talked to my girlfriend, at 10am we checked out and I put all my stuff in her tiny place. We sat down for lunch there... I was defeated... Technically homeless at this point too (2nd time in my life homeless, thankful I always had good friends to help). It was time to step it up. I decided to go to the next Airbnb, with just my carry on. She would be nice enough to hoard my stuff for the time being. Oddly enough that made me feel a lot better, because I realized, I know nothing about apartment hunting in Argentina and moving around with lots of luggage, I don't know how to do that. But traveling around with just a backpack? I know how to do that very well! One might even say I have a blog about it ;)

    I was being arrogant since I had a bit more money than the competition, I wanted my ultimate Argentina pad, big living space, guitar area, comfortable bedroom, parking spot, beautiful balcony, and a very high floor over looking the country below. There are only 10 or so high rises in my area, so that would be eliminated, and honestly help quite a lot. I also at this point had my CUIL (Argentina social security number & Precaria (document that shows I am in the immigration process). This was a huge help against the constant no DNI (national identity card) problems. This is a huge immigration issue for me down here. I am not joking, when I finally got my apartment, one store, would not sell me a refrigerator with 100% payment up front, because I didn't have a DNI! I am not kidding. But with the Precaria and CUIL, the wheels were in motion... Not great motion, like a Fred Flinstone car, but in motion. Life was still hitting, but a bit less now. 

Duplex

     There was a duplex I really liked, it had all of the above except the high floor, it's where I am now, floor 3 and 4. I called the realtor, he told me they actually had lowered the price because the lack of applicants, no surprise there. I wanted it. But I would need a guarantor to rent it. This would mean I needed someone to send their paystubs, their ID, and sign off that if I didn't pay the rent, they would. Welcome to Argentina. I offered the whole contract up front instead, which luckily they didn't accept. My girlfriend signed up as my guarantor. The internet is also her name because I can't do anything here without a DNI (a whole other blog post). 

Future jam/art area

New apartment essentials

    I am a stubborn man, I hate asking for help. It was dark period in the adventure. But sitting there in her kitchen with my whole life in 2 suitcases, it was time to not be stubborn. I can't thank her enough for the help. We went to another city 10 kilometers away to sign the contract, but had agreed long beforehand rent would be paid in transfers! We celebrated on the spot with Milanesa and of course Malbec. I arrived in the country April 18th. Finally May 30th, I had the keys! Now the adventure, the journey, and the new life, could truly begin. Sometimes life hits you hard, and sometimes life hits you to wake up and live.

What does Picasso and a Samurai sword have to do with Argentina?
Absolutely nothing, just a personal apartment touch.

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Life In Argentina Articles

My First 6 Months Living In Argentina (coming soon!!)

Getting An Argentina Bank Account Before Having A DNI

Getting An Apartment In Argentina Without A DNI!

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Getting An Argentina Bank Account Before Having A DNI

FOR THE TLDR GENERATION, SUMMARY: PATIENCE!

    I was quickly getting sick of paying an extra 10% for credit card purchases, high ATM fees for cash, and of course the looming knowledge that sooner or later I'd be paying bills here and would need a bank account. So I set off to get my first Argentina Bank Account. The lawyers I was working with said it would be eventually needed anyway for the Rentista Visa I was applying for. They told me I should get a CUIL (Código Único de Identificación LaboralCódigo Único de Identificación Laboral), basically my Argentina Social Security Number.

   I obtained my CUIL without appointment easily at an ANSES near me, fairly easy process with the precaria and my passport. I don't know what ANSES stands for, but they are everywhere.

     I had a list of banks that were foreigner friendly from my lawyers, but they were all pretty far away in the city center, I live in a suburb a ways off from there. So I decided to try my luck with the branches in my area. These were the same banks, just different branches from some on the list. I visited three banks, the fist Santander was no luck, they were polite but explained without the DNI I wouldn't be able to open an account there. Next was Banco Colombia, same answer but not polite! Finally I visited Banco de La Nacion, a big branch. The employee asked me a lot of questions about the sources of my income, my intentions on how long to stay, etc. I had brought only my passport and CUIL number. But he told me I could send him additional financial documents. All of which I had for the rentista visa I was applying for. I also had a translated letter from a CPA about all my income sources, my lawyer recommended it for the immigration process, it seemed excessive at the time, but I was sure glad to have it when it came to the bank! Patience...

    La Nación ended up being a false hope. After asking me for more and more documentation via email, they eventually rejected me because I did not have a dni. So it was back to the drawing board, the next day I set out to visit three Banks. However, I got lucky with the first one! Galicia bank. This also happens to be my girlfriend's bank, so I guess that will be convenient in the future if we both need to go. I dressed a little more formal, which may have helped, but who knows. I brought all my apostle documents which I needed from immigration, they didn't ask me for anything other than my CUIL, precaria, and passport. They looked at my passport probably a million times, but there weren't a lot of questions or anything. Just a lot of waiting, all very polite and professional. I downloaded the application. I did need an Argentina number which I did not have for the phone, but they let me use my girlfriend's number. Patience...

      After Galicia told me I had an account my lawyers informed me I should deposit cash into the app for my immigration process. I had no debit card, no account number, just merely a "Welcome to Galicia" email and a verbal discussion at the bank that I'd be able to access all of that stuff... "Soon." "Soon" never came, on my next trip to the bank, they told me it turns out my passport photo was refused, I retook the photos, and then had an account, and account number. I deposited the money as instructed. Roughly $1,200 USD. But I had no debit card still, only the account number. However the money was deposited. I was told I would be able to get my debit card, and the documents needed for the lawyers and process "Friday."

    They delivered the card to the wrong address, my first Airbnb, to change my address online I would need the debit card.... Figure that one out. A few phone calls got the card sent to the right place. It still didn't work, a bank trip later and the card worked, but the "token" code to receive international transfers would not work. So I had an account I could only withdraw cash from or deposit cash to, no transfers! Another bank trip... Patience.

     I then received an email from Galicia telling me all was well! It was time to activate the token! NOPE! Got an error message 3x trying at home and at the bank. Another visit. From their they eventually set up a call with a more central branch, or technical support, the cloud? I don't know. Whoever it was, they got it up and running. The timeline was well over a month from the first visit to being able to fully use all the features. Patience...

     Final Thoughts: Patience. I "opened the account early May and was not able to use it completely until Mid June. Common sense stuff, be polite, don't blame the person behind the counter. All the Galicia staff were excellent with me. I can't imagine not speaking Spanish or whatever the language is of the foreign account you are trying to open, so if you are not fluent, bring someone who is. The whole process sort of goes along with the whole life of being an expat in general. This is not going to function like the United States. The process is much smoother there. My later visits I started bringing a book to read for anticipated wait times. The quickest visit was 30 minutes, the longest was at least 2 hours. All part of the adventure. But finally I had my account, I could start transferring my money from my foreign income, and I could start living! With Patience...

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My Tips On Visiting All 50 States (not in one trip!)

Michigan! State number 50!

   I finally did it! After 44 years of living in the USA, Michigan was my last state! Here's the way I did it, and after I'll touch on some general 50 state advice and recommendations!

Born in New York city, life has probably
 already taken you to a few states

Set Up The Plan In Big Chunks

     Life had naturally got me to 20 or so states, I lived in two, friends, family, spring breaks in college, road trips as an adult, concert trips, a 24 hour layover that I left the airport, etc. So first thing is first, figure out which states are left, make a list, then grab the map!

The Bourbon Trail 

     I decided it would take about 6 or 7 trips to do everything, I nicknamed the trips for motivation which helped a lot, The Dirty South, The Bourbon Trail, The Heartland, Big Country, The Dakotas, etc. Look at the map, and figure out which can be done together, factor in milage here! Some states look close, but doing them together will be harder than you think! When I arrived in North Dakota, I learned on arrival that the Dakotas are so big they have different time zones! That trip originally had Montana and Wyoming in there, luckily I mapped it out enough to know it would be better to split it up!

               

                 Old school photo, boys trip to Delaware

Use someone else's car

Putting miles on the rental in Kansas!

     Ok this one is debatable, especially if you have a car you love to drive a lot, or something like a camper. But personally, I have a Honda Civic, it's a cool ride to ride around town, go to work, get groceries, etc. But not something to drive the 50 states. I really enjoyed flying somewhere, renting a car, and returning the car. When I did Montana, guys at work asked how long it takes to drive to Montana from Phoenix? "I have no idea! 2 hour flight, and a rental car for me!"

Play Around With The Rentals If You Are Doing One Way Rentals Same For Flights

    I originally planned on going from Indiana to West Virginia, turns out the rental was cheaper to do it the other way. The Dakotas there was no cheap one ways, so I figured out how to do them in a full circle and drop the car back off at Fargo without repeating the same sights. Same if you are doing one way flights. The rental car also can be the most expensive or least expensive part of the trip if you plan it right. Speaking of rental...

Book The Car Early

      Rental cars are one of the easiest things to cancel, book the car so at least you have one thing off your plate.

Time The Seasons

     I'm not a big cold weather guy, and since I live in Arizona I'm not the best at driving in the snow! Time your trips for when you want to go and be aware, those cold states are no joke in the winter! Glacier to Yellow Stone is something like 4 hours extra in the winter when certain roads are closed off. I loved so many aspects of seeing the 50 states, but I also reminded myself why I moved to Arizona. I also didn't want every single trip to be in the summer, so a few like Illinois and Oregon became New Year's trips. And I went to Idaho in the middle of December solely because a random flight showed up in my rewards.

Set Up Something Fun In The Potentially Boring States

    For me it was concerts. When bands I like announced tour dates, I would line them up with some of the states I was uncertain about so if the state or trip ended up being boring at least I knew I got something fun out of it. Goo Goo Dolls in North Dakota, Collective Soul in Oklahoma, Matchbox 20 in Ohio, and by the way, all three of those states ended up being epic fun regardless!

Decide How Much Time Is Enough

     I've talked about it before in this blog, you do not have eternity to travel. Some states are gonna get more time than others. Indiana I visited a wolf sanctuary for a day. Washington was a long layover on the way to Alaska with an 8 hour layover to explore Seattle. I've been to Florida and Nevada more times than I can remember. Michigan got the most days to celebrate the end of the mission. Each state will require a little more or a little less time. Decide what's important for you. 

Mesa Verde Colorado, one of the most underrated places in the USA

Factor In With Life Events You May Already Be Doing

     Wedding in Kansas you didn't want to go to? A conference in Virginia? Why not knock out a state especially if you haven't been yet, and especially more if it borders a state you haven't been to, speaking of which...

The East Coast Will Be A Lot Easier Than The Heartland and West Coast

       You can probably if you drive it right hit 4 states in New England in under an hour, you definitely can hit 3. The western states however are gigantic. I'll write another article soon as this year I did highway 1 aka the Pacific Coast Highway, 5 days of just a small piece of California. So factor that in with deciding on flights, driving, etc.

Enjoy  The Ride

     Be sure to download your favorite music, or podcasts, especially if you are driving solo, many parts of the journey you won't have cell phone service. That being said, sometimes when there was no traffic I also enjoyed just rolling down the windows and listening to the sounds of the road. Other than a car charger, and downloaded music I didn't bring anything else in particular, but if you have your own comfort items bring em along.

How I Did It:

In roughly chronological order:

                       

   Born in New York City, state 1, life took me to a lot of the east coast (but not all). Life also took me to Florida a few times, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware once for the hell of it. On a missed flight from spring break we once drove from Florida to New York, but I didn't count any of that because it was solely driving. Same for a road trip from California to New York helping a friend move, the only spot was Vegas, everything else I didn't count (for me the count means an activity, tour, wild night out, etc) Arizona life next. That took me to Nevada, California, Washington & Utah.

Life In AZ

    I can't remember the exact number but I was probably in the high teens or low 20s when I decided to go for it and knock out all 50. One of my sisters moved to South Carolina, great to visit her, and very close to Georgia, so I visited Savannah as well. 

     Next was the "Dirty South Trip". Me and a buddy flew to Tennessee, we knocked out Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana. This was the first official trip that was really dedicated to just knocking out the 50 states.

West Memphis, Arkansas

     The "New England Road Trip" was an awesome time, starting in Rhode Island visiting White Horse Tavern the oldest bar in the United States, and then going all the way up to Maine. Some of these states I may have been to when I was younger, but either I didn't remember it or I didn't do enough to count it, so great to go back as an adult.

White Horse Tavern, Rhode Island established 1673

     The Bourbon Trail took me to West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. Great whiskey, great people, some sadness in abandoned towns, but overall a beautiful trip.

Freezing in the sand dunes of Idaho!

   Then I hit Idaho randomly, it's another big state, and didn't seem feasible to fit it into the longer drives with the other states. I also went during the winter, 80% or so of the states were summer trips, so it's a nice way to see the country in other seasons, not just the summer trips as stated.

The Blue Whale Oklahoma!

    "The Heart Land" was another great one, my friend that accompanied me for The Dirty South came back for the Heart Land. We started in Nebraska, biked into Iowa, drove down thru Kansas, and finished in Oklahoma. I had a coffee there that literally forever changed the way I drink coffee. Like James Bond, shaken not stirred.

     I hit Oregon for New Years. This was a special trip because I travel every year for New Years. It can be a place as famous as Rio Di Janeiro or Sydney, but I also have really enjoyed the obscure New Year's spots. Antarctica, Havana, or perhaps the Oregon Coast.

         

     At this point the count was going down, 5 to go! I did the "Dakotas" next, thinking they would be boring, I was very wrong! I am now living in Argentina, I was so wrong about the Dakotas, that if I were to move back to the USA one day, I would highly consider the Dakotas to live! That trip also was close to Wyoming for Devils Tower, and a very quick cut thru Montana to have a beer and lunch. So technically I had one to go. But 3 or so hours in these two giant states didn't work for me, so I went back that same summer to see Montana and Wyoming in the "Big Sky Country" Road Trip. One to go!

Wild life in the Dakotas

    Summer of 2025... My last summer before moving to Argentina... When I lived in NYC I didn't realize till I left how much I didn't do there in 25 years. Luckily because family I went back many times and was able to max out my time there. I felt that if I were ever to leave the United States, be it for a few months or a few years I wanted to max out what I could. Meaning all 50 states. Michigan was the last!  This was always intentional. Living in Arizona I had met a lot of people from Michigan, particularly Detroit, but a bit of other parts of the state as well. I had never even been to the airport there.

     I also knew from my friends that Michigan would be special. In fact of all of the states post where life brought me, Michigan was the longest trip. 8 days exploring in the summer. Its deceptively large! I drove over 1,200 miles here! Starting in Detroit all the way up to the UP, that was mandatory for me personally as well. The trip was perfect from the start. Arriving in Detroit, visiting the auto museum, hanging out in downtown Detroit, Detroit pizza, then setting off to see as much of the state as I could. Mackinac Island has to be one of the coolest spots in America, no cars allowed! A quick salute over Lake Superior at the Canadian border in a small town called Grand Marais. I'll likely never see that town again, but it was a special place to end the trip before driving back down to the airport over a day or two. 

Texas Ya'll!

    A journey that started in NYC in 1981 at birth, and finished in 2025.  I love America so much, and I am so happy I was able to visit every state! Is the journey over with the USA? No! Never! It's such a big country there will always be more road trips. As mentioned I did Highway 1 this year. I've done parts of 66, but maybe I go back and do the whole thing? Revisit some of the great spots with people I hadn't done it with before. Explore other smaller towns, or bigger cities I may not have seen yet. The possibilities of travel, like the possibilities in general in this beautiful country, are endless.

God Bless the USA from Michigan

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Calabria: Visit To The Toe & My 20th Region!

 

    It was summer of 2025, the last year I would be living in the United States full time. I have plans on living in Italy eventually, maybe forever, maybe just part time (that is a whole other blog article)... But before I would make the big step to leave the USA and move to Italy, I wanted to visit ALL of Italy. Completely all would of course take a lifetime, it's a relatively small country but there is so much to see, I instead opted for the goal of visiting all 20 regions of this beautiful country. After my last trip there was only one left... Calabaria. It was time to start an unforgettable road trip through the toe, and with a bonus end the trip where I first saw Italy in Sicilia. Here's my tips and experience for visiting Calabria!

• You will probably want to rent a car. Unlike other parts of Italy, Calabria is not well connected by train, the first half of my trip visiting castles, mountain towns, and small beach villages would have been impossible without a car.
  
           
  
  
• You will probably want to ditch the car when you get to the major beach cities. Yep sorry for conflicting info! I landed in Lamezia Terme, rented a car from there to explore towns like Crotone, Squillace, and Santa Severina, but when it was time to head to the western seaside places, particularly like Tropea, parking is a nightmare, so I returned the rental and opted for the train instead.
  
  
  
  
• One of the things I loved about this region that may be a negative for some, was that there were very few, in some cases, no other foreigners other than me. In Crotone, Squillace, Reggio Calabria etc, I never heard English. Tropea was a bit more touristic but still a great time. I love Rome, I have been 4 or 5 times and will always go back, but I also loved being the outsider. I loved speaking Italian every day instead of English. And I loved the little taste of immersion in the culture.
  
  
  
  
  
• Prices for everything were great, even the most expensive restaurants were very affordable compared to other regions I have visited.
  
  
  
  
• The Castles and lack of tourists, even in peak season! I am a tourist of course, so it's a bit hypocritical but in this lesser visited region it was great to avoid lines and crowds, I wrote a similar thing about visiting Roccascalegna Castle (possibly my favorite in Italy) in Abruzzo, when you visit the Colosseum you visit with a few thousand tourists, when you visit the castles and museums in Calabria, you may be the only tourist!
  
                      
  
  
  
  
• Hotels or Airbnb's were excellent, great prices, great views, all the standard amenities needed to make a great trip of the region.
  
  

  

  Rooftop from my Airbnb
  

  
  
• But special shout out to the Blu Tropea Maison. Going to Tropea it was very important to me to stay in one of the historic buildings overlooking the beautiful beach. The Blu Tropea Maison seemed like it was the city center, my room overlooked the ocean, and right outside there was a beautiful overlook as well.
                                   
                        
  
  
• Tropea was the only part that was a bit more crowded, that being said other than parking, there were no issues with long lines, finding a good spot to eat, etc. The beach was definitely packed though!
  
  
  
                       
  
  
• Once you are on the coast, it's coastal activities, boat days, beach days, swimming etc. If you are not a big water person, make this part of the trip shorter.
  
  

  

  Reggio Calabria
  

  
  
• When I hit Reggio Calabria it was time to do some Scuba Diving, I try to dive at least once a year. It was a great break from the heat to go deep in some cold water, but honestly other than that it was not an impressive dive.
  
  
                     
  
  
• Gelato Cesare 1918 however was VERY impressive! 
  
  
  
  
• Speaking of food, of course you have to try the 'Ndjua. A little spicy but not overbearing, I had it twice, making sure my last dinner in Calabria was a local dish.
  
  
  
  
• I had heard Calabria was dangerous, under mafia control still, I am not saying it isn't, but I personally didn't experience this. Italy is relatively safe, and nothing has ever happened to me there, but I've seen more potential for problems in the big famous places more so than Calabria.
  
  
  
  
• I spent about a week in Calabria, you could spend a year there and not see everything, but a week was good for a really good glimpse into this region.
  
  

     Once I finished seeing Reggio Calabria it was time to take the ferry to Messina, and revisit Sicily. I first steped foot in Italy in 2016, in Sicily. It seemed fitting to make a full circle and finish where I started. I loved Calabria, and do hope to go back! I put it above certain regions in Italy, below others, it's hard to choose in this country! Though for a first timer, I wouldn't recommend it, you need to "know" Italy a bit before you are ready to navigate Calabria, that being said, if you have been a few times, please give this beautiful region a visit. It was an unforgettable adventure, and truly mesmerizing experience. 

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