Camini: the Calabrian village reborn through welcome

Twenty years ago Camini, a hill village in the Locride of southern Calabria, seemed destined to die: emigration had emptied its lanes and its school had a handful of pupils left. Today the village of around 700 people is alive again, thanks to one of Europe's most admired experiments in hospitality.

Jungi Mundu

From 2011, inspired by neighbouring Riace, the community began welcoming refugees through a project called Jungi Mundu, "join the world" in local dialect. Abandoned houses were restored for the new residents, and workshops of ceramics, weaving, carpentry and lute-making grew up in the old centre, alongside a textile studio supporting refugee women. The lanes now hold craft shops, murals, a community radio and guest rooms in a scattered hotel that welcomes travellers interested in this story of rebirth.

An ancient potters' village

The revival reaches back to Camini's oldest roots: the place was known in Greek times as Kaminion, from the kilns of its potters, a craft the new workshops have deliberately revived. The village sits among olive groves a short way inland, with the church of Santi Cosma e Damiano at its heart.

Getting there

Camini lies in the Locride on the Ionian side of Calabria, about three kilometres from Riace and a short drive from the beaches and from the Byzantine treasures of nearby Stilo.