More grot . . . but excellent furniture

I stopped for the night at Consenza in deepest Calabria. Again, I found myself in the old town and again, it appeared terribly poor. A walk around the neighbourhood confirmed this - dirty, narrow streets, ageing unimproved buildings, washing hanging from balconies (every appartment has a balcony here) and lots of life outside.

The hostel itself was most interesting. Although located in an aged building, it was comfortable and welcoming. It contained an unusual array of furniture - much of it Calabrian, the manager told me. Indeed, he pointed out that the shutters on the windows were probably at least three hundred years old. I was rather taken with the bedroom furniture - chestnut double wordrobes that looked to have been built to last at least a century. Very much my style.