Tropea
A truly wonderful destination in Calabria, Tropea provides guests with sandy, beaches, a charming old town, steep streets, historic churches, and is also, the most famous of Calabria’s locations. Highlights of Tropea include the Santa Maria dell’Isola which had been constructed on a rock with the sea on three sides and a spectacular beach on one.
Ringed with cliffs and superb, sandy beaches, the promontory of Tropea still remains an undiscovered hideaway. The main town of Tropea is a beautiful city on the Calabria Tyrrhenian coast, with old palazzi constructed of simple golden stone rising above the sea.
On clear days, the views to the sea from the promenade extend towards Stromboli’s cone and at least four of the Eolian islands. These islands can be visited by boat, with daily departures from Tropea in the summer. Accommodations are great, and for beach lovers, the selection does not disappoint the most discriminate beachgoer. Some of the most spectacular beaches are found slightly further south at Capo Vaticano and to the north at Briatico.
Be sure to seek out the old Norman Cattedrale, the interior of which displays unexploded US bombs from World War II, and attached each is a grateful prayer to the Madonna.
In addition, from the bottom of Piazza Ercole, the main square, the church and Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria della Isola glistens on a rocky outcrop high above the aqua hued sea. On your Tropea holiday, be sure to stroll out to visit the church along a path lined with caves of fisherman. This church, of Basilian origin, was remodeled in the Gothic style and received an additional refurbishment after the 1905 earthquake. Within the church is an 18th century nativity along with some remains left from medieval tombs.
