Tropea lies along the south
Tyrrhenian coast, it is one of the most beautiful towns in Calabria.
Tropea rises austere and majestic out of the promontory of
Monte Poro which lies between the two gulfs of Sant’Eufemia
and Gioia.
Tropea overlooks a mirror-like sky-blue, crystal-clear sea, with
its incredible rocks: “La Pizzuta”, “Formicoli”, “San
Leonardo” and “Isola Bella”.
The white, wild, sandy beaches snake their way into
little grottoes and creeks and are interrupted by valleys and
fertile, rippling hills full of fruit and citrus trees, onion and vegetable fields, lime trees, bougainvillea, verbena, jasmine and other sweet-smelling
Mediterranean plants.
In addition to the limpid, unpolluted sea, Tropea has a
fascinating historical and artistic profile, thanks to its
patrician houses with their impressive entrances adorned by
capitals frescoed by important artists and to the
numerous, ancient churches, rich in sacred images that recall
peculiar local legends.
Tropea's typical little deserted squares, reachable only by way
of narrow alleys and populated by mythical ghosts, take
us back to the Saracen invasions days.
Tropea received a "five-sail" for the top 10 rating
from Legambiente, the Italia association of
environmentalists, which uses 128 parameters for its yearly
quality test. These ratings take into account natural beauty,
pollution but also tourist structures, noise levels and
environment-friendly waste systems.
Capo Vaticano
Capo Vaticano is the last strip of land before
the Straits of Messina, thrusting dramatically from the sea, its white
rocks battered and eroded by centuries of breakers that taught
sailors to respect and fear this fascinating, almost mysterious
place.
Capo Vaticano its majestically enthroned in a turquoise sea, it
dominates the archipelago of the Aeolian Islands to the north-west,
the Gulf of Lamezia Terme to the north-east, the Gulf of Gioia Tauro
to the south-west and, beyond, the Straits of Messina culminating
in Mount Etna in Sicily.
This part of Calabria, which overlooks the Tyrrhenian Sea, contains the
ancient fascination of a thousand years of history.
The sea of Capo Vaticano caresses the snow-white beaches and the wildness of the
rocks and make visitors lose their sense of time, as it conceals beneath
its waves the secrets of ancient shipwrecks, the relics of which
have frequently been discovered.
Life in the area is dominated by fishing; its waters are visited by
the great swordfish, tuna, blue sharks etc. as they cross the Capo
Vaticano every spring.