Tropea
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By Dion Protani
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Latest update: 6 January 2023
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One of the signature seaside towns in Calabria, Tropea is a must visit for any trip to the region.
Located in Vibo Valentia Province, Tropea sits on the west coast of Calabria, facing out on the Tyrrhenian Sea. This is a beach town with a very local feel where you'll find most visitors are Italian. The majority of those visitors are attracted to Tropea by its lovely sandy beaches which lie at the foot of the town, just a short distance from a marina full of yachts. |
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The most striking sight in Tropea is the beautiful Monastery of Santa Maria dell'Isola that sits on a huge rock which splits the two main beaches. Pretty as the Monastery is from a distance, especially from the little viewing area in the main town, its real beauty comes when you make your way up the path to visit it. It's usually open from 09:00 to 13:00 and then again from 16:00 to 20:00, although these hours are seasonal and changeable to always double-check a few days in advance. The church and Monastery area are quite beautiful but the views that can be had from the garden to its rear are simply magnificent.
Tropea is also renowned for a type of onion that bears its name and you don't have to go far in Calabria to drive past a road-side vendor selling the Tropea onions or products made with the local chillies. The town itself is one of the most attractive in the region, a mixture of bright piazzas when you can sit and have a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants, and dozens of shops selling local products and souvenirs.
Adding to the already very strong allure of Tropea; in 2020 it became one of the Borghi Più Belli d'Italia (Italy's most beautiful villages). The borghi or villages range from small hill towns to fishing ports or even just historical areas of a larger town. Tropea's historic town centre was no doubt one of the main reasons for its inclusion in the prestigious list.
If you're planning a visit to Tropea with a car then there is good news and bad news; in fact the bad news doesn't have to be bad at all if you just pay a bit of extra attention to the town's confusing road signs. Throughout Italy there are areas called ZTL (Zona Traffico Limitato); these zones are restricted to certain times of days or even certain days of the week, and if you enter one at the wrong time you may be liable for a fine. Tropea is a place where they're both very hot on giving out the fines and not so hot on making the signs easy to understand with new visitors regularly getting caught out. To avoid any problems, just stick to driving in the lower half of the town, down by the beach where there's a good selection of car parks. The one caveat here being the steep set of steps up to the town centre so if you have any mobility issues, it's worth taking that into consideration and parking at the top of the town; just be careful though, (and yes, I am talking from experience, sadly!).
The good news about having a car is that you can visit some of Calabria's very best locations in a very short time from Tropea. Twelve kilometres south of the town are the beautiful beaches of Capo Vaticano, while following the main road north, away from Tropea, you'll find the pretty Briatico and slightly beyond that, the lovely Pizzo Calabro.
Also, smouldering away across the sea from Tropea is the island of Stromboli, one of the eight Aeolian Islands that officially belong to the island region of Sicily. It's possible to organise boat tours across to Stromboli and some of the other islands once you're in Tropea, with various agencies dotted around the town offering those services.
Tropea is also renowned for a type of onion that bears its name and you don't have to go far in Calabria to drive past a road-side vendor selling the Tropea onions or products made with the local chillies. The town itself is one of the most attractive in the region, a mixture of bright piazzas when you can sit and have a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants, and dozens of shops selling local products and souvenirs.
Adding to the already very strong allure of Tropea; in 2020 it became one of the Borghi Più Belli d'Italia (Italy's most beautiful villages). The borghi or villages range from small hill towns to fishing ports or even just historical areas of a larger town. Tropea's historic town centre was no doubt one of the main reasons for its inclusion in the prestigious list.
If you're planning a visit to Tropea with a car then there is good news and bad news; in fact the bad news doesn't have to be bad at all if you just pay a bit of extra attention to the town's confusing road signs. Throughout Italy there are areas called ZTL (Zona Traffico Limitato); these zones are restricted to certain times of days or even certain days of the week, and if you enter one at the wrong time you may be liable for a fine. Tropea is a place where they're both very hot on giving out the fines and not so hot on making the signs easy to understand with new visitors regularly getting caught out. To avoid any problems, just stick to driving in the lower half of the town, down by the beach where there's a good selection of car parks. The one caveat here being the steep set of steps up to the town centre so if you have any mobility issues, it's worth taking that into consideration and parking at the top of the town; just be careful though, (and yes, I am talking from experience, sadly!).
The good news about having a car is that you can visit some of Calabria's very best locations in a very short time from Tropea. Twelve kilometres south of the town are the beautiful beaches of Capo Vaticano, while following the main road north, away from Tropea, you'll find the pretty Briatico and slightly beyond that, the lovely Pizzo Calabro.
Also, smouldering away across the sea from Tropea is the island of Stromboli, one of the eight Aeolian Islands that officially belong to the island region of Sicily. It's possible to organise boat tours across to Stromboli and some of the other islands once you're in Tropea, with various agencies dotted around the town offering those services.
Comune di Tropea
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Province: Vibo Valentia
Region: Calabria Population: 5,911 (source: ISTAT 1 January 2023) Size: 3 km² Maximum elevation: 60 metres Highlights: Monastery of Santa Maria dell'Isola, old town, beaches Water quality: Blue Flag Beach 2021 - 2022 Close by: Pizzo, Scilla, Chianalea, Sila National Park, Pentedattilo Recommended hotel: Il Borghetto Creative Resort |
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Nearest train station: Tropea (1 km from town centre)
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Nearest airport: Lamezia Terme Airport (58 km)
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One of I Borghi più belli d'Italia (Italy's Most Beautiful Villages)
Listing headline: Dove Nessuno è Straniero (Where Nobody's a Stranger)
Listing headline: Dove Nessuno è Straniero (Where Nobody's a Stranger)
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