Tropea

Tropea stands on a sandstone bluff around fifty metres above the Tyrrhenian, with the old town on top and a beach of pale sand directly below. Santa Maria dell'Isola, a former Benedictine sanctuary, sits on a separate rock that was an island until sand joined it to the shore, reached by a stair cut through the rock. The Norman cathedral in the town holds an unexploded bomb from a 1943 air raid, kept on display in the nave. The red onion of Tropea, sweet and elongated, is grown on the coastal strip and carries a protected designation; it is sold in braids everywhere in the town.

What you actually see

• Santa Maria dell'Isola - a sanctuary on a rock joined to the shore by sand.
• The cliff town - an old centre fifty metres above the beach.
• The red onions - sweet Tropea onions sold in braids across the town.
• The Norman cathedral - a church displaying an unexploded 1943 bomb.

When to go

May to September; August is extremely crowded and expensive. The train line runs along the coast. Spring and autumn are far quieter with warm sea.

Honest expectations

The beach is reached by steps from the cliff, a real climb in heat. August crowds are severe. Much sold as Tropea onion is grown outside the protected zone.

Nearby

Capo Vaticano lies south; Pizzo is north.