Guides · What to see in Tropea
If you are spending a few days in Tropea, you have the village on the cliff, the sanctuary suspended over the water and some of the most beautiful beaches in Calabria. But the best of this coast is discovered from the water, with the Aeolian Islands just a step away on the horizon. Here is what to see, and what changes seen from the sea.
In short: the symbol of Tropea is Santa Maria dell'Isola, the sanctuary on the rocky headland in front of the beach. Above, the historic centre overlooking the cliff; below, the beaches: La Rotonda at the foot of the sanctuary, Grotticelle at Capo Vaticano, Michelino at Parghelia, Riaci with its rock. A little further on, the Grotta del Palombaro, reachable only by sea, and Capo Vaticano with its lighthouse and viewpoints. On clear days, at sunset, you can make out Stromboli on the horizon.
Tropea is very easy to explore on foot, but much of this coast is at its best seen from the water: the cliff, the coves between the headlands and the caves that are not even visible from land. That is why, after seeing the village, many people add a day at sea along the Coast of the Gods, or use it as a springboard toward the islands.
The face of Tropea is Santa Maria dell'Isola, the Benedictine sanctuary built on a rocky headland that reaches into the sea in front of the beach. You climb up to it on foot by a staircase, and from up there the view takes in the whole coast. It is the town's signature image, the one everyone takes home.
Behind it the historic centre runs along the edge of the tuff cliff, with buildings overlooking the void and belvedere balconies suspended over the water. These are the two spots from which the coast is seen from above; soon after you discover it from below, going out on the boat. From land the sanctuary towers over you, from the water it becomes small against the cliff: they are two different Tropeas.
Four names that keep coming up, from the town to the headland. From land they are separate destinations; from the water they become a single line of coves.
Tropea
Tropea's town beach, La Rotonda, stretches at the foot of the cliff with the sanctuary of Santa Maria dell'Isola behind it. It is the town's postcard image and the beach most easily reached on foot from the centre. From the water you take in its whole curve beneath the walls.
Capo Vaticano
Grotticelle is one of the beaches of Capo Vaticano, an inlet of pale sand enclosed between rocky headlands. From land you come down from the Ricadi area; from the sea it links to the other coves of the headland, including those reachable only by boat.
Parghelia
To the north, at Parghelia, the beach of Michelino is one of the best known on this stretch, with pale sand and shallow, clear water. It is part of the same Tropea coastline and is easily included in a boat trip along the shore.
Coast of the Gods
Riaci beach is recognisable for the rock rising in front of the shore, one of the most photographed spots on the coast. From the water you pass close by it: it is one of those details that go unnoticed from land and become the centre of attention from the sea.
Along the Capo Vaticano coast the Grotta del Palombaro opens up, a sea cave carved into the rock with no access from land: you reach it by sea, by boat or kayak, and you visit it on calm-sea days, when the water inside stays still and clear. It is the kind of place that explains why the boat changes the day on this coast.
The headland of Capo Vaticano closes off the stretch to the south with its lighthouse and viewpoints overlooking the open sea: from land they are belvederes over the horizon, from the water they are the rock wall you glide beneath from one cove to the next. It is the point where the Coast of the Gods shows its best profile.
How to visit them. The Grotta del Palombaro and the coves under the headland are approached in calm seas and at idle speed, keeping clear of shallow seabeds. With a skipper you rely on their reading of the coast; on your own, choose a day with no wind and stay cautious at the cave entrance.
Tropea faces west, and that makes sunset one of its defining moments. On clear days, when the air is crisp, the conical shape of Stromboli, the Aeolian Islands' always-active volcano, appears on the horizon: it is the archipelago's island closest to the Calabrian coast, and from here you can make it out with the naked eye like a small mountain suspended on the sea.
It is the detail that shifts your thinking: those islands you see on the horizon from Tropea's belvedere are within reach of a single day. This is where the idea starts of adding a boat trip to the Aeolians to a holiday on the coast, with Stromboli as the natural destination of the crossing from Calabria.
Having seen the coast from land, the next step is going out on the water. Three ways, depending on how far you want to go.
A tour along the Coast of the Gods: Capo Vaticano, the hidden coves and the Grotta del Palombaro in half a day. From 42 euro per person.
Coast of the Gods tourRent a dinghy in Tropea and decide your own route along the coast, beach after beach. Dinghy from 160 euro.
Boat rental in TropeaThat Stromboli you see on the horizon is reachable in a day: the crossing to the islands starts from here. From 65 euro per person.
Aeolian Islands tour from TropeaThe figures shown are average market prices for departures from Tropea, and vary by season and availability. For an exact price on your dates it is best to request a quote.
No: the Grotta del Palombaro opens onto the coast of Capo Vaticano and is reached from the water, by boat or kayak on calm-sea days. There is no path leading into it from land. Those staying on the Coast of the Gods usually include it in a local boat tour along the coast.
Grotticelle is one of the beaches of Capo Vaticano, reachable from land from the Ricadi area with a path down to the sea. From the water, though, you take in its inlet shape and can pair it with the other coves of the headland in a single boat trip, including those with no access from land.
Yes, on clear days Stromboli stands out on the horizon from the coast of Tropea and from Capo Vaticano, as a conical shape on the sea to the west, especially at sunset. It is the Aeolian island closest to Calabria, and it is the natural destination for anyone wanting to reach the archipelago by boat from Tropea.
The next step
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