Tropea attractions

Source www.italiatut.com

Tropea is the resort capital of Calabria, an enchanting place of extraordinary beauty. The city is located on the "Coast of the Gods", which means the cleanest sea and white sandy beaches. Tropea is quite small, but is famous in all Italy and even Europe.

Modern Tropea is divided into 2 parts: new and old. New Tropea is a residential area with new buildings, houses and schools. The Old Tropea or historical center is the ancient buildings, churches, museums, stores and beaches. The historical center is located on a rock overhanging the sea, opposite which is located a small island with an ancient Benedictine church.

The population of Tropea is about 8 thousand people, but despite this the city has a lot of entertainment, historical monuments and everything you need for an active vacation.

The main attractions of Tropea

The historical center for centuries was the main place of secular life. Here are located the main churches, houses of noble families of Tropea, museums. You can observe different architectural styles in the buildings thanks to the rich history of Calabria and the peoples who inhabited it: Normans, ancient Greeks, Aragonese, Byzantines, Arabs.

The main church of the town is the Cathedral, built in the Norman style. The cathedral was built in the 12th century, but today the original construction has not been preserved. The cathedral has been rebuilt and restored many times because of the many earthquakes. The cathedral contains many masterpieces from the 13th century, so the church is also the Diocesan Museum. There is a silver-framed image of St. Mary of Romania on the altar. Also the cathedral contains two Baroque tombs where the Galluppi family and the famous philosopher Galluppi are buried. Behind the cathedral there is a small viewing from which you can observe the view of the city's port and the Calabrian coast.

Another famous church in Tropea is the Benedictine church of Santa Maria on the island (chiesa di Santa Maria dell'isola). It is this temple that we see in all the images that represent Tropea and Calabria as a whole. The temple is located on a rock outlying the town. Once this rock was completely submerged in water and it seemed as if it were an island, hence the name of the church. The temple was built by the Byzantines between the 6th and 9th centuries. And this church has been restored more than once due to earthquakes.

In addition to these churches, there are 12 other churches in small Tropea: Jesus Christ, St. Caterina, St. Francesco, St. Michael and others.

Walking along the streets of Tropea, you will see many houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, which belonged to the noble families of the town. These houses are characterized by large entrance doors with rich ornamentation. Above each door there is a family coat of arms. One of the oldest and most famous is the Palazzo Braghò. The palazzo was built in the 18th century and has been restored many times. The exception to the restoration is the Baroque entrance door, which was built in 1721. Also worth seeing: Palazzo Toraldo, Palazzo Cesareo, Palazzo Giffone.

Corso Vittorio Emanuele III is the main street in the historic center of Tropea. Many bars, restaurants, souvenir shops and piazzas are concentrated here. At the end of Corso there is an viewpoint overlooking the coast, with views to the Benedictine church of Santa Maria and in good weather you can see the Aeolian Islands. Corso is the busiest street in the city and in summer it is open 24 hours a day, bars, discos and very crowded.

Piazza Hercules or Piazza Ercole is the center of the historic center. There is a magnificent 18th-century palazzo in the square and a monument to the Italian philosopher Pasquale Galluppi, who was born in Tropea.

Shopping, gastronomic shopping

All the souvenir shops are located in the historical center of Tropea, mainly in Corso Vittorio Emanuele. The souvenir shops offer a variety of handmade items such as ceramics, clay products, vases, paintings and much more.

Tropea is also full of stores with typical products of the city and the region. The most interesting are the bundles of hot peppers and red onions that hang all over the street. The red onions of Tropea are sweet and are used to make pizza, marmalade and even onion ice cream. You'll also see a variety of Calabrian liqueurs and maybe even get to taste your favorite before you buy it. Nduja is another product that Tropea is full of. It's a Calabrian sausage made of pork and hot peppers. Pecorino del Poro cheese is another specialty of Tropea - sheep cheese.

Sea and beaches

Well, of course, the main attraction is the crystal clear sea. The sea of Tropea is sky-blue, transparent, with a sandy seabed. The sand on the beaches is snow-white and clean. In 2007 Tropea ranked first in the rating of the most beautiful beaches in Europe, and in 2012 it entered the top ten.

Folk festivals in Tropea

On July 27, there is a feast of Blue Fish and Red Onions. This feast celebrates the gastronomic traditions of Tropea based on the famous onions and fish of different kinds, but blue in color. During the feast you can taste delicacies based on red sweet onions and blue fish.

The Tropea Film Festival takes place in August. As well as the Assumption of the Virgin Mary or Ferragosto festivities - August 15.

In September there is the Tropea Blues Festival. During the whole week there are concerts with many blues bands playing in the streets of the city.