Italy
Tropea
Red onions growing on white cliffs above turquoise water, a church balanced on a sea stack.
White sandstone cliffs fall to water so clear the seabed glows turquoise from above. The sanctuary of Santa Maria dell'Isola perches on its sea rock, joined to the beach by a stone stair, the defining silhouette of this coast. Salt and sweet onions ride the air.
Tropea rides a pale sandstone promontory over some of the clearest water on the Italian mainland, the showpiece of Calabria's Costa degli Dei. Its famous crop, the Cipolla Rossa di Tropea, is protected by name and mild enough to eat raw, appearing in everything from salads to jam. The old town's lanes end abruptly at balconies over the beach, where the church-topped rock of Santa Maria dell'Isola stands just offshore. Hydrofoils run seasonal day trips toward the Aeolian Islands, with Stromboli's smoke sometimes visible on the evening horizon.
Couple
The cliff-edge passeggiata at sunset, the sanctuary rock glowing pink and a bottle of local white: effortless.
Family
Sand lies directly below the old town, and the Aeolian day trip supplies the adventure quota.
Friends
Beach culture, street food and day trips in three directions make Tropea the group base that plans itself.
- From the old town on the bluff, Santa Maria dell'Isola stands on its own sea rock below, reached by a stone stair.
- The Cipolla Rossa di Tropea is protected by name and sweet enough to eat raw.
- The water below the cliffs runs some of the clearest on the Italian mainland.
- Seasonal hydrofoils make the Aeolian Islands a day trip from the harbour.
The red onion appears raw in salads, fried in fritters and slow-cooked into a startling jam.
Nduja, Calabria's spreadable fire, burns and soothes across warm bread in the same mouthful.
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