Calabria - Tropea, Capo Vaticano (Torre Ruffa)
Calabria
Calabria makes up the 'toe' of Italy and is an area in summer well loved by Italians but
little known to visitors. The scenery is spectacular and dramatic. Rising to over
2000m in the mountains, and dropping steeply to the coast with its long stretches of
beach, crescent shaped bays, craggy cliffs and islands dotted about in the crystal clear,
Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas.
For us the charm of Calabria comes through exploration and discovery.
You will be spoilt for choice whether in the mountains or on the coast, there is more to see and explore than can possibly be done in a couple of weeks.
Calabria is steeped in history, myth and legend. The region features in the writings of
Homer and Virgil and has been fought over by Hannibal, Romans, Sparticans and many
others, so there is evidence of numerous different civilisations. Even in the small hilltop
towns, you can stumble across fine examples of Byzantine and Norman architecture.
It is also rich in living tradition and folklore. Throughout the year, there is a wealth of
festivals and carnivals. These are not contrived for tourists, but are long-lived traditions, which have been passed on through the generations, and are still strong today.
The food of Calabria is a mixture of fresh fish, local grown fruit and vegetables, local salami, sausage (salsiccia sott`olio piccante) meat, pecorino cheese, pasta and olive oil. The food and wines of Calabria mirror the character of its people, landscape and climate they are hot, spicy and full-bodied.
Tropea
Tropea is one of the most beautiful towns in Calabria lies along the south Tyrrhenian coast.
Austere and majestic, Tropea rises out of the promontory of Monte Poro which lies between the two gulfs of Sant’Eufemia and Gioia. It overlooks a mirror-like sky-blue, crystal-clear sea, with its incredible rocks: “La Pizzuta”, “Formicoli”, “San Leonardo” and “Isola Bella”.
The wild, white, sandy beaches which snake their way into little grottoes and creeks are interrupted by valleys and fertile, rippling hills full of fruit and citrus fruit trees, onion and vegetable fields, lime trees, bougainvillaea, verbena, jasmine and other sweet-smelling Mediterranean plants.
A part from the limpid, unpolluted sea, Tropea itself has a fascinating historical and artistic profile, thanks to its patrician houses with their impressive entrances adorned by capitals with frescoes by important artists and to the numerous, ancient churches rich in sacred images recalling peculiar local legends.
Its typical little deserted squares, reachable only by way of narrow alleyways and populated by mythical ghosts, take us back to the days of the Saracen invasions.
Tropea, also, received a "five-sail" for the top 10 rating from Legambiente which uses 128 parameters for its yearly quality test. Ratings also take into account natural beauty, contamination but also tourist structures, noise levels and environment-friendly waste systems.
Capo Vaticano
Capo Vaticano, the last strip of land before the Straits of Messina, thrusts dramatically from the sea, its white rocks battered and eroded by centuries of breakers that have taught sailors to respect and fear this fascinating, almost mysterious place.
Capo Vaticano its majestically enthroned in a turquoise sea, as it dominates the archipelago of the Aeolian Islands to the north-west, the Gulf of Lamezia Terme to the north-east, to the south-west the Gulf of Gioia Tauro and, beyond, the Straits of Messina culminating in Mount Etna.
This part of Calabria, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, contains the ancient fascination of a thousand years of history.
The sea that caresses the snow-white beaches and the wildness of the rocks make visitors lose their sense of time, as it conceals beneath its waves the secrets of ancient shipwrecks, the relics of which have frequently been discovered.
Life in the area is dominated by fishing; its waters are visited by the great swordfish, tuna, blue sharks etc. as they cross the Capo Vaticano every spring.
Choose your holiday accommodation in Capo Vaticano and Tropea, a magical place for your holiday dream's.
