Tropea Holidays

This clifftop town sits on a stretch of coast known as La Costa degli Dei AKA the Coast of the Gods. This is where the Italians like to holiday. Internationally, though, it’s still a hidden gem. As such, the chocolate box town is an out-and-out traditionalist – picture criss-crossing lanes, table-filled piazzas and shabby chic houses with painted shutters. Seek out the sea-view terraces between the houses of the old quarter, and you'll spy the iconic Santa Maria dell'Isola monastery – it's perched on a rocky headland that splits the beach in two.

Tropea has beaches on each shoulder, and they're some of the best in Calabria. To reach them, you’ll need to make your way down the higgledy-piggledy hillside from the town. But it’s all worth it. Even Hercules agrees – legend has it, the mythical hero made the town one of his ports. And you’ll understand why when you clock eyes on the sands. They’re the kind of white you'd expect from the Caribbean, and the water’s such a bright shade of turquoise, it looks like it's been given an Instagram filter.

The town doesn’t have any big-hitting tourist attractions, as such. What it does have is a really walkable maze of cutesy lanes and squares. Along the way, you’ll come across plenty of cafés, a hidden-away cathedral, and gelaterias known for their variety of flavours, ranging from zingy lemon to onion and cuttlefish. Pasta dishes are flavoured with fiery piccante peppers, and Tropea's trademark sweet red onions are stirred into the sauce. And, Corso Vittorio Emanuele ends in a spectacular viewpoint, staring straight out to sea.