Two Italian bathers sit atop a rock along the Tropean coast. — *Italian bathers*

Tropea sits near the top of the list of most beautiful places in the world. As one of the most famous cities in the region of Calabria, it's located super close to the end of Italy, kind of near to the island of Sicily. The walled town lives atop massive cliffs, with the sea extending endlessly in every direction; its pebbled beaches nestled at the foot of these cliffs. The bluest water offers limitless entertainment and vistas to locals and tourists alike, with various rocks jutting through the surface or sitting underneath to give an amazing depth and interest to aerial photos (photos easily taken from the city proper of Tropea). The clarity of the water allows swimmers to see the bottom of the sea, and the density means swimmers can float leisurely along without expending too much energy treading the water. Ben and I bought goggles at a little swim shop in Tropea to use while we swam, and we found it almost impossible to dive deeper than a couple feet below the surface. The purchase of the goggles ended up being my favorite decision we made, because although there's not much to see (only some tiny fish), it's super fun to float and gaze into the water.

Courtney smiles at the camera with her left hand pulling her hair back. Tropea beach is behind her, with other bathers and colorful towels in the background. — *peep the goggle marks beneath my eyes*

Due to the close proximity to the sea, the food culture focuses on seafood, particularly shellfish. They do offer other kinds of aquatic life to eat, but clams and mussels could be found at any time in any place. Ben isn't as big of a fan of shellfish, so he had a harder time finding seafood things that he liked (mainly fish) when we went out to eat. Although, I do have to say I am so proud of him because he tried clams, a food he hasn't tried in years!! Along these lines, I highly recommend the spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams) or fried calamari (squid) at pretty much any restaurant. You can click here to read my informational post about Tropea, which includes the specific restaurants we visited.

In order to keep the trip a little more economical, we visited a panini shop to buy fresh, homemade sandwiches as a portable lunch. Picnicking on the beach with these sandwiches, chips, and many bottles of water made for the perfect midday break.

The deep blue sea extends to the horizon with cliff rocks on either side. — *the beach where we spent most of our time*

During the summer months, Italy serves granite, which is basically the Italian version of American shaved ice crossed with sorbet. They are super delicious, very economical (2€ per cup), and the perfect way to cool down on a hot summer day. This particular granita man we met in Tropea usually lives in Rome. He and his friend communally own the stand, and they take turns running it during the high season. Ben and I live in Rome so enjoyed a conversation about the beauty of Rome, but lamented the heat crippling the city at the moment and the necessary break Tropea provides. This was one moment of many throughout the trip that showed the personality of those who spend time in Tropea.

Two cups of red shaved ice with black straws and green and orange spoons against a backdrop of the Tropean sea. — *fragole granite (strawberry shaved ice)*

Seriously everyone is so so nice here. For instance, when we first got here, our Airbnb host, Daniele, was so nice and friendly (which totally made up for the hour delay with check-in). We ran into Daniele again after walking down the many steep stairs that lead from the city to the beaches. He proceeded to offer us a ride to the beach. In his convertible. To a better beach (Blanca) than the one he originally told us to go to because the Mare Grande is "too crowded." We were in a movie: driving with the top down, sun tanning my skin, the coast and sea flashing along beside us as we wound around the narrow beach road, wind in my hair, Italian music on the radio. The last few minutes of the ride really highlighted my newfound movie star status when I had to sit on Ben's lap because a couple of Daniele's friends needed a ride. It was too perfect, too much like a movie star vacation, and everything you want Italy to be.

Yellow and green umbrellas stretch out to the aquamarine sea. — *blanca beach*

I'm constantly amazed that such a beautiful place even exists, and I definitely think everyone should visit if they can. Check out my Tropea Travel Guide for all my tips, tricks, and recommendations, as well as the harrowing tale of our return back to Rome!

Thanks for reading!

ciao ciao,

Courtney

Tropea Views

Tropea Travel Guide