Tropea, dream views and onions

Tropea - Tropea is a town of about 6000 inhabitants in the province of Vibo Valentia, located on the Tyrrhenian coast between the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia and the Gulf of Gioia Tauro, less than 20 km west of the capital. Dating back to the golden age of Magna Graecia, according to legend the village was founded by Hercules with the name Portus Ercoles, then passed to the Romans, the Byzantines and the Arabs to prosper with the Normans and the Aragonese.

The historic center is located 60 meters above a tuff cliff overlooking the sea, while the part of the port, called Marina, where the main beaches are also located, is at the level of the shoreline. In the old village, the houses seem to have been carved into the rock and give life to an intertwining of alleys that open onto sunny squares that seem out of time. The symbol of the city is the Sanctuary of Santa Maria dell'Isola which has different architectural styles as it was built starting from the 11th century by Benedictine monks, it has been the subject of rebuilding and restorations in various eras. It is located on a rock, once an islet detached from the coast, which divides the coast and its beaches in two. Another important place of worship is the Church of the Michelizia, outside the city walls, built in the Renaissance period, with a Florentine-influenced dome. Beautiful in the lower part of the town is the beach of fine sand bathed by a clear sea with a suggestive panorama around it, an attraction for a growing number of visitors who have led the village to develop a first-rate tourist port, both in terms of boat traffic. pleasure and as services offered. At the agri-food level, Tropea is known everywhere for its Red Onion, rich in beneficial properties and capable of lending itself to a thousand uses and gastronomic combinations.