Tropea

Tropea is a famous beach locality situated on a tuffaceous promontory on the western coast of Calabria ("Costa degli Dei") and is also called "the pearl of the Tyrrhenian sea" or "the southern Saint Tropez". It is divided in two areas: the upper part where many of the inhabitants live, and the lower part (called "Marina") in proximity of the harbour.

According to an ancient legend, Tropea was founded by Hercules who stopped on the Costa degli Dei on his way back from Spain. This locality has been inhabited since the bronze age and was conquered by the romans who built a commercial harbour near the current Santa Domenica, in Formicoli. Thanks to its strategic position overlooking the sea, Tropea had a fundamental role during the roman and byzantine dominations; the byzantines left many traces of their presence like the church on the promontory or the city walls (called "mura di Belisario"). After a long siege, the normans took the city away from the byzantines and made it flourish. Tropea kept developing during the aragonese domination. On the 4th February 2016, the "Club UNESCO Tropea Costa degli Dei" was established.

The local gastronomy is characterized by the products of the hinterland and the sea and is mainly based on the fishermen and farmers' traditions. There are many typical dishes: the "fi lei" homemade pasta, frittata stuffed with salami and ricotta, "pitta di ninnata" and fried "surici". The delicious "sciù" and the "lumini" are the typical desserts. Tropea also organizes many summer events: the national literary award, the "I tri da cruci" festival on the 3rd May with the "ballo del cammello" (camel's dance), the cinematographic event "Tropea Film Festival", the renowned "Tropea Blues Festival", the Sagra del Pesce Azzurro (blue fish) and the Sagra della Cipolla Rossa (red onion).