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Tropea
Tropea, 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, bougainvillea, verbena, jasmine and other sweet-smelling
Mediterranean plants.
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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
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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.
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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.
Courtesy of
Tropea On Line.it
(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
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