A lot of people traveling Southern Italy go straight from the Amalfi coast to Sicily. We couldn’t miss Calabria. One of the main reasons we travel is for the food and Calabria is known for taking the spicy Italian food up a notch. We are fans of “Pasta Grammar” on Youtube where a Calabrian (Eva) now living in Arizona has shown us all kinds of new dishes. We had to try the pasta and spicy sausage (‘Nduja) and the super sweet red onions that are popular on the Calabrian coast. We decided to stay in Tropea which is a beach resort although we were a little nervous that the town might be deserted after our experience in Paestum. We didn’t run into the summer beach crazy crowds but the restaurants all seemed to be open. Not much to do in this beach town but eat, hang out on the beach in 75 degree weather and play in the warm turquoise water.
This was another town on a cliff. We seem to be picking towns that all have a lot of steps…. The one attraction is an old church on a rock jutted out into the water. We went up there the first day for the views from the garden.
After seeing the town’s one tourist attraction, we borrowed a snorkeling mask from our Airbnb and hung out on the beach playing in the water the rest of the day. Super calm waters with lots of fish. Good reefs but no coral or turtles or sharks.
The next day I rented a bike which is something that I should be doing a lot more of. It was great to get my legs moving for a different purpose besides climbing stairs… The bike rental place said I should go see Capo Vaticano which was a lighthouse on a peninsula several miles South of Tropea. Great ride through onion farms along with olive trees and grape vines. The view at the end was fantastic.
It was a great 3 day stay here on the beach before tackling Sicily. We had a lot of time to just relax on the terrace of our Airbnb and plan our Winter travels. Next Location- Catania, Sicily