The roadmap that has been thoroughly prepared foresees a stop-over in Tropea (Calabria) on day 5. Consequently, we arrive at this charming town around noon on our 3rd day. Settling down Hector at Camping Marina dell’Isola, we nearly jump up and down from pure joy about having the sea 25 metres to the West, the church Santa Maria to the North and the historic centre to the East. All within max. 2 minutes walking distance.

Santa Maria dell’Isola
You may find the beach too small and slightly overcrowded, the people too posh and the blue sky sort of boring, but we decide to like it that way.

Beach. Sea. Holiday Feeling.

tough girls take it as it is
Tropea itself is pittoresque and offers a mixture of old stones and a wide choice of shops, bars and restaurants. It is here where we eat our first “Arancini”, a local snack that comes as a rice ball with fillings that may be ragú, cheese, chili salami or whatever the cook finds in his fridge.
Around sunset, we take over the best table in the ultimate bar on top of the cliff and enjoy 180° of view: sea, coast and all shades of blue.

Sharp Eyes may find Hector in the Picture
Off-season here means: choose Fragolino and Lambrusco from the menu, get served with Vino della Casa. At least you can choose your favorite color (white / red). However, such details do not matter after all, as the view awards us our first glance on the coniform island Stromboli. We will get back to that topic later during our trip, while for today’s evening it is a distant promise of adventures yet to come.

Lookout: Stromboli View with Sunset. Today from a Distance only…