This Enchanting Town in Southern Italy Has Some of the Most Beautiful Beaches I've Ever Seen — and Feels Like Taormina Without the Crowds

As soon as we turned off the highway and I caught my first glimpse of the sparkling turquoise sea, I could tell that this was a special place. The two-lane road climbed higher, twisting and turning, through little villages and past farm stands with garlands of chili peppers and purple onions dancing in the wind, until finally we turned onto a quiet street with a statue of the Virgin Mary on the corner. At the end of the road was our destination: a monastery hidden behind tall wooden doors, or rather, what used to be a monastery. Nowadays, the building is a five-star boutique hotel called Villa Paola. 

My husband parked under a shady pergola and rang the bell, explaining over the intercom that we had a reservation. A young woman welcomed us in, led us through the cloister, and out to the garden, where we were invited to sit and enjoy a refreshing drink made with bergamot, the citrus native to this region. Though I live in Rome and have traveled extensively throughout Italy, this was my first visit to Calabria, the toe of the boot in the country’s deep south. We had started our summer vacation with a few days in Puglia — a region I love — but Tropea turned out to be the sleeper hit of the trip.

Tropea seems to have a way of enchanting people. Known as the Pearl of the Tyrrhenian, this village casts a siren call. During our time there, I felt its irresistible pull — and I’m not the only one.

“Tropea, and above all, the surroundings are still places inhabited by local people who live in the community, together with families,” says Marie Christine Born, the Swiss-born owner of Villa Paola, who came to Calabria in the 1970s and fell in love with it. “I remained in Tropea because Calabria in the ‘70s was virgin, generous, and authentic, with a thousand beautiful Greek, Arab, and Byzantine traditions that you felt in the social and culinary traditions.” 

From our perch at Villa Paola, it wasn’t hard to see why she fell in love with this place. Set in a restored 16th-century monastery with a lavender exterior and beautiful terraced gardens, the hotel overlooks the town and the impossibly blue sea beyond.

During dinner at De’ Minimi, the hotel’s gourmet restaurant, a power outage struck the town just before we were served dessert. Suddenly, the restaurant was illuminated by candlelight and the staff disappeared, no doubt conferring about what to do. Soon enough, a waiter brought out a cake for an 18-year-old guest at one of the other tables and everyone sang happy birthday. Finally, the power came back on and the restaurant manager joked, “You see, we had them cut the power just for your birthday!” With that, the evening was transformed from pleasant to unforgettable.

After breakfast the next morning, I was struck by the beauty of the gardens, where fragrant Mediterranean plants like jasmine and rosemary bloom. Long tendrils of caper vines hang on the stone walls and bursts of fuchsia bougainvillea shock the senses. A series of stone staircases leads down to the hotel’s fruit and vegetable garden, where the chefs pick the fresh apricots that flavor the butter served at breakfast. Strolling through those heavenly gardens, I couldn’t help but think of Taormina, the Sicilian city where the second season of the White Lotus was filmed. But unlike Taormina, Tropea is still relatively under-the-radar.

Like Taormina, Tropea is a hilltop village perched above the sea. Both towns come alive in summer, when their population swells, but Tropea still feels a bit more down-to-earth. Yet the village is shrouded in myths and legends. One of the most important towns on the Coast of the Gods, Tropea was supposedly founded by Hercules. The region was part of Magna Graecia, with Greeks living here before the Romans. Nowadays, it’s best known for its pristine beaches and its prized red onions. 

When you live in Italy, it’s easy to become a bit of a snob about beaches — and the beaches in Tropea, along the Coast of the Gods, are some of the best that I’ve seen. After exploring Villa Paola’s gardens, we drove 20 minutes along the coast to its sibling property, Capovaticano Resort & Thalasso Spa, to hang out at the beach club. As much as I love Italian beach clubs, they tend to be crowded, with rows of sunbeds and umbrellas packed tightly together. Not so at Capovaticano Resort’s beach club, where there was plenty of space between the white umbrellas and cushy sunbeds. The sand, too, was some of the whitest I’ve seen in Italy, and it sloped down steeply toward the deep turquoise sea. As soon as I waded in, I spotted little fish swimming around me — an extremely unusual sight. According to Born, there are no predators in the water to threaten the fish, so they thrive and come right up to the shore.

Another unusual sight? A mermaid swimming in the gentle waves. Or rather, a tween wearing a mermaid tail. When I asked her mother, who was wading in the water near me, about it, she told me you can buy them on Amazon. Apparently, her daughter has been obsessed with them since she was a little girl. Mermaids, monks, and gods — these are some of the characters you might encounter in and around Tropea. 

That evening, after a relaxing massage at Capovaticano Resort, we freshened up and finally headed into the center of town for an evening stroll and a light meal at La Dispensa by BO.CA. It wasn’t hard to see why Tropea is officially designated as one of the Borghi Più Belli d’Italia (most beautiful villages in Italy). The narrow cobblestone lanes were strung with colorful garlands and lined with charming restaurants and shops selling summer clothes, hand-painted ceramics, and local products. Like Villa Paola, the town hall was painted lavender and set on a bustling piazza surrounded by cafes where people sat outside sipping Aperol spritzes. We strolled over to the belvedere, where people gathered to admire the view of the sea and beach below. Just off the coast, connected by a narrow strip of land, was the Sanctuary of Santa Maria dell’Isola, the iconic symbol of the town that appears on postcards. 

When it came time to check out of Villa Paola the next day, we didn’t want to leave. The tranquil setting combined with an invisible energetic force had cast its spell. On our way out of the town, we stopped at a farm stand called La Capannina and bought a garland of Tropea onions to bring home. If stored in a cool, dry place, they’ll last until Christmas, the woman there told us. After that, we’ll just have to return for more magic and onions.