Tropea

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• Tropea Perla del Tirreno in Calabria

• Sightseeing in tropea

The best place to set off from is at the beginning of Via Indipendenza where , just on the right , there is Palazzo dei Conti Gabrielli. The little street lined with shops that are well worth visiting , such as handicraft shops, food shops specializing in local produce and of course clothes shops. The next point of interest is Piazza Ercole, so called as He was thought to have been the mythical founder of Tropea. To the right there is the old "sedile dei Nobili", where the ground floor is now used by the " Pro Loco" . In the centre of the square there is a statue of the great Philosopher, Pasquale Galluppi .

Walking along Via Roma the next stop is Piazza del Duomo , with its beautiful Cathedral built in differnt styles, of which Norman and Byzantine are predominan. Going straight on from there, there is a pretty little square which has a wonderful view overlooking the sea and the port.

Taking the street to the left there is the splendid rectangular "largo Galluppi" with its many elegant buildings and yet another spectacular sea-view. At the far end on the right is the former "Convento dei Minimi di S. Francesco" , now home to the town's "Liceo Scientifico". Next door is the 16th century "Chiesa di S. Francesco ( now closed to worship). Opposite the church is Palazzo D'Acquino in which the previously- mentioned famous philosopher Pasquale Galluppi , was born. From here it is just a short walk to the main street, which in evening comes to life with tourists and locals a like. There is another incredible sea-view at the end of the street and you can also see the "Chiesa dell'Isola" standing on the rock.

From the main street you can go on to "Piazzetta del Cannone" where you stop for something in one of the bars while looking at the Volcanic Island of Stromboli in the distance. Just a few steps away the new part of Tropea stars with Via Libertà . Where once there were only little huts, there are now dignified houses and a good variety of shops.

Retracing your steps back to the beginning of Via Libertà, there is time to look around the little area called the "Borgo", which was the first part of Tropea to have been built outside the city gates; Porta Vaticana and Porta Nuova. Having its own charm and atmosphere, it was here that once upon a time the craftesmen worked and lived. The majority of the local masters, such as the master mason , the master dyer and the master weaver lived at the lower end, and at the higher end there were forges where the blacksmiths would start their hammering at the sunrise, above all on sundays. The last forge disappeared some time ago and its place, along with the others, surrendered to modernisation bringing with it shops selling local pottery: certainly pretty but definitely not as enchanting!