Piccola Universita Italiana Tropea Favourite
The Piccola Università Italiana is a Boutique Language School, offering a highly immersive Italian language experience since 1993.
Tropea, stunningly located, the pretty medieval town is charming,...
Tropea
Learn Italian in Tropea, Italy!
Tropea is a seaside town in southern Italy with beautiful scenery and a long history. Hercules is said to have established the town of Tropea after removing all the giants from Calabria. It is a busy holiday destination, with many German and Italian visitors.
If you like dramatic scenery, enjoy swimming and looking at beautiful architecture, Tropea is a lovely base for studying Italian. The large tourist population means that the residents are used to welcoming and helping international visitors with their Italian.
Things to do in Tropea
Tropea is an intimate and friendly town and most of the locals watch the sunset from the Corso Vittorio Emmanuale, a street that meanders through town and encourages you to stop and have a cup of coffee or a cold drink at one of the many tiny cafés along the way. This is the best place to join in ‘la passeggiata’ - a long, slow walk for which Italians normally dress in their best outfits.
There are always benches on a passeggiata, where older people like to sit and watch others pass by, while teenagers move much faster and young families show off their new babies. It’s an Italian tradition and on Corso Vittorio Emmanuale the passeggiata ends with a set of railings overlooking the sea, after which people walk slowly back home, often stopping for a glass of wine on the way.
Santa Maria dell’Isola is an ancient monastery that was recently renovated. Long ago it was on a tiny island in the bay, but over many centuries the bay has silted up to join the monastery to the mainland and create a wonderful semi-circle beach, which is very popular in summer.
The Duomo (Tropea cathedral) has Norman architecture and contains several works of art that are worth seeing.
A day trip to the Aeolian Islands is essential while you’re studying Italian in Tropea. If you want to see the eruptions at Stromboli, an active volcano, it’s best to take the afternoon boat so you can see the night-time sparks fly upwards like fireworks.
Explore Tropea!
Tropea is located on a rocky coastline rather than a flat coastline, so there are plenty of steep zigzag paths and stairs to get from the town to the beach. Therefore, it takes some time to move, so it is recommended to plan with plenty of time.
Tropea has a railroad that runs along the coast of Capova Chicano. It is also famous for its beautiful beaches, where you can use sunbeds and umbrellas on paid beaches. Of course, there is also a free beach. Traveling along the coast by train offers dramatic views and many small coves. Schiller in the south has a large castle, famous for its fishing port and fish restaurant. Northern Pizzo is famous for its chocolate truffle ice cream.