Tropea, Italy

Southwest of Pizzo, TROPEA can claim to be the prettiest town on the whole of the southern Tyrrhenian coast, built right on the edge of steep cliffs, towering high over its beach. It is also (after Maratea in Basilicata) the most fashionable, with a seaside charm missing from many of the other Calabrian resorts, and not yet entirely eroded by the annual influx of tourists. There are numerous beaches around the town, all within easy walking distance of the town centre, and the buildings have character without being twee. The views from the upper town over the sea and the church of Santa Maria dell'Isola on its rock (closed for restoration) are superb, and on a clear day you can see the cone of Strómboli and sometimes other Aeolian Islands looming on the horizon.