Tropea

Tropea needs 2 days: touring the Sanctuary of Santa Maria dell'Isola, a Benedictine monastery on a rocky outcrop connected to the beach by a staircase, on one, and driving the Costa degli Dei, the stretch of Tyrrhenian coast between Pizzo and Nicotera considered one of Italy's most beautiful, on the other. June-September brings ideal beach weather. It's mid-to-upper priced for Calabria, with a high season heavily concentrated in August. It's famous for its sweet red onion, grown in the area since Greek times and protected by a designation of origin, and its clifftop views of the Aeolian Islands made it one of southern Italy's most photographed beach destinations.