A TROPEAN ODYSSEY

I am very lucky to have family in Tropea and therefore visit a couple of times a year, but the summertime visits are the most enjoyable, particularly when, as this year, you can introduce friends to Tropea for the very first time.  And there is no better way to do that than by hiring a boat for the day and sailing the Tyrrhenian Sea, along what is called the Costa degli Dei, the ‘Coast of the Gods.  We organised our day through our friend Tania at In Italy tours and it couldn't have been better - clear blue seas, fabulous food and even better company.  

I started the day in this lovely long striped shirt from Zara.  Made from Viscose it is really light and soft and the split sides made it ideal as a cover up, but you can team it with white linen trousers for a day sightseeing.  

For lunch I upped my game a bit and switched to this Pia Rossini cover up with a bit of glitz on the shoulders.  Worn over a Damella swimsuit with feature centre panel to give the illusion of a slimmer figure - and after the meal we enjoyed the illusion was definitely needed!

For the next day I chose what is now one of my favourite tops.  Also from Zara this fabulous tunic looks great with trousers and camisole in white or black and really helps to dress an outfit up.  It is still available in this Ecru colour or in black and white and is in the sale, so a real bargain.  It also works well as a beach cover up as it is light and comfortable to wear when the sun is beating down.

And a little bit about where we stayed in Tropea.  We rented an apartment via Homeway which is located in a converted convent, overlooking the sea.  The conversion was designed by my architect brother-in-law and is the most fabulous of places.  My daughter has featured more of the property on her You Tube channel so you can see pictures of the inside there - link here.  

As with a lot of properties in Tropea it is accessed from the street via vast doors that open into a courtyard bathed in sunlight and populated by beautiful tropical plants. 

And the view from the terrace is just amazing as it overlooks the church of Santa Maria dell'Isola and on a clear day you can see Stromboli puffing away on the horizon.  

I have included a Tropea guide on a previous blog post but have included some more pictures that really capture the incredible ambience of this beautiful town that was,  according to fables, founded by Hercules as one of his ports.

For my next post I will feature some of my evening outfits and some more pictures of the Calabrian jewel that is Tropea.