The 10 Best Things to Do in Province of Vibo Valentia, Italy

Animated representation of Tropea in Miniature. free admission for all. Do not miss the beautiful attraction that reminds us of the ancient crafts lost.

Capo Vaticano, the last strip of land before the Straits of Messina, thrusts dramatically from the sea, its white rocks battered and eroded by centuries of breakers that have taught sailors to respect and fear this fascinating, almost mysterious place. Capo Vaticano its majestically enthroned in a turquoise sea, as it dominates the archipelago of the Aeolian Islands to the north-west, the Gulf of to the north-east, to the south-west the Gulf of Gioia Tauro and, beyond, the Straits of Messina culminating in Mount Etna.This part of Calabria, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, contains the ancient fascination of a thousand years of history. The sea that caresses the snow-white Beaches and the wildness of the rocks make visitors lose their sense of time, as it conceals beneath its waves the secrets of ancient shipwrecks, the relics of which have frequently been discovered. Life in the area is dominated by fishing; its waters are visited by the great swordfish, tuna, blue sharks etc.

The Sanctuary of Santa Maria dell'Isola is located in Tropea ( VV ) . It has medieval origins and is the emblem of the city.

Among the major historical and cultural evidence of the Poro promontory – geographical island consists of a bedrock of granite type, light soils and very fertile terraces sloping down towards the coast- jewel of mountain architecture located on a clifftop in Malopara stream valley, exposure to the southeast and an altitude between 515 and 430 m above sea level, the village of Sbariati in Zungri is a settlement entirely carved in the sandstone, whose origin, actually, remains unknown, although we can hypothesize the existence since medieval times and not be ruled out that the oldest part still wait to come to light. Made with great technical and functional mastery and an ingenious use of natural resources, the site shows to visitors dozens of caves, designed for use residential and productive activities (Mills), three sources, an efficient resource management water (Tacks, pipeline systems) and an articulated internal road network – made up of stairways and paths- and external, connecting the settlement to the plain above – where today stands the modern village of Zungri – and the fertile farmland of the valley. All it obtained from wise processing of the bedrock. Testimony charming, and in many ways still enigmatic, local history and memory of the peoples of the Mediterranean, the village of Sbariati in Zungri is for us, today, a socio-economic paradigm and a concrete model, historically produced and a healthy relationship creative between the human being and the surrounding environment. The museum of country life in Zungri, located near the entrance of the archaeological site, contains the testimony of a rural world not yet entirely disappeared, and handed down the memory of a civilization that has its roots in a millenary culture. Through a rich itinerary, ranging from domestic daily to work in the fields, from the crafts of artisans to the religious life, the visitor gets in touch with the rhythms of time and space concepts, family and conviviality of its Mediterranean culture. The Museum promotes educational and research activities, contributing to the cave habitat protection and enhancement of its cultural heritage. Near to the entrance of the rock settlement stands the church of our Lady of the Snow, in which is kept a sixteenth-century painting of great artistic value, depicting the Madonna and child, St. Elisabeth and St. John, better known as our Lady of the Snow, whose worship, ancient, is linked to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. In 2006 the church of Madonna della Neve become diocesan Marian Sanctuary, place of worship in the itineraries of Christian spiritualy in Calabria.