When you think of Southern Italy, the first things that pop in your mind is amazing, history, breathtaking sights and delicious food. But Italy also has its fair share of beautiful beaches that will suit everyone, especially the Calabria beaches.

The variety of beaches that you can find in Calabria will blow your mind; you can choose between white beaches of thin sand or steep cliffs dropping down the sea. But where is located Calabria? Surrounded by water on three sides, Calabria boasts 800 kilometres of stunning coastline.

This lesser-known region in the toe of the Italian boot is a Mecca if you are seeking spectacular natural scenery, great food and an off-the-beaten-path experience.

The warm environment, the splendid colours of the sea, the rocky shores alternating with sandy coasts, its wild and mysterious nature, renders Calabria a unique place.

Below you’ll find a list of the most beautiful Calabria beaches on the s Tyrrhenian coast, also called “the Coast of Gods”

Tropea Beaches

Probably the most famous of all beaches in Calabria is that of Tropea and no visit to the region would be complete without witnessing the glistening white sands that gently spill into the glittering blue waters of the sea.

The town is perched above the Tyrrhenian Sea on the Coast of the Gods and is stunningly beautiful with a charming historical centre and restaurants serving fresh seafood.

The Rotonda Beach in Tropea, also known as Le Roccette, is one of the most internationally photographed, it is in fact the symbolic beach of Tropea. Composed of a narrow and long beach of white sand and washed by a clear sea. Behind it, the houses built overlooking the sea seem to be suspended in the air!

If you don’t love the crowd, my suggestion is to make a visit to the beach of Cannone, one of the smallest and less frequented, concealed by the Rock-cliff of St. Leonardo.

A curiosity:
The most famous onion in all of Italy comes from Tropea and is fittingly named ‘cipolla rosa di Tropea’ or ‘red onion of Tropea’. It’s a sweet onion variety and used in many local recipes. The onion even has its own festival which takes place every year on July 27th.

Capo Vaticano beaches

Capo Vaticano is located 10 km south of Tropea is a real treat for lovers of photography and beautiful beaches. The name Capo Vaticano comes from a natural cave in which the past was used by shepherds as a shelter for their flocks.

From the lighthouse of Capo Vaticano you can enjoy an unforgettable panoramic view: from there you see the whole coast, the Aeolian Islands and the strait of Messina.

The beaches of Capo Vaticano are characterized by a crystal clear sea, turquoise in colour and rich in marine fauna and flora. No coincidence that the beaches of Capo Vaticano are frequented by lovers of snorkelling and scuba diving.

One of the most known and most photographed beach of the area is called Grotticelle. A beautiful beach with very fine sand and a very clean sea from where you can see rocks of different sizes. From here you can go with the pedal boat to all the isolated coves and beaches of Capo Vaticano on the discovery of the most beautiful and most hidden places!

Pizzo Calabro beaches

An ancient seafaring village overlooking the sea and perched on a tuffaceous rock in the centre of the Gulf of Sant’Eufemia: you will immediately marvel at its “Spiaggia della Seggiola“: a small fjord in the middle of the village dominated by the Aragonese Castle.

Don’t stop here, you can enjoy other fantastic beaches on this coast. Discover the beach of Calamaio, a wide beach of fine sand, surrounded by a pine forest, also called “A tunnara” -tuna beach- because once fishing and tuna processing took place here. Don’t forget to see the beach of Piedigrotta, famous for its small church carved into the tufa, a wonderful beach of fine sand.

Pizzo Calabro is known also from the gastronomic point of view. The main local delicacies are two, both very important. The truffle, typical local sweet, served black or white, you can eat in bars and cake shops in the city and is one of the main reasons of pride for the country. The second one is the ice cream, which gave the city the title of “City of Ice”.