Just outside the old town, in the Carmine quarter, a great dome marks the church the people of Tropea call the Michelizia, tied to a legend of storms and lights at sea.
The church is made up of two parts side by side: a square body topped by the dome, the most interesting part of the building, and a nave. Its origins are medieval but debated, and the name has more than one explanation: tradition links it to a merchant saved from a storm, who supposedly had the church built, as a vow, on the spot where he saw a light on the coast; others think of a connection with the cult of Saint Michael. After a long restoration funded by the Ministry of Culture, in 2026 it returned to the town. Today it is no longer used for worship and hosts concerts and events. A local's tip? Walk around it slowly: the dome changes its look with every step.
