Affaccio del Corso

Walk to the very end of Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the main artery of Tropea's old town, and suddenly the houses give way to a balustrade suspended between the clouds and the Tyrrhenian Sea. This is the Affaccio del Corso, one of the most scenic viewpoints in town. Below you, the Sanctuary of Santa Maria dell'Isola seems to float on its rocky islet, cradled by turquoise water. On clear days your gaze travels further, all the way to the horizon, where the dark silhouette of Stromboli rises: the ever-active volcano of the Aeolian Islands, which at night flashes red along the water's edge. Elena, her grandfather's diary in hand, recognises a note here: "the Lantern's course always points to the rock." From this terrace you understand why: Stromboli and the Sanctuary, fire and prayer, can be seen together, and the Sanctuary's finger of land points toward the open sea. They say Vittorio Wave-Hand aligned his light with these two beacons to keep his bearing in a storm. The best moment to come up here is sunset, when the sun sinks behind the Aeolians and the sky turns orange and gold. Bring water, for shade is scarce here: but the view alone is worth every step of the climb.