Santuario di Santa Maria dell'Isola

Before you rises Tropea's most iconic sight: the Sanctuary of Santa Maria dell'Isola, a church perched on a rocky promontory plunging straight into the sea. Long ago it was a true islet, cut off from the mainland and reachable only by water; over the centuries the sand joined it to the coast, creating the scene everyone now photographs. Its origins reach back to the Middle Ages, and tradition ties them to Benedictine monks, who kept the faith here along with a precious icon of the Madonna, still venerated in the sanctuary today. To climb up you'll face a stairway carved into the rock: at the top wait a small, fragrant panoramic garden and a view that on clear days reaches all the way to Stromboli, the smoking volcano on the horizon. Look closely at this spot: "where the sea kisses the church" was no ordinary riddle. This is where the corsair Vittorio Wave-Hand lit his light in the storm, and where Elena's grandfather dreamed of setting the Silver Lantern. The sanctuary welcomes visitors; the staircase asks for good legs and comfortable shoes, but the reward at the top is worth every step.