Tropea, Italy

Let the god of winds fill your sails

From Tropea’s beautiful cliffside Old Town, a spell of invigorating open-water sailing takes you to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Aeolian Islands. This eight-island archipelago boasts striking black sand beaches, glimmering jet-set ports, scenic hiking and the bubbling relics of the volcanoes that spawned them.

The beauty of the Aeolian Islands is due to a confluence of elemental forces. The islands are named after Aeolus, the demigod of winds, who guides sailors across the clear blue waters from the mainland. The islands themselves were wrought in fire, with oceanic volcanoes creating the Aeolian chain over hundreds of thousands of years. That volcanic action is still visible today, with the active volcanoes Stromboli and Vulcano meaning visitors can witness spectacular steaming vents and bathe in revivifying thermal mud baths.

Local legend has it that Tropea is protected by a painting of the Virgin Mary, which came to the town when a ship sailing from the Byzantine Empire was driven into port by a storm. Whether or not the Virgin Mary provided miraculous protection against earthquakes and air raids as the legends say, blessed Tropea is certainly the perfect place to embark on a sailing holiday of Sicily and the Aeolian Islands. Good food, fine wine, spectacular scenery and more await on a sailing holiday from Tropea.