“The Arches” of Tropea

Visitable for the First Time

Closed in the 1700s. Open again in 2026

For approximately three centuries, the Arches were something you looked at from afar, not something you walked into. But they were once open. In 1720, in the only written record we have of the Arches, the Tropean abbot Francesco Sergio described them as a covered public overlook, open to the Zephyrian winds, from which you could see the fish in the water (also hinting at the sea being much closer to the cliff back then):

_{“From the Porta di Mare [Gate of the Sea] eastward stand many noble palaces, founded upon the rock, handsome to look upon, and enjoying the wholesome air that comes from the countryside and from the heights. They enjoy besides the convenience of the harbor and — though they lie far from the sea — a delightful prospect as well. Sharing that same prospect is the public place, roofed by certain arches above which stand magnificent buildings, and the splendid spot called “la Ripa,” [“the Edge,” or “the Brink”] from which one commands a marvelous view of the sea, of the fields, of the heights, and of the villages. From this point may be descried the ships lying at anchor in the harbor, the people embarking and disembarking at the shore, and the trade carried out with the goods unloaded there…All foreigners, on arriving at this place, are filled with wonder at its beauties and its peculiarities. Travelers who happen into the city may even catch sight of the fish leaping from the water and coursing through the sea; and one will exclaim, “Oh, what a fine fish is there!”; another will say, “here is a mullet beside a rock”; another will marvel in astonishment at a whole shoal of them. Of such travelers I was told by that distinguished and venerable man who bears the name of Francesco De Bernardo, alias Bennico, still living in my own day, that these wayfarers would stuff themselves with the soups made from these fish…These palaces set toward the north enjoy, in summertime and likewise in the middle seasons of spring and autumn, the winds of Zephyr, which restore the spirits.”}

_{– Francesco Sergio, La Città di Tropea, book 1 of Chronologica Collectanea sive Chronicorum de civitate Tropea, ed. Pasquale Russo (Tropea: Meligrana Editore, 2018), 120–21. First written 1720. Translation from the Latin to Italian by Don Sergio Meligrana and Antonio Massara. Translation from the Italian to English by Francesco Femia.}

Soon after this description was written, the Arches were closed in. They have only recently become possible to visit again. TROPEArte opened them in May 2026, beginning the process of restoring the overlook to Francesco Sergio’s 18th-century description. They are now open for guided tours, artist retreats and workshops, exhibitions, filming and photo shoots, as well as events — the first time in three centuries that anyone has been able to simply stand inside them and look out.

We don’t fully know what they are. The covered, vaulted, sandstone portico of seven arches is thought to date to either the Angevin or Norman period, in the 13th or 12th century, respectively, with a possible connection to either the nearby Angevin-era Chapel of San Bartolomeo, or the Norman Chapel of San Pietro ad Ripas, which can be found inside the later Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, built on top of it in the 16th century. Those are the theories, and they are good ones, but the provenance remains genuinely uncertain, and the structure is currently undergoing an in-depth historical and material study led by the historical restoration architect Vincenzo Carone.

What this means for a visitorAnyone who comes now is seeing the Arches at the moment their history is being written — before the plaques, before the publications and brochures, while the question is still open.

Study underwayLed by historical restoration architect Vincenzo Carone.

Last Century: A Haven for Artists

Places that absorb outsiders tend to make artists

Tropea gave us Albino Lorenzo, the artist known as “the Last Impressionist,” who painted this coastline and whose spirit is still felt in the streets where he worked. The town also gave the country Lydia Toraldo Serra, one of its very first female mayors, and the actor Raf Vallone.

It also attracted artists from elsewhere. M.C. Escher traveled through Calabria in 1930 and 1931 and was caught by the light, the geometry of the architecture, the wild, vertical constructions on the rock, and the sheer drops to the sea. Eduard Bäumer found the same thing and stayed a long while to paint it.

A century apart

1931M.C. Escher, Tropea, Calabria — the town on its cliff

TodayThe same rock, the same drop to the sea

A town that has spent a millennium being hospitable to arrivals turns out to be very good at being hospitable to artists. The two are more closely related than they look.

Before and After

Two years of cleaning and restoration

Starting in July 2024, the TROPEArte team began a process of cleaning and restoration that continues to this day — and will continue into the foreseeable future. The Arches are also currently undergoing an in-depth historical survey led by the historic-preservation architect Vincenzo Carone.

Before · July 2024As we found them

After · July 2026Two years of clean-up and preservation

The Changing Light

Dawn to the lights of the port

The Arches face the rising sun at dawn, and as the morning progresses, the space fills with a golden light. By noon, the sun has passed overhead and over the adjoining courtyard, and the filtered light is soft and calm. In late afternoon, the hills are alight, while the shade deepens among the stones. As the evening nears, the cliff birds chirp and cry, and the lights of the port shine up into the darkening colonnade.

Morning · evening

MorningThe stone glows golden in the light of the sunrise

EveningThe port lights grace the vaulted ceilings at night

Press

Local and regional interest in the Arches

Video Calabria, Calabria d’Amuri — the Arches, Shadows of Passage, and the TROPEArte team

The Arches by “la Ripa” have only been open since May 2026, but that opening has already received press coverage in Calabria and the broader Mezzogiorno. See our press page for the full list, including press about TROPEArte’s previous projects beginning in 2023.

Finding Us

Palazzo Fazzari, Largo Galluppi 12, Tropea (VV) 89861, Italy

The quiet end of the historic center, a few minutes’ walk from the main cathedral.

Getting hereLamezia Terme (SUF) is the nearest airport — about 60 km, or roughly an hour by road. Reggio Calabria (REG) is about 105 km, roughly an hour and a half. Tropea also has a railway station on the Tyrrhenian line, a short downhill walk into the historic center.

AccessEntry to the courtyard of the Arches is at ground level, directly from the street. To get into the arched portico itself, there is a small set of descending steps.

ParkingTropea’s historic center is a cliff-top old town — narrow, cobbled, and hilly, with restricted vehicle access. The nearest parking and loading point is in front of Palazzo Fazzari, but it is in a ZTL, so a vehicle permit is required in advance. There are several public parking lots just outside the historic center.

AccessibilityThe street entrance and the courtyard are step-free. The portico and the Arches themselves are reached only by a small set of descending steps.

Gallery

The Arches, the courtyard of Palazza Fazzari, and the works made within them