What is Parghelia known for?

Recurrent Blue Flag status for the village's Tyrrhenian beaches and bathing waters on the Costa degli Dei. On the coast named for the gods, between Pizzo and Nicotera, with cliffs of sandstone and fine sand below. Four kilometers from Tropea, similar setting and water, a fraction of the visitors in July and August.

Parghelia is a comune in the province of Vibo Valentia, Calabria region of Italy, about 107 kilometers from Reggio Calabria.

Calabria · Vibo Valentia

Parghelia

A 1,300-person village on the Costa degli Dei, four kilometers from Tropea and quieter than its famous neighbour.

107 km / 66 mi

Nearest hub (Reggio Calabria)

1,274

Population

May–Sep

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Bandiera Blu

Why come

Parghelia sits on a low Tyrrhenian cliff at about 70 meters, on the stretch of coast tourism boards call the Costa degli Dei, four kilometers north of Tropea and fifteen west of Vibo Valentia. The commune is small (under 1,300 residents) and easy to overlook from the highway, which is part of why it has kept a residential pulse that Tropea has largely traded for tourism. The beaches sit below the village, reached on foot through cuts in the sandstone: Michelino, with its dark cliffs, and the smaller coves toward Zambrone. The frazione of Fitili holds the older houses inland. Bandiera Blu status has tracked the water quality for several seasons, and the coastal panorama opens north to the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia and south to the Capo Vaticano promontory. Most visitors who stay here do so to use Tropea without paying Tropea's prices.

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Gallery

4 photos · scroll →

Known for

Spiaggia di Michelino
Curved beach below the village reached by stairs through the cliff, with dark sandstone walls and Bandiera Blu water.
Centro storico
Compact village core on the headland, with the parish church of the Annunziata at its centre.
Fitili
Inland frazione of Parghelia with older stone houses and the small church of San Nicola di Bari.
Costa degli Dei viewpoint
Cliff terrace looking north to the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia and south to Capo Vaticano, the stretch named for the gods.

When to visit

Best months · May–Sep

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May through September is when Parghelia functions as a coastal village. Water is swimmable from late May, beach clubs run from June, and the parking constraints that plague Tropea are easier here. July and August are hot and busy, but the cliff-foot beaches stay calmer than the Tropea sand. September is the quietest swimming month, with warm water and the schools back. October through April the village empties of visitors; many of the seasonal restaurants close, residents return to a population of around 1,300, and the only reliable reason to come is the view down to the Costa degli Dei on a clear winter day.