Steep cliffs and the Tonnara beach
Between Palmi and Villa San Giovanni, on the Tyrrhenian coast of southern Calabria, the Costa Viola is a stretch of wild, spectacular coastline where the mountains of the Aspromonte plunge steeply into the sea, with cliffs, coves and small beaches of sand and pebbles. Its name, the "Violet Coast", comes from the colour that the sea takes on at sunset, an intense purple reflection, and the views over the Aeolian Islands, with the cone of Stromboli, and over Sicily are magnificent. The steep slopes are terraced with dry stone walls for the vineyards that produce the local wines, cultivated with great effort, as in the Cinque Terre.
Palmi is the main town of the Costa Viola, standing on a terrace above the sea. Below it lies one of the most beautiful beaches in Calabria, the Spiaggia della Tonnara, a long stretch of sand and pebbles with clear water, closed by cliffs, in front of which rises the Scoglio dell'Ulivo, a rock in the sea on top of which grows a wild olive tree, the symbol of Palmi. From the Monte Sant'Elia, above the town, there is a breathtaking view of the whole coast, the Strait and the Aeolian Islands. Palmi is famous for the Varia, a spectacular religious festival in honour of the Madonna della Sacra Lettera, held at the end of August, in which a huge structure about 16 metres high, carrying living figures, is carried on the shoulders of hundreds of bearers; together with other "festivals of great shouldered structures" in Italy, it was recognised by UNESCO in 2013 as Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Tip: go down to the Tonnara beach in the late afternoon; enjoy the sunset from Monte Sant'Elia, with Stromboli on the horizon.
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