The sunset on the Costa degli Dei, in Calabria, is a unique spectacle of eternal beauty, visible in particular from Tropea, when Stromboli meets the sun!
For a magical and natural combination, in fact, only twice a year, the sun kisses the crater of the Stromboli volcano for a few minutes, during its setting on the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The Sunsets of Ulysses are a unique phenomenon, which has always attracted tourists and not only to Tropea, an enchanted place that becomes a real private room from which to admire this magical phenomenon. The Calabrian coasts are characterized by unique colors and shades at sunset, from red to purple, from yellow to orange, it is no coincidence that it is called the Purple Coast. Even the clouds take on enchanting yellow-purple streaks.
THE SUN FOR ENTERTAINMENT TWICE A YEAR: The sunsets of Ulysses The sun begins its dance in these only two periods during the year:
- between the last days of April and the beginning of May
- at the end of August or beginning of September.
This year, according to some studies, it will be possible to admire the phenomenon on 25-26-27 August 2024. Don't miss the opportunity to book your summer holiday in this period, it will be unforgettable: only Calabria can do it, in this case Tropea.
You can admire the Tropean sunsets of Ulysses in particular from the panoramic viewpoints of the village: Largo Villetta or
Piazza del Cannone, Largo Duomo, Belvedere Rico Ripa, Largo Galluppi or dei Carabinieri, Affaccio del Corso also known as “dei sospiri” or “Raf Vallone”.
The sky and the sea, reflecting the red sunset, are tinged with an intense mélange of warm shades such as orange, purple and red: The sun seems to dance as it approaches the mouth of the volcano and slowly kisses it, giving unique emotions through the optical illusion that sets in the Stromboli crater.
THE MYTH OF ULYSSES
"The myth has it that Ulysses, having escaped the monsters Scylla and Charybdis, was looking for the prophetess Manto, to receive the necessary information to continue his journey. But only when he saw the sun disappear into the mouth of the volcano, remaining enchanted, he changed course chasing the colors towards the Aeolian Islands where Aeolus offered him the wineskin of the winds as a gift." The natural phenomenon of Ulysses' Sunsets is a candidate to become part of the UNESCO heritage, precisely because of its natural characteristics: a unique beauty, "a natural phenomenon endowed with exceptional aesthetic importance" as cited in the VII criterion of the Heritage Convention of Humanity!
