Villa Paola

"Nat Geo recommended lodging in Costa Viola. “On the toe of Italy’s boot, you’ll find a coastline that’s every bit as dramatic as Amalfi, with an even more evocative name. The ‘Violet Coast’, named after the livid colour it turns during dramatic sunsets, runs north from Reggio Calabria — the very end of the Italian mainland — up to the Capo Vaticano peninsula, the knobbly ‘bunion’ on Italy’s toe. But what a ‘bunion’ it is — this is an area of dramatic cliffs shearing down to dreamboat sandy beaches, darling towns like Tropea, where the narrow streets slalom past ancient palazzi before finishing abruptly at the cliff edge, and unspoiled villages such as Pizzo, home of Italy’s double-layered ice cream dessert, the tartufo. Villa Paola is an elegant grande dame in Tropea, meticulously crafted from a 16th-century convent and with a spectacular pool with sea views. From £250, B&B.”"