pizzo
 
Following the railway or the SS18, you might want to spend some time in the picturesque little town of PIZZO , neatly placed for the beaches around Tropea and site of a small castle (daily: summer 9am-1pm & 5-10pm, winter 9am-1pm & 3-7pm; free) overlooking the sea just off the main Piazza della Repubblica. Built in 1486 by Ferdinand I of Aragon, it holds the room in which the French general Murat was imprisoned, with some of his personal effects and copies of the last letters he wrote, and the terrace where he was shot in October 1815. Murat, Napoleon's brother-in-law and one of his ablest generals, met his ignominious end here after attempting to rouse the people against the Bourbons to reclaim the throne of Naples given to him by Napoleon; the people of Pizzo ignored his haughty entreaties, and he was arrested and court-martialled.

A couple of kilometres north of the centre, you might drop in on the Chiesetta di Piedigrotta (daily 9am-1pm & 3-7.30pm), a curious rock-hewn church by a sandy beach, signposted off the coastal SS22. Created in the seventeenth century by Neapolitan sailors rescued from a shipwreck, the church was later enlarged and its interior festooned with eccentric statuary depicting episodes from the Bible. Most of this was the work of a local father-and-son team, and it was augmented by another scion of the family in 1969, who restored the works and contributed some of his own, including a quirky scene showing Fidel Castro kneeling before Pope John XXIII and President Kennedy. You can see some of the inside through the windows if the church is closed.

Pizzo has a Pro Loco tourist information office which doubles as an insurance agency (or visa versa), located under the arches at the bottom of Piazza della Repubblica (Mon-Sat: summer 9am-1pm & 5-9pm; winter 9am-1pm; tel 0963.531.310). There's a comfortable place to stay in Pizzo, right on the main square, the Hotel Murat , with good views over the coast from some rooms (tel 0963.534.201; L150,000-200,000/¬77.47-103.29); alternatively, there's the rather characterless Sonia , right by the Chiesetta di Piedigrotta on Via Prangi (tel 0963.531.315; L60,000-90,000/¬30.99-46.48), which requires at least half-board in August. If you have transport, you might consider a first-rate agriturismo further north on the main road out of town (200m before the Agip station), A Casa Janca (tel 0963.264364; L200,000-250,000/¬103.29-129.11), where full-board weighs in at an extra L150,000/C77.50 per person per night. Furnished in traditional rustic style, the place is locally renowned for its restaurant , where non-guests can also dine. Other places to eat in the centre of town include a good trattoria under the arcade in Piazza della Repubblica, Il Porticato (closed Wed), or walk down to the port area for a range of seafood restaurants, one of them, La Nave (closed Wed), in the form of a ship. Between April and July sample the tuna or swordfish , for which Pizzo is a fishing centre. Make sure you also sample the famous local ice cream , though you can also find gelato di Pizzo in bars and restaurants up and down the coast.