The presence of archeological finds testify human takeovers from Paleolitico.

The ancient populations, the Enotri, the Morgeti and the Italian ones, were colonized from the Greeks between the VIII and the VII cent. b.C..

Later on, they will be the Roman to occupy all the Calabria and, later, with the end dell' Roman Empire, the region will be victim of continuous invasions from part of the Bizantini and the Longobardi.

Tropea, under Byzantine sovereignty, was influenced enormously from this civilization.

Example of this infuence was the fact that the Byzantine ritual remained in use and people constructed a church outside the city, S. Maria of the Latins.

While in Calabria the dominations of various people (the Normann, the Angioini, the Aragoneses and the Spanish), Tropea maintained just the Federal property.

In the course of the history, there were many attempts to conquer Tropea, all failed thanks to the strong opposition of the population.

The earthquake of 1783 and the consequent epidemics, strongly carried the city towards one economic crisis while, during the period Napoleonico, Tropea it acquired great military importance.