Arriving into Lamezia Terme airport, ravenous, at 9pm and with an hour or more drive ahead of us, there is only one place to which we are headed and it is not our apartment. Pintchurrio accepts patrons until 10:30-11pm 364 days a year and the quality does not dip, no matter what time of the evening (or year) you arrive.

On being seated we immediately ordered 3 Morretti alla spina - beer on tap is not so common in Calaria and always tastes better - which helped us to unwind after our flight. The surroundings at Pintchurrio also help our relaxation, being seated al fresco, in between several buildings with paintings adorning their exterior walls, and with the stars and night sky as a ceiling; simply beautiful.

We ordered a house pizza, an onion frittata, rocket salad, aubergine Parmigiana (still the best I have ever tasted) and wolved down the lot between us. This is what we had been waiting for! Simple fare, but well executed and full of flavour, the food was as good as always; we are relatively regular visitors to Pintchurrio and the quality is just as regular. The service is also superb, with the feeling that you are part of the family each time you visit, whether each occasion is every 3-6 months or it's your first visit.

There are seemingly endless places to eat in Tropea and even more in Calabria itself, but I want to reiterate how important it is that you visit Pintchurrio if you are ever near Tropea. You will not be disappointed.