The idea of visiting Pizzo Calabria wasn’t on my radar initially. I wanted to add another destination to our three-week visit to Italy, and Fede’s desire to visit a seaside place for his birthday was what sealed that.
Of course, l quickly ruled out expensive places like Capri and the rest of the Amalfi Coast. Calabria sounded interesting, and a part of Italy l had never visited, so l researched and eventually picked Pizzo. We landed in Rome initially as you probably guessed from the postcard. Safe to say that we thoroughly enjoyed that visit and l will write about it in the future.
Visiting Pizzo Calabria, Italy
The weather has been hot, hot, hot, here in Spain since we’ve been back. It was in Italy as well. This seems to be a common complaint everywhere. It’s insane that London is way hotter than in Spain, and Lagos in Nigeria has been way cooler than those two places. I know summer is usually so, but l think this is the hottest it’s been in Valencia since we moved here. Every year seems to get worse. I guess that’s why Fall is my favorite season.
I am not a beach person at all, but l sacrificed myself :-), and so we spent an idyllic week in Pizzo Calabria, doing nothing but going to the beach and eating loads of pasta. I actually came to enjoy it, and it was a nice change of pace.
Most of our holidays tend to be more cultural excursions, something that l prefer. Despite the fact that we are a mere 10-minute car ride or 20-minute bus ride to the beach from home, we hardly ever go, and he hates going by himself. Here is a visitors’ guide to Pizzo Calabria.
Where is Pizzo Calabria in Italy?
Pizzo Calabria is a quaint little town located in the Province of Vibo Valentia (pronounced Valencia) in the Calabria region with a population of about 9500. The area occupies the “toe” of Italy’s boot shape.
Mountain ranges, lovely beaches, and a more chilled vibe than in the rest of Italy. Sort of like the Andalucia region of Spain, right down to the area having the highest unemployment rate in the country. Some of the more famous seaside destination places in Calabria include Tropea, Scalea, Reggio Calabria and Diamante.
How to get to Pizzo Calabro?
Pizzo by Air:
The Lamezia Terme and the Reggio Calabria airporst are the closest to Pizzo. The low-cost airlines fly there from other European cities. Coming from outside Europe, your best bet would be a flight to a hub such as Rome, or Naples and then a train.
Pizzo by train:
The Vibo Valentina train station is the stop when coming from Rome Termini (where we departed from). The journey time from Roma Termini to Pizzo was about five hours and it was quite pleasant. There are several trains throughout the day and they are very modern. Once at the train station, we were picked up by our Airbnb host for the ten-minute or so ride to Pizzo Centro.
Pizzo by car:
This is one part l would have done differently. I think the right thing to have done was to rent a car in nearby Tropea (about 30 minutes from Pizzo). There are no car rental agencies there, and so we were at the mercy of Tuk-tuk drivers. There are no cabs either. Renting a car would have made it easier to discover other nearby villages, so we were locked into Pizzo historical district which is small, though cute.
Where to stay in Pizzo Calabria:
There are lovely bed and breakfast places to stay in Pizzo. You can find one that suits your needs. Book early since these seaside areas are very popular in the summertime. We stayed at an Airbnb with a really stunning view of the sea. Be warned that it is way high up though on one of those tiny little streets that are common throughout Europe.
What to keep in mind about visiting Pizzo Calabro:
If you have mobility problems, you might want to stay in the newer part of the town. Pizzo Centro is hilly…very hilly, tiny little cobblestone streets. Getting to the beach required walking down with your knees buckling. Going back up after being at the beach for hours was almost worse :-). I think l had a heart attack the first day, but l wouldn’t give those drivers €5 to go down and another €5 to come back up :-).
Renting a car doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t have to climb stairs since most of the parking spots are down below the center unless you get lucky. You could always have someone drop you off, and then they can go park the car :-).
Pizzo and Italian history:
Joachim Murat:
Pizzo was the final stop for Joachim Murat, a French military commander, and the former King of Naples who ruled from 1808 – 1815. He was arrested upon landing in Pizzo by the forces of King Ferdinand of Naples and imprisoned in what is now known as Murat Castle for six days before the tribunal sentenced him to death by firing squad after being branded a traitor (siding with Napoleon and waging war against the Austrians).
Joachim was married to Napoleon’s sister so l suppose self-preservation was important for this supposedly vain man. His final wish was to have a bath in perfumed water and that his eyes should not be bandaged. Twelve of his soldiers were selected to execute him and he begged them to aim for his heart, not his face. There is a small museum in the castle about his short stay there.
Tartufo:
Pizzo is also famous for the origination of the dessert called Tartufo (truffles in English). Tartufo is made from two or more flavors of gelato that are hand rolled into a ball and often have melted chocolate (the original) or fruit syrup (strawberry, cherry, etc) on the inside, it is then coated with chocolate, cocoa, or cinnamon, and then flash frozen. Something that will induce a diabetic coma for sure :-). We skipped this and stuck with gelato, but it seemed very popular with other tourists.
Chiesetta di Piedigrotta: Stone church by the beach
The Chiesetta di Piedigrotta is another famous attraction of Pizzo. This 17th-century “church” built in a cave is one of the most popular attractions in Calabria. Stone carvings of religious scenes and saints adorn the caves. Too claustrophobic for me to enjoy.
Where to eat in Pizzo:
Would you believe that Pizzo has a Michelin star restaurant? neither did we. Even though we didn’t eat there, we certainly ate a lot of good food at some of the more than 40 restaurants sprinkled about the plaza Republica and the little side streets. We indulged in a lot of seafood and pasta, and gelato. It made me feel less guilty because we walked up and down a lot :-), so the calories won’t stick:-).
Thoughts on Pizzo:
Often overlooked in favor of bigger seaside destinations such as Tropea and Scalea, Pizzo is a nice place to spend a few days relaxing and enjoying the sun. The plaza comes alive at night and the restaurants are full of both locals and tourists enjoying the atmosphere and the stunning views from the top.
While my first choice would not have been a beach destination, it wasn’t as bad as l had feared. I hardly got to read my novel as l was in the water floating or just sitting as much as possible watching the tiny little fish swim around me. Federico enjoyed himself thoroughly.
Pizzo is a more budget-friendly place to other places like Capri, and of course, there is no comparison to overpriced attractions such as Positano. Mind you, the prices are not low by any means but compared to the other places, still a bargain.
The Calabria region looks really lovely to me, and l would definitely go back to discover other areas. I recommend a visit when considering beachside places that are less frenzied.
Pin for future reference:
Have you been to Calabria? If yes, what was your impression?
Great post, Kemkem!! I’ve been wanting to visit southern Italy, and this post has really motivated me to see it. Thank you!
Thanks Carla! I was really impressed, and since you like the Andalucia area, I think this would be right up your alley :-). Thanks for reading.
Hi Kem, thanks for offering an alternative to Positano. We spent a day there while on a cruise and have always wanted to go back, but it is soooo expensive. It is nice to know there are affordable options. And, it looks charming. I’m glad you ‘sucked it up’ for Federico and took a beach vacation! 🙂 Pinned for reference.
Hi Suzanne, this is definitely a much more budget-friendly version, and l daresay almost as pretty. Very charming indeed, and since you love the beach, you would enjoy it very much. I was surprised l liked it that much as my vision prior was not very good. I thought it would be torture. Now, I am more willing to do it again :-), much to his surprise…hahah!
Never heard of Pizza but as we’re beach lovers, we’d probably love it there, too. Your pasta photos made me drool!
You would love it then for sure since you adore the beach. There are so many, many pretty places like that all along the coast. I was just surprised that l enjoyed the beach that much. The food was fantastic, and the prices made it even better, especially after Rome.