Pizzo Between Sea Views, History and Tartufo
Accommodation in Pizzo
Pizzo between the sea, a tuff promontory and a historic centre
Pizzo lies on a tuff promontory above the golden Tyrrhenian beaches of the Costa degli Dei. The Cammino Kalabria Coast to Coast leads to Pizzo. The Cammino Kalabria Coast to Coast adds a specific connection to a hiking route to the coastal setting. For orientation, the elevated town centre and the coastal section are two separate reference points.
File:Pizzo - Piazza della Republica - 4.jpg
Photo: Benjamin Smith via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
History in the castle, churches and museums of Pizzo
Murat Castle is an Aragonese castle associated with Joachim Murat’s imprisonment and execution in Pizzo. In the castle, the Museo provinciale Murattiano reconstructs the setting of the events that led to his death. The Chiesa Matrice di S. Giorgio Martire stands in the heart of Pizzo. It was built in the second half of the 16th century on the remains of an earlier chapel. The Chiesa Matrice is one of the historic buildings in the heart of Pizzo. In addition, the Museo del mare di Pizzo Forno houses a collection of more than 100,000 shells from around the world. The collection adds a maritime subject alongside the history of Joachim Murat.
Rock church, viewpoint and coastal views
The Church of Piedigrotta is carved into the rock on Pizzo’s coastal section and overlooks the Costa degli Dei Regional Marine Park. A small square in Pizzo’s historic centre is also a viewpoint with a sea view. Visiting both points connects a viewpoint in the centre with a structure on the coastal section.
Beaches, a spring and destinations in the surrounding region
Pizzo’s public beach has facilities, parking and refreshment options. Fontana Grande, a spring, is located nearby. Marina di Curinga is a beach in the surrounding area of Pizzo. The wider surrounding region also includes the beaches Spiaggia di Cafarone and Spiaggia di Marinella. As a spring, Fontana Grande is a different landscape feature from the beaches Marina di Curinga, Spiaggia di Cafarone and Spiaggia di Marinella.
There are also other cultural destinations around Pizzo: the Museo Archelogico Statale Vito Capialbi is a museum in the area surrounding Pizzo. Castello Normanno-Svevo is a castle in the area surrounding Pizzo; Palazzo Loffredo and Palazzo Bevilacqua are palaces in the area surrounding Pizzo. These destinations are located around Pizzo and complement the town’s buildings and museums on regional excursions.
Tartufo di Pizzo: shape, ice cream and a chocolate centre in Calabria
Tartufo di Pizzo is a handmade, hemispherical ice cream with a centre of melted dark chocolate.
More destinations for your trip to Italy
If you would like to include Pizzo in a longer journey through Calabria, you can also keep Capistrano, Simbario, Nicotera Marina, Vallelonga, Zaccanopoli, Ciaramiti, Spilinga and Serra San Bruno in mind as additional travel destinations.
For the higher-level travel overview: Vibo Valentia.
