Calabria · Crotone
Caccuri
A 646-meter Presila borgo dominated by a sixth-century Byzantine castle with a cylindrical tower built in 1882, birthplace of Renaissance statesman Cicco Simonetta.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Caccuri is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia.
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Visiting
- Best time
- May–Oct
- By car
- 3 h 56 min from Salerno
- Population
- 1,517
- J10°
- F12°
- M13°
- A16°
- M21°
- J27°
- J30°
- A29°
- S25°
- O21°
- N16°
- D12°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Caccuri sits at 646 meters in the Presila, the eastern foothills of the Sila, on a rocky spur surrounded by olive groves. The Byzantines built the castle in the sixth century as a lookout to control the Neto valley below; the structure has been remodeled many times since, becoming a ducal palace under the Cavalcanti, the Spinelli, and finally the Barracco. The cylindrical Mastrigli Tower on the ravelin, designed by Roman architect Adolfo Mastrigli and finished in 1882, has become the symbol of the town and appears on its coat of arms.
Cicco Simonetta, secretary to Francesco Sforza of Milan and a key Renaissance statesman, was born here in the early fifteenth century. Every August from the 6th to the 10th the village hosts the Premio Letterario di Caccuri, an Italian essay prize that brings writers and intellectuals to the medieval streets. The sacred Holy Week drama I Giudei is staged roughly every seven years; the last performance was in 2011.
How to get there
From Lamezia Terme (SUF), about 2 h 2 min by car.
Naples (NAP) is about 4 h 40 min away.
By car from the center of Salerno 3 h 56 min, Bari 4 h 38 min or Naples 4 h 40 min.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Castello di Caccuri
Sixth-century Byzantine fortress remodeled as a ducal palace by the Cavalcanti, Spinelli and Barracco families, on a rocky spur above the village.
Torre Mastrigli
Cylindrical tower on the castle ravelin, designed by Adolfo Mastrigli and completed in 1882, now the symbol of Caccuri and its coat of arms.
Centro storico medievale
Network of stone streets and alleys converging toward the castle, preserved largely intact from the medieval layout.
Chiesa Madre
Mother church of the village, holding the religious traditions of the Holy Week sacred drama I Giudei.
Living here
Could you live here?
Caccuri is at the end of the road.
- A village of 1,517. The nearest town of 5,000 people, San Giovanni in Fiore, is 25 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Crotone, a city of 58,372, is 39 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 1,517, down 7.8% since 2015
- Nearest city Crotone, 39 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital San Giovanni in Fiore, 12 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €380 to €530 per m² to buy, €1.10 to €1.60 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy: none mapped
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 95% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Crotone airport (CRV), 55 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Catanzaro, 1 h 33 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
3% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Morocco, Romania and Albania, against 9% across Italy. There are 240 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 48% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Crotone province ranks 105th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in San Giovanni in Fiore, 12 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Catanzaro, 41 km away. The nearest IB school is Gonzaga International School Palermo, 322 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is International School of Brindisi, 183 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Calabria spends about €1,620 a month, €590 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €398 a year for water, on the Calabria average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone D, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 1 to April 15, up to 12 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 9% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods. 8% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Thermal baths in town: Vasche di fanghi termali Bruciarello.
Known for
CASTELLO
Sixth-century Byzantine fortress with the 1882 Mastrigli Tower on its ravelin, the symbol of the commune.
PREMIO LETTERARIO
National Italian essay prize held every year from 6 to 10 August in the medieval centro storico, drawing writers and critics.
CICCO SIMONETTA
Renaissance statesman, secretary to Francesco Sforza of Milan, born in Caccuri in the early fifteenth century.
PECORINO CROTONESE
The commune lies inside the Pecorino Crotonese DOP production zone.
Common questions
- What is Caccuri known for?
- Caccuri is a 646-meter Presila borgo dominated by a sixth-century Byzantine castle with a cylindrical tower built in 1882, birthplace of Renaissance statesman Cicco Simonetta.
- Where is Caccuri?
- Caccuri is a comune in the province of Crotone, in Calabria, at 646 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Caccuri?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Crotone (CRV), about 55 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Salerno to Caccuri?
- About 3 h 56 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Caccuri?
- Best in May–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 13 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Caccuri?
- Serrastretta, Bleggio Superiore and San Pancrazio.
- How many people live in Caccuri?
- 1,517 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Caccuri a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Caccuri is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, San Giovanni in Fiore, is 25 min away. The nearest city, Crotone, is 39 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in San Giovanni in Fiore, 12 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 95% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 646 m
- Population: 1,517
- Surface area: 61.38 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Caccuri appears in
Similar
Towns like Caccuri
What all six share with Caccuri: mountain-valley towns · under 3,000 people · high up, between 600 and 1,000 metres
The letter
Read a sample letter
Chioggia | Everyone is wrong about this town
It’s not an alternative to Venice
Letters from the towns we visit. Free.
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.