Gizzeria

Gizzeria sits on the Micatundo hill at 600 meters, above the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia in the northern Catanzaro province. The village, known in Arbëreshë Albanian as Jacarise, was founded between 1448 and 1450 by Albanian troops led by Demetrio Reres, sent by Skanderbeg to help the Kingdom of Naples retake Calabria; they were granted land here and stayed. The Arbëreshë linguistic minority is protected by Italian law 482 of 1999, and is still spoken in some households.

The commune drops from the hill village down to a coastal frazione called Gizzeria Lido, where Lago La Vota, a brackish lagoon system of about 235 hectares, separates the beach from the agricultural plain. The thermal winds across the Tyrrhenian have made Gizzeria Lido the most famous kitesurf spot in Calabria; the European championships have been held here. The upper village holds the church, the older houses and the Arbëreshë memory; the lower frazione holds the beach economy.

From Lamezia / Reggio (SUF), about 29 minutes by car.

Naples / Salerno (NAP) is about 4h 19m away.

By car from the centre of Salerno 3h 35m, Bari 4h 17m or Naples 4h 19m.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Every town within reach of Lamezia / Reggio airport.