Calabria · Crotone
Isola di Capo Rizzuto
A promontory on the Ionian coast wrapped by Italy's largest marine reserve, with an Aragonese castle standing on a rock offshore.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Isola di Capo Rizzuto is on our list
It holds Bandiera Blu.
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Visiting
- Best time
- May–Sep
- Airport
- In the comune (CRV)
- Population
- 18,392
- J14°
- F14°
- M15°
- A17°
- M22°
- J27°
- J31°
- A31°
- S27°
- O23°
- N19°
- D15°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 29° and coldest in February at 14°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Going to the sea? How to find the free beaches in Italy.
Why come
Isola di Capo Rizzuto is a promontory in the province of Crotone; despite the name, it has been joined to the mainland for centuries. The commune's population, around 18,000, spreads across more than fifteen frazioni, most set back from the cliffs on a flat agricultural plateau planted with olives and grain. Le Castella is one of these frazioni, the one built around the castle on its islet, and it draws the eye that the inland villages do not.
The sea is administered as the Area Marina Protetta Capo Rizzuto, stretching across both Isola and neighboring Crotone, its zones running along the Costa dei Saraceni from the cliffs at Capo Cimiti down to Praialonga. The Saracen towers built along this same stretch, Torre Vecchia, Torre Scifo, Torre Marinella, mark the headlands where the coast was once watched for raids, a line of defense that runs parallel to the modern line of protected water. Inland farming, a fortified shoreline, and a marine reserve now share the same short stretch of coast: the plateau feeds the towns, the towers still stand as their old lookout, and the sea in front of them is protected rather than patrolled.
How to get there
Isola di Capo Rizzuto has its own airport (CRV).
From Lamezia Terme (SUF), about 1 h 24 min by car.
Bari (BRI) is about 4 h 48 min away.
By car from the center of Salerno 4 h 37 min, Bari 4 h 42 min or Naples 5 h 20 min.
Every town within reach of Lamezia Terme airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Castello Aragonese di Le Castella
The fortress sits apart from the coast on its own islet, reached by the sandbar underfoot; the walls close around a small courtyard, and the sea shows on every side.
Area Marina Protetta Capo Rizzuto
Divers enter the integral zones under license, where the water is clearest and the rules strictest; the fishermen who work the general zones nearby operate under the same protected status.
Spiagge della Costa dei Saraceni
Fine sand alternates with red cliffs along Capo Cimiti, Capo Bianco and Praialonga, the color of the rock changing the water's tone from one cove to the next.
Torri saracene
Torre Vecchia, Torre Scifo and Torre Marinella still stand on the headlands they were built to watch, spaced along the shore to pass warning of Ottoman and Barbary raids from one tower to the next.
Santuario di Santa Maria Greca
Sanctuary in the historic center dedicated to the patron of the commune, with a wooden statue venerated since the Byzantine era.
From the guides
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
RurisRistorante
Ruris has a spot in the Michelin Guide to its name.
Praia Art ResortHotel
Praia Art Resort holds a place in the Michelin hotel guide.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Isola di Capo Rizzuto meets our one rule for a small town.
- 18,392 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Crotone, a city of 58,372, is 22 min by car. Closer than our 30 to 60 minutes: handy for everything, so check the town still keeps a life of its own.
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 18,392, up 5.5% since 2015
- Nearest city Crotone, 22 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Crotone, 15 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €500 to €720 per m² to buy, €2.10 to €3.10 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Commuter belt
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 98% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Crotone airport (CRV), 7 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Catanzaro, 55 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
14% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Pakistan and Morocco, against 9% across Italy. 14 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe. There are 98 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 40% 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 Crotone, 15 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Catanzaro, 42 km away. The nearest IB school is Gonzaga International School Palermo, 338 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is International School of Brindisi, 198 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 0.96% 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, with nothing due on income under €10,000. 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 C, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 15 to March 31, up to 10 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 9% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 10% in a high or medium one. They show no residents in a high landslide zone.
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.
Known for
LE CASTELLA
Aragonese castle on a rocky islet joined to the mainland by a sandbar, the most photographed point on the Ionian coast.
MARINE RESERVE
15,000 hectares of protected sea since 1991, divided into integral, general and partial zones along the Costa dei Saraceni.
BANDIERA BLU
Long-running Blue Flag status for the beaches at Capo Rizzuto, Le Castella and Praialonga.
PECORINO CROTONESE
The commune lies inside the Pecorino Crotonese DOP production zone.
Common questions
- What is Isola di Capo Rizzuto known for?
- Isola di Capo Rizzuto is a promontory on the Ionian coast wrapped by Italy's largest marine reserve, with an Aragonese castle standing on a rock offshore.
- Where is Isola di Capo Rizzuto?
- Isola di Capo Rizzuto is a comune in the province of Crotone, in Calabria, at 90 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Isola di Capo Rizzuto?
- There is an airport in the comune (CRV).
- How long is the drive from Salerno to Isola di Capo Rizzuto?
- About 4 h 37 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Isola di Capo Rizzuto?
- Best in May–Sep. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 10 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Isola di Capo Rizzuto?
- Policoro, Bernalda and Vico Equense.
- How many people live in Isola di Capo Rizzuto?
- 18,392 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Isola di Capo Rizzuto a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Isola di Capo Rizzuto is a small town that meets our one rule. The nearest city, Crotone, is 22 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Crotone, 15 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 98% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 90 m
- Population: 18,392
- Surface area: 126.65 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 Isola di Capo Rizzuto appears in
- The 7 best towns with a serious restaurant in CalabriaCalabriaserious restaurant7 towns · smallest 4,037 residents
- The 8 best coastal towns that eat well in CalabriaCalabriacoastaleats well8 towns · smallest 1,993 residents
- 10 small towns in Italy where everyday life is a walkLiguriaeveryday life on foot5,000 to 20,000 people10 towns · smallest 5,050 residents
Similar
Towns like Isola di Capo Rizzuto
What all six share with Isola di Capo Rizzuto: over 10,000 people · near sea level
Policoro
Province: Matera
both on the Ionian coast
Bernalda
Province: Matera
both on the Ionian coast
Vico Equense
Province: Napoli
both on the coast
- Written about. No. 28.
Sestri Levante
Province: Genova
both on the coast
Minturno
Province: Latina
both on the coast
Grottammare
Province: Ascoli Piceno
both on the coast
The letter
Isola di Capo Rizzuto is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter: the photo, what is worth eating, and when to turn up. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Isola di Capo Rizzuto comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Cerveteri, 540 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.