Calabria · Vibo Valentia
Pizzo
A tuff-cliff town over the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia, where a king was shot in 1815 and the tartufo gelato was invented a century later.
Known for
TARTUFO DI PIZZO
Hand-moulded hazelnut and chocolate gelato with a molten heart, IGP since 2007, the first gelato in Europe to earn the mark.
MURAT'S CASTLE
Joachim Murat, former King of Naples, was tried and shot here on 13 October 1815 after trying to retake his throne.
CHIESA DI PIEDIGROTTA
Seventeenth-century cave church carved into the tuff cliff, filled with life-size tufa figures of biblical scenes.
CIPOLLA ROSSA DI TROPEA CALABRIA
The commune lies inside the Cipolla Rossa di Tropea Calabria IGP production zone.
When to visit
Best · May–Sep
- J14°
- F14°
- M15°
- A18°
- M22°
- J26°
- J29°
- A30°
- S27°
- O23°
- N19°
- D15°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 29° and coldest in February at 15°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Pizzo sits on a tuff promontory rising about 70 meters above the Tyrrhenian, at the northern end of the Costa degli Dei. The town's name for its own fortress, Castello Aragonese, has largely given way to Castello Murat, after the brother-in-law of Napoleon who landed here in October 1815 hoping to retake the throne of Naples, was captured by townspeople, and was court-martialled in the building he is now remembered by. The tartufo gelato has a separate history entirely: developed by local gelato-makers in the twentieth century, hand-moulded into a hemisphere with a molten chocolate centre and dusted with cocoa, it earned IGP status in 2007, the first gelato in Europe to do so.
Two unrelated claims to fame, a captured king and a dessert, meet on summer evenings in the cliff-edge piazza where the town still gathers. Pizzo's identity rests on that pairing: a fortress town that turned a moment of political violence and a piece of confectionery into the same civic memory.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Pizzo’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
How to get there
From Lamezia / Reggio (SUF), about 27 minutes by car.
Naples / Salerno (NAP) is about 4h 25m away.
By car from the centre of Salerno 3h 42m, Bari 4h 23m or Naples 4h 25m.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming by train into Reggio Calabria Centrale? Pizzo is about 1h 15m away by road.
What to see
Castello Aragonese (Murat)
Fifteenth-century fortress on the headland, its main hall preserved as the room where Joachim Murat's court-martial and execution took place, now a museum to the Napoleonic king.
Chiesa di Piedigrotta
Set into the cliff north of town, reached through low tufa passages that open into chambers where the carved figures stand at full height, worn smooth in places by damp and time.
Piazza della Repubblica
Cliff-edge piazza with cafés and gelaterie, the social centre of the town and the place to eat tartufo in summer.
Chiesa Matrice di San Giorgio
Sixteenth-century mother church, holds the tomb of Joachim Murat in a side chapel.
Spiaggia della Marinella
Main town beach below the cliff, with views back up to the castle and the promontory above.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Pizzo fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
Where to eat
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.
Locanda ToscanoRistorante
Locanda Toscano carries one Gambero Rosso fork (76/100), plus a spot in the Michelin Guide.
San Domenico RistoranteRistorante
One Gambero Rosso fork (78/100), at San Domenico Ristorante.
Signature dish
Tartufo di PizzoSweet
A hand-formed ice-cream ball with a molten chocolate heart, invented in Pizzo and copied all along the coast.
See every town in our catalogue with a dish of its own.
Through the year
What happens here
Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.
Sagra del Tonnofood festival
usually held in September. LaC News24 — LaCalabriavisione Eventi
Living here
- Population 8,766
- Commuter belti
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Lamezia / Reggio, 27 min drive
- Regional capital Catanzaro, 43 min drive
Common questions
- What is Pizzo known for?
- Pizzo is a tuff-cliff town over the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia, where a king was shot in 1815 and the tartufo gelato was invented a century later.
- Where is Pizzo?
- Pizzo is a comune in the province of Vibo Valentia, in Calabria, at 44 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Pizzo?
- Lamezia / Reggio (SUF), about 27 minutes by car.
- Can you get to Pizzo without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Salerno to Pizzo?
- About 3h 42m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Pizzo?
- Best in May–Sep. August is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and January the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Pizzo?
- Yes. Sagra del Tonno. September is when the first of them falls.
- Which other towns are like Pizzo?
- Vietri sul Mare, Bagnara Calabra and Praia a Mare.
- How many people live in Pizzo?
- 8,766 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 44 m
- Population: 8,766
- Surface area: 22.89 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.
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