Pizzo Guide
/Pizzo in Calabria |
Pizzo is one of Calabria's prettiest towns, with elegant palazzi perched precariously on a steep cliff overlooking the ocean and a charming centro storicothat is a tiny tangle of pastel-painted houses, narrow lanes and steep stairs reminiscent of Positano. Known locally as 'u Pizzu', this alluring coastal town on the Tyrrhenian Sea is a delight to explore.
INTRODUCTION:
Today, Pizzo has about 9,000 inhabitants, called Napitani or Pizzitani, and stretches out for about 10 km along the coast with different beach sections. This fisher village is home for 10 churches and around 15 gelaterie which are all selling the famous tartufo ice cream invented in Pizzo to honour the visit of Prince Umberto I of Savoy in 1943. The different quarters of Pizzo are Centro Storico (the old town 50 meter above sea level), La Marina (beach area of the old town), Nazionale (busy modern area along the National Street), Piedigrotta (residential area near the church of same name) and further north La Marinella (a residential zone). In the last years, some real estate development for vacationer mushroomed towards the airport (Pizzo Beach Club) and behind la Strada Nazionale (Borgonuovo, Fioribello and Napita Hills). However, Pizzo with just one hotel in the centro storico is less touristy than Tropea. But luckily Pizzo is a village were locals live and work all year round, which makes it a much livelier place during winter than its 'rival' further South. (photo: Pizzo by S Crosetto)
HOW TO GET THERE:
Lamezia Terme (SUF) international airport is connected with around 40 destinations in 12 countries via Alitalia, Air Italy, Ryanair, Monarch, Air Berlin, Easyjet, Germanwings, KLM, Air France, Helvetic Airways and others from spring to autumn. There are as well daily flights from Milan and Rome all year round. It is about one hour flight from Rome, 2h from Munich and 3h from London. From Lamezia's international airport to Pizzo centro it is only 20-30 min drive (about 25 km). The next airport would be Reggio Calabria (app. 130 km to Pizzo).
By TRAIN: Pizzo has two train stations; one is "Pizzo" at the end of Pizzo Marina (about 30 min walk from the residence) and served by local trains to and from Lamezia Terme, Tropea, Gioia Tauro, and Reggio Calabria. During summer, it is also served by larger trains from Rome and other Northern cities. The second station is "Vibo Valentia - Pizzo" on the Tyrrhenian line. It is a few km up the hills between Pizzo and Vibo Marina. Eurostar, Intercity and overnight trains stop here coming from Naples, Rome, Florence, Turin, Milan, Venice and other Northern cities, as well as from towns in Calabria and Sicily. For more information, visit TrenItalia’s website. Calculate about 5h train ride from Rome. We can organise pick-up service from both stations.
BY CAR:
From North: Highway A3 Salerno – Reggio Calabria, exit Pizzo. Then, follow the direction to Pizzo on SS 18. When arriving in the old town, there is a T-junction behind a church with a white dome. Turn right into SS 522 direction Vibo Marina. For the centro storico, follow the street for about 600 m. Before the bridge with the tunnel turn left into the Piazza della Repubblica. (The entrance is not allowed after 6pm without residence permit). Calculate an about 4h drive from Naples.
From South: Highway A3 Reggio Calabria - Salerno, exit Vibo Valentia - Sant’Onofrio. Then, follow the direction SS 18 until the city centre. - We will provide further details with your booking.
(photo: Harbour Project Pizzo via P.Pitt - project on hold)
And then come back to one of the bars for another tartufo tasting.
If you want to discover more and plan some day trips out of Pizzo, check out my list with "Places of Interest", or read my posts about Things to do in Pizzo and everything else I have ever written about Pizzo Calabro. Note: as our guest you will receive our little guidebook for Pizzo via email.
A great summary of all beaches of the Costa degli Dei in German language, DEUTSCH: Eine sehr gute und fast lueckenlose Beschreibung aller Straende der kalabresischen Kueste der Goetter (Costa degli Dei) finden Sie hier:
(photo: Ape Taxi Service by S Crosetto)
The tomatoes taste better here in the South (during summer) than anywhere else in the world, and so do the peaches, the mozzarella cheese and all local produces. The region is famous for it's tuna (tonno) and swordfish (pesce sparda), as well as for it's sweet red onion (cipolla di Tropea), and it's intensive green olive oil (olio d'oliva). After all, most famous in Pizzo is a special ice cream creation invented in this village to honour the visit of Prince Umberto I of Savoy in 1943: il tartufo - it's a must (you can share one)! There are around 15 gelaterie in Pizzo, each with its own secret recipe.(photo: onions from Tropea with tomato and chili by S Crosetto)
Il Brigantino, just a stone throw from the main piazza up the Corso Garibaldi a tiny trattoria with few chairs on the corso offers a mall selection of salads, panini and pastas, served by a young and charming couple. Newly opened and popular among locals. $
La Degusteria on the way to Maierato/S.Onofrio (some km after "Go" restaurant), offers great local dishes. Nice for a change but car needed. $
Palazzo Pizzo on Facebook
Further information can be found on the blog about Pizzo and Pizzo Calabro.
(photo: Paradiso del Sub beach near Zambrone station by S Crosetto)
LITTLE GUIDEBOOK for Palazzo Pizzo Residence
We will update our guidebook continuously and with further guests' recommendations throughout the year.
- updated summer 2014 -
photo source: S. Crosetto for Palazzo Pizzo copyright 2006-2014
Calabria
/Italy map with Calabria |
Between the Amalfi Coast, Basilicata and Sicily, you will come through Calabria. Calabria is surrounded by two seas, the the Tyrrhenian Sea (in the West) and the Ionian Sea (in the East). It has 741 Km of coastline.
If you are driving from Amalfi to Sicily, or taking the train, after about two third of the journey, you will reach the beautiful Costa degli Dei, the Coast of Gods. In a distance you will see a picturesque little town on a cliff. This is Pizzo Calabro, or Pizzo di Calabria, or just PIZZO. Take a rest here and discover an old fisher village with some historic background. Pizzo is an ideal base to discover la bella Calabria in day trips. For exploring the hinterland of Calabria a car is recommended. The railway only goes along the Tyrrhenian coast line.
Blog posts I wrote about Calabria:
Places:
Pizzo Calabro on youtube - Selected videos
Daytrip to Scilla
A Fish from Seminara
Arriving in Lamezia
Places of interest and Day Trips
Seasons:
Pizzo Calabro Spring Impressions
September: Summer is over for Italians
Winter in Calabria
Best time to visit Calabria (to do)
Artists in Calabria:
A Fish from Seminara
Calabria throug the eye of an artist
My Calabria Favorites on flickr
What else to read:
Cool travel guide about Calabria
Reviewing the guidebook: Travellers in Calabria
A great Guidbook about Calabria
Successful fellow blogger in Calabria
Calabria and travelling back in time
Calabria in the early 90ies
The clock of the South
coming next:
Wheather Chart
Map
Airports in Southern Italy
This page will be updated from time to time with new info, so bookmark or link to it and visit again. Thank you!
Region Map of Italy (click to enlarge) |
10 Steps to improve your Vacation Rental's Ranking online
/Some websites offer you to pay for a better ranking with annual subscriptions (homeaway) or a temporary "hot deal" advertisement (Holidaylettings). However, you do not need to pay extra money for a better exposure, if you follow some simple steps.
You do not need to pay extra money for better exposure.
Think of Google's search engine. There is an algorithm that makes some webpages to be listed earlier than others. And you do not pay for being on top. (Unless you do and are marked as advertisement). But of course it requires good content and continuancy to become seen and clicked often before the system recognises the importance of your site and gives you a better ranking. It works similar for holiday rentals on holiday rental platforms. The more bookings and good reviews you have the more likely you are on top. But how to get there? Here are some recommendations, 10 steps, that all owners, host and vacation rental manger know:
1) Download the apps to your mobile phone to answer faster
Every vacation rental website has an app that you can download to your smart phone or tablet. An enquiry for your vacation rental will instantly appear on your screen, and you can answer directly. Although some websites allow 24h for your answer, I am sure, you get a better "score" when you are faster. And with your phone you are faster, even when you check your emails several times a day. Statistics claim, if you answer in less then 6 hours your chances to get the booking is higher. Most travelers ask more than one rental at the same time. Actually the websites encourage them to do so. Right after they sent you an enquiry the websites propose other properties. This is because they don't want to loose a potential customer in case one host reacts too slow. Answering faster improves your ranking, and of course if your fast answer has resulted into a booking, it's the best for your ranking.
2) Update your calendar regularly
Not only a potential guest can see that your calendar is up to date - but also the system recognises that you are active and therefore provides you with a better ranking (because you are more likely to attract a customer than someone who has not updated his/her calendar for months.) That means, click on the "update my calendar" button even when you do not have a new booking! It is easy and fast when you do it through the app mentioned above. And if your calendar is empty, block out some (not important or near) days and make it look like you have a booking. Who wants to rent a place where no one else goes? It builds up more confidence.
choose the best photos to advertise your vacation rental |
3) Upload maximum amount of photos - and nice photos
Most websites allow 24 photos, so upload 24 photos. As photos help selling. Those who have them are better off in the algorithm than others. (Some websites indicate your are not 100% done with your listing if you have not uploaded all photos). You do not have to take 24 photos solely of your bedroom, bathroom or view. Take photos of the neighborhood, the restaurant you would recommend, your favorite dish, the public transport station, the grocery shop etc. People who have to self-cater like to know how easy it is to get the daily groceries or if restaurants are in walking distance. Reduce the quality of the photos in order they can load faster. Apply for the free professional airbnb photo service to get better pictures (although they are loading slowly). If you do your own photos, use a slightly wider angle lens, and switch all lights on. Do some staging. This all leads to potential booking, or at least people revisit your listing and read further, book mark you, or add you to their wish list (airbnb) and come back later... which all leads to a better internal statistic of your listing and for sure is rewarded by the system with a better ranking result.
4) Aim for a good enquiry-booking ratio
treat your potential guest friendly, ask questions about their travel plans, answer promptly and give good advise even before the booking in order to find out if they are a good match for your rental and then to get their booking.
5) Avoid declining requests and cancellation of bookings
If your acceptance rate is low, your ranking will not get better. And it gets worse, when you cancel an already booked deal. Although you can indicate the reason for a cancellation (guest request) it might have an impact on the ranking result. (When you cancel twice in 6 month you even get punished with 50 Euro deduction from your next booking with Holiday Lettings). And it's complicated to explain to Airbnb customer service why you cancelled to avoid a downgrading. So just avoid cancellation. Or let the guest cancel if they wish.
6) Have rates for all year round and for at least 15 months ahead
People often search for specific dates and your property does not show up for those dates if you have not entered your rates. Make sure you have a default standard rate for this year and the year to come.
Not only the full and correct street name and house number but also the pin set in the right place on the map and make it available (not hide) for potential customers (house number might be protected as private though). Especially when you have a city rental, guest feel comfortable knowing in which street you are located, and when they know the house number as well they might be able to check the area virtually with Google Street View. Again, this leads to potential booking, or at least better statistic results for your listing which is rewarded with a better ranking result. Also consider a pin with Google Map and a link back to your listing. Or even your own website.
8) Good reviews
Make sure all goes smoothly during a guest's stay. Communicate well, solve problems quickly and with charm, invite them for a coffee if you feel or feel it's necessary, follow up after they checked-out if they arrived safe etc. If you are listed on Airbnb, check out the Airbnb Groups for hosts. The New Host Group is especially helpful. Read older posts to get familiar with things that could happen. And if something happens search their advise if not sure how to handle. Even if a guest writes a bad review, you can turn around the effect with your answer to a not so nice guest review. Some hosts answer to all reviews to not have a bad review (with your answer) stick out. However, the system might rank you down (depending on the overall ranking). If your guest have not written a review, you can remind them friendly, especially when you are new and need a couple of reviews to start off. But some guest just are not into it. In the beginning as a new host, you might want to set the minimum stay down to 3 days in order to get more bookings and more reviews.
9) Join a host forum
Airbnb has Airbnb Groups and Homeaway has a host forum. Join in and read some subjects, you can learn a lot. Airbnb Groups like "New Hosts" and "Host stories" are even fun to read. Place a like or comment where you feel. I have the impression that it helped with my ranking (not that I did it intentionally, I found out later) as again, the system recognizes that you are an active host, or more online and therefor more likely to get deals faster.
10) Don't temporarily unlist
Some hosts think of unlisting their vacation rental for different reasons. When travelling themselves and not able to answer promptly online enquires, or because no one else can manage their rental. Others are renovating for an uncertain period of time. I would just block out a long period for your rental but stay listed online. You could upload a photo that includes a text saying "we are renovating for you from x to y and plan to reopen again in month z ". Or add the text in the description / summary of your holiday home. Unlisting is an act that interrupts the internal statistics for your vacation rental and will not have a good effect on the ranking for sure.
If you are a host and have your own experiences or thoughts, please share! Happy hosting.
And happy holidays to those who chose to book a holiday rental instead of the usual hotel room.
Places of Interest
/The Doric column of Hera's sanctuary on Capo Lacinio, Crotone
We want your stay at Palazzo Pizzo Residence to be most enjoyable!
Whether you want to relax or explore Pizzo and nearby places of interest in Calabria, we are happy to give you our personal advise. We have compiled a little guide book about Pizzo for our guest, but most of it you can read in my introduction
- and here:
What to do in PIZZO
- read our
- watch
about Pizzo and the area
- visit Castello Aragonese Murat
- visit some churches in Pizzo, we have 10!
- visit the most unusual church, Chiesa di Piedigrotta (take the Ape taxi or car)
- join a guided Pizzo walking tours with Anna from
(April, June-September) or just discover the alleys by yourself
- take a cooking class with Giovanna (upon appointment)
- improve your Italian, take language lessons with Carmen (depending on availability)
- boat trip,
gozzo
type, departure Vibo Marina to Piedigrotta Beach and back (depending on weather)
- visit some artists in their studio
- jog or power walk around the village and along the beaches
Where are the BEACHES
-
Pizzo Marina
(with several little beaches, but nearest from the residence within just 10 minutes walk is the beach below the
castello
; not serviced (bring our umbrella and beach towel), two sweet water showers and nearby bars and pizzerie).
-
Pizzo Piedigrotta
(to reach within 3 minutes by car or Ape Taxi, flat water, nice for little kids, can be combined with a visit of the Church Piedigrotta, a curiosity of Pizzo).
-
Pizzo Marinella
(by car, 8 min., for beach walkers, more tourists than locals)
-
Vibo Marina, Proserpina
(by car 8 min, serviced with sun chairs, umbrellas and music...)
-
Vibo Marina, La Vela
(by car 10 min, serviced, behind the harbour, deeper water, waves)
-
Briatico, Punto Safo
(by car, 15-20 min., waves, old ruin of the
torre di Briatico
)
-
Sant' Irene
(by car, 20-25 min, follow the sign 'Briatico' and then 'Sant' Irene')
-
Paradiso del Sub
, Zambrone (by car, 23-30 min, plus hiking, worth to see, park at train station)
-
Tropea
, (by car 35 min) below the city, crowded in summer but nice back drop
-
Capo Vaticano
, (by car 50 min) very crowded in summer, but worth to see
LOCAL MARKETS
(
)
Pizzo on Thursdays above via Nazionale
Vibo Marina on Mondays
Vibo Valentia on Saturdays
DAY TRIPS
- Tropea
- Scilla :
- Seminara : Read "
"; see
for photos on our FB site
- Gerace
- Soverato
- Serra San Bruno
- Reggio Calabria (take the train)
- Stilo
- Rossano, Ciro, Le Castella
Eolie Islands (Lipari, Vulcano, Panarea, Stromboli):
There are day trips to the island of Stromboli via ferry from Vibo Marina (the port is 4km, 7 min drive from Pizzo) starting at 7.30am and back at around 8.00pm.
The first stop might be at Vulcano (or Panarea depending on the itinerary). After that you will land in Lipari, where you are free to explore the picturesque little town and have time for lunch. In the afternoon you will continue to the island of Stromboli. Here you can discover the village and the black vulcano beach.
There are also tours starting in Tropea. The transfer by boat is about 1h shorter as it is located closer to the island. On Thursdays there is a "Stromboli by night" tour.
You would need to spend the night on Stromboli if you want to hike the vulcano. Guided climbing tours usually start at 5pm and you are back around midnight at your accommodation in Stromboli. The ferry round trips to Stromboli can be interrupted for 1 or 2 nights (ask the operator when buying your ticket to reconfirm). Please note, the ferries run only when weather conditions allow. On clear days you can see Stromboli from our residence in Pizzo.
MORE ACTIVITIES
when it's raining:
visit a museum, read a book
for historians and archaeologists:
museum in Vibo Valentia and Reggio Calabria
for artists and gallery lovers:
Pizzo attracts artists, find the studio of Antonio La Gamba (Papa Parking), Antonio Montesanti's EOS Ceramica (in piazza), Francesca Procoppio's Studiolo Home Gallery (main road)
for kids:
visit artists in their studio and get creative (see above)
WINTER:
(blog post)
DISTANCES :
from:
Pizzo Calabro (VV)
to:
Lamezia International Airport (26 km, 30 min)
Vibo Marina port (4 km, 7 min)
Vibo Valentia (12 km, 20 min)
Briatico, Punto Safo Beach (about 15 km, 20 min)
Tropea (28 km, 32 min)
Capo Vaticano (about 40 km, 50 min)
Serra San Bruno (42 km, 45 min)
Catanzaro (via A3, SS280 60 km, 50 min)
Seminara (via A3 65 km, 50 min)
Scilla (via A3 83 km, 60 min)
Soverato (via SS182 65 km, 1h15)
Reggio Calabria airport (via A3, 104 km, 1h15)
Stilo (via SS110, 79 km, 1h23 min)
Gerace (SS18, SS11 90 km, 1h30)
Gambarie (Aspromonte National Park), (A3/E45, 96 km, 1h30) <-- skiing! *
Camigliatello Silano (Sila National Park), (A3/E45, 123 km, 1h33) <-- skiing!*
Messina, Sicily (via A3 and ferry 105 km, about 2h)
Taormina / Etna, Sicily (via A3 and ferry about 155 km, 2h 1/2 - 3h)
Catania, Sicily airport (via A3/E45 and A18/E45, 196 km, about 3 h, including ferry)
STROMBOLI, Eolie Islands (80 km, up to 12h, see Day Trips above)
Amalfi, Positano (via A3 365 km, about 4h) - or take the fast train to Salerno (2 1/1h only!)
Napoli airport (via A3 405 km, about 4h)
GUIDEBOOK
With your booking you will receive a little "Guidebook" compiled by us for your stay in Pizzo. You will find our and guests' recommendations for bars, restaurants, beaches, day trips as well as important phone number, detailed directions and more.