Pizzo, Calabria

Last updated
Pizzo
U Pizzu (Sicilian)
Comune
Comune di Pizzo
101031 Italie sud 006.jpg
Pizzo (VV)-Stemma.png
Coat of arms
Location of Pizzo
Pizzo, Calabria
Italy provincial location map 2016.svg
Red pog.svg
Pizzo
Location of Pizzo in Italy
Italy Calabria location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Pizzo
Pizzo (Calabria)
Coordinates: 38°44′N16°10′E / 38.733°N 16.167°E / 38.733; 16.167
Country Italy
Region Calabria
Province Vibo Valentia (VV)
Area
[1]
 • Total22.34 km2 (8.63 sq mi)
Elevation
44 m (144 ft)
Population
 (31 March 2013) [2]
 • Total9,263
 • Density410/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Demonym Napetini or Pizzitani (local)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
89812
Dialing code 0963
ISTAT code 102027
Patron saint San Giorgio
Saint day23 April
Website Official website

Pizzo (Calabrian : U Pizzu), also called Pizzo Calabro, is a seaport and comune in the province of Vibo Valentia (Calabria, southern Italy), situated on a steep cliff overlooking the Gulf of Saint Euphemia.

Contents

Fishing is one of the main activities, including that of tuna and coral.

History

As with many other places in Calabria, Pizzo claims ancient origins. The town may have been founded by colonists from an unknown site in ancient Magna Grecia, but there is currently no documentary or archeological evidence to support this. Consequently, the history of Pizzo begins in 1300 when the existence of a community of Basilian monks, a fort, and a fishing village is documented . The name Pizzo (translated either as bird's beak or projecting point) fits perfectly with the tuffa promontory that juts out into the sea near the mouth of the river Angitola.

For centuries tuna was trapped in the beaches around Pizzo, especially in the months of May and June. Despite fading in importance over time this activity continued until the 1970s in the Centofontane area, where nets were spread to corral tuna from offshore. Ruins of the activity remain. The activity is now banned. The Piedigrotta and Prangi areas include some sea caves, and "the cave of the Saracen", although largely eroded today, was supposedly used by Saracen pirates to store booty and people captured during their raids along the coast of Calabria.

The former King of Naples Joachim Murat, who was the brother-in-law of Napoleon, was imprisoned for several days in the town's Aragonese castle and then sentenced to death. He was executed by firing squad on October 13, 1815, in the main hall of the castle and was possibly buried in the church of San Giorgio. Paradoxically, the castle is now called Castello Murat. Inside the castle is the Provincial Museum Murat.

In 1783 the town was almost destroyed by an earthquake, and it suffered some damage from the same cause in 1905.

Main sights

It has an old castle, built by the Aragonese in the 15th century, in which Joachim Murat, ex-king of Naples, was shot on October 13, 1815.

Other sights include the Baroque church of St. George (1632) and the cave church of Piedigrotta (17th century)

Food

Pizzo is famous in the area for its Tartufo, a large ball of ice cream filled with molten chocolate.

Transport

The nearest airport is Lamezia Terme Airport. [3]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18617,703—    
18718,500+10.3%
18818,086−4.9%
19019,358+15.7%
19118,072−13.7%
19217,888−2.3%
19317,755−1.7%
19368,286+6.8%
YearPop.±%
19519,498+14.6%
19619,560+0.7%
19718,626−9.8%
19819,011+4.5%
19918,512−5.5%
20018,602+1.1%
20118,885+3.3%
20218,878−0.1%
Source: ISTAT

Climate

Climate data for Pizzo, Calabria, Italy , 1981−2010 normals, [lower-alpha 1] extremes 1895−present [lower-alpha 2]
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Mean daily maximum °F57576164727982847973665969
Mean daily minimum °F43434652576468686357504555
Mean daily maximum °C14141618222628292623191521
Mean daily minimum °C6681114182020171410713
Source: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961–1990), [4] [5] [6] The Weather Channel [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calabria</span> Region of Italy

Calabria is a region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. It has almost 2 million residents across a total area of 15,222 km2 (5,877 sq mi). Catanzaro is the region's capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Province of Catanzaro</span> Province of Italy

The province of Catanzaro is a province of the Calabria region of Italy. The city Catanzaro is both capital of the province and capital of the region of Calabria. The province contains 80 comuni. Its provincial president is Sergio Abramo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Province of Vibo Valentia</span> Province of Italy

The province of Vibo Valentia is a province in the Calabria region of Italy, set up by a national law of 6 March 1992, which came into effect on 1 January 1996, and formerly part of the province of Catanzaro. Its capital is the city of Vibo Valentia and its vehicle licence plate code is VV. The province has an area of 1,139 square kilometres (440 sq mi), and a total population of 168,894 ; the city Vibo Valentia has a population of 35,405. There are 50 comuni in the province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vibo Valentia</span> Municipality in the Italian region of Calabria

Vibo Valentia is a city and comune (municipality) in the Italian region of Calabria, near the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital of the province of Vibo Valentia, and is an agricultural, commercial and tourist center. There are also several large manufacturing industries, including the tuna district of Maierato. Very important for the local economy is Vibo Marina's harbour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricadi</span> Comune in Calabria, Italy

Ricadi is a small rural town, as well as a municipality, located along the Tyrrhenian coast, in the province of Vibo Valentia, in the Italian region of Calabria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vibo Marina</span>

Vibo Marina is a port town in the province of Vibo Valentia, in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is a frazione of the town of Vibo Valentia. It has around 10,000 inhabitants.

Nicastro is a small town in the province of Catanzaro, in the Calabria region of southern Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamezia Terme</span> Comune in Calabria, Italy

Lamezia Terme, commonly called Lamezia, is an Italian city and comune of 70,452 inhabitants (2013), in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region.

Curinga is a town and comune in the province of Catanzaro, in the Calabria region of southern Italy. The settlement has historically been inhabited by an Arbëreshë community, which now has assimilated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Pietro Apostolo</span> Comune in Calabria, Italy

San Pietro Apostolo is a comune and town in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of Italy. It is about 15.3 kilometres (9.5 mi) northwest of Catanzaro, the provincial capital.

Santa Caterina Dello lonio is a town and comune in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of southern Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paola, Calabria</span> Comune in Calabria, Italy

Paola is an Italian comune of 15,408 inhabitants in the province of Cosenza in Calabria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autostrada A2 (Italy)</span> Controlled-access highway in Italy

Autostrada A2, otherwise known as the Autostrada del Mediterraneo or Salerno–Reggio Calabria, is an autostrada 432 kilometres (268 mi) long in Italy located in the regions of Campania, Basilicata and Calabria. Running between the towns of Fisciano, in the province of Salerno, and Villa San Giovanni, in the province of Reggio Calabria, the motorway forms part of European routes E45, E841 and E90.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Napoli Centrale railway station</span> Railway station in Naples, Italy

Napoli Centrale is the main railway station in the city of Naples and in southern Italy and the sixth largest station in Italy in terms of passenger flow with an annual ridership of 50 million. It is located next to Piazza Garibaldi to the east of the old city. It is the primary rail terminus and station for Naples, and serves Trenitalia national railways and EAV. This one has an underground section known as Stazione di Napoli Piazza Garibaldi, which is served by the metropolitan trains of the line 2, line 1 (Garibaldi), and 3, 12, 14, and 15 EAV Circumvesuviana lines which is accessible from 2 entrances inside the Centrale station, 1 outside in glass, and from the new Garibaldi Square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salerno railway station</span> Railway station in Salerno, Italy

Salerno railway station serves the Italian city of Salerno and was opened in 1866. It is the main railway station of the city.

The Battle of Mileto took place during the War of the Fourth Coalition on 28 May 1807 in Calabria. The Bourbon Kingdom of Sicily attempted to re-conquer its possessions in continental Italy, known as the Kingdom of Naples. The battle ended in a victory for French forces under general Jean Reynier.

The Curinga train disaster, also known as the Lamezia Terme train disaster, was a railway accident occurred on 21 November 1980 between Curinga and Eccellente stations, in the Catanzaro province, Italy.

Vibo Valentia-Pizzo railway station is the main railway station of the Italian city of Vibo Valentia, Calabria. It is part of the Battipaglia–Reggio di Calabria railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strada statale 18 Tirrena Inferiore</span> Highway in southern Italy

The strada statale 18 "Tirrena Inferiore" is an Italian state road, connecting Campania and Calabria. It is among the longest and most important state highways in southern Italy, considering that it follows the Tyrrhenian coast, from Salerno to Reggio di Calabria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf of Saint Euphemia</span>

The Gulf of Saint Euphemia is a gulf on the west coast of Calabria, southern Italy. It is part of the Tyrrhenian Sea and borders the province of Cosenza, the province of Catanzaro, and the province of Vibo Valentia.

References

  1. ↑ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ↑ All demographics and other statistics from the Italian statistical institute (Istat)
  3. ↑ "Lamezia Terme Airport". lameziaairport.com/. Retrieved 8 April 2023. Nearby towns are Tropea, Soverato, Pizzo, Vibo Valentia and Cantanzaro among others.
  4. ↑ "NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  5. ↑ "Station Name: INTL AP". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
  6. ↑ "WMO Climate Normals for Pizzo, Italy 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Monthly Averages for Pizzo International Airport". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2013-10-12.

Notes

  1. ↑ Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1981 to 2010.
  2. ↑ Official records for Pizzo were kept at the from September 1895 to November 1900, the Pizzo COOP from December 1900 to May 1911, the Weather Bureau Office from June 1911 to February 1937, at various locations in and around the city from March 1937 to July 1942, and at Pizzo Int'l since August 1942. For more information, see ThreadEx.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Pizzo at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.