PIZZO-The small village where the famous Tartufo ice cream originates from

Join me on a walk through this picturesque place

View on Pizzo

I’m starting my blog with a week-long trip I took with my boyfriend in January through Calabria. Our journey takes us from the Tyrrhenian coast to the Ionian coast and back to Luzzi, where we lived for three months.

Our adventure through Calabria begins in Pizzo, a small town on the Tyrrhenian coast that thrives on tourism. Italians from nearby cities, as well as from Cosenza and Reggio Calabria, often visit here on Sundays for day trips, a waiter tells me at a café where I stop to enjoy the sunshine and sip a cappuccino.

It’s January 6th, a holiday in Italy, when the Befana, an old witch, brings caramelle (candies) to the good children and coal to the naughty ones. It's similar to the tradition of St. Nicholas. I kick off my day by heading straight for the sea—of course! After a month of somewhat lackluster weather, I’m craving sunshine and the sea, even though it’s winter. But I’m also eager to explore the town. What I love here are the many small, beautifully restored houses and the narrow, charming streets. Everywhere you turn, you’ll find the famous Tartufo ice cream. I try it at Café Dante, where it was accidentally invented by a Sicilian named Don Pippo in the 1930s. He was supposed to deliver dessert for an aristocratic wedding, but when he realized he didn’t have enough cake molds, he spontaneously shaped chocolate and hazelnut ice cream into a slightly rectangular form and filled it with chocolate sauce. He dusted it with cocoa and sugar and delivered it. The wedding guests must have been so impressed that Don Pippo quickly became famous, and his Tartufo ice cream remains popular to this day. Along with the delicious ice cream, there's also the Castello Murat, named after Gioacchino Murat, Napoleon’s brother-in-law.

Murat was once the King of Naples, and he tried to organize a rebellion in Calabria against Napoleon in an effort to reclaim his kingdom. He was later captured and executed. However, the castle itself was built by the Anjou family, a French noble family that ruled over Calabria when it was part of the Kingdom of Naples. Calabria has a long history, dating back to the 11th century when the Normans arrived and established the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which lasted until 1860. But many of Calabria’s towns are even older, as we’ll see later.

In the evening, we continue our journey to Tropea, 30 kilometers away, known for its famous red, sweet onions. Though we’re tired and would rather stay in our accommodation, we’re too curious to miss this Calabrian hotspot. So, we take an evening walk and quickly understand why Tropea is so beloved.