The Area Marina Protetta Capo Rizzuto, established in 1991, protects the sea along roughly 40 kilometres of coast south of Crotone, from just below the city round to Le Castella and beyond — close to 15,000 hectares, which makes it one of the largest marine reserves in Italy.
The shore is a sequence of low headlands — Capo Colonna, Capo Cimiti, Capo Rizzuto, Le Castella and others — separated by bays of sand that ranges from pale gold to rusty red. Offshore, wide meadows of Posidonia seagrass shelter groupers, bream, octopus and, with luck, barracuda and sea turtles. The seabed has also yielded ancient wrecks and their cargoes.
The reserve is divided into zones. A few small areas of strict protection are closed to all but researchers; elsewhere swimming, snorkelling, guided diving and regulated boating are allowed.
Top things to do at Capo Rizzuto Marine Protected Area
Snorkel from the beach
You do not need a boat: rocky edges of the bays at Capo Rizzuto, Capo Piccolo and Le Castella are full of life in a couple of metres of water. Go in the morning, before the breeze picks up.
Take a glass-bottom boat
In summer, boats with underwater viewing windows run from Le Castella and Capo Rizzuto over the seagrass and rocks — a good option with children or non-swimmers. Buy tickets at the harbour.
Dive with a local centre
Diving inside the reserve is done with authorised centres, which know the permitted sites. Expect rocky shoals, seagrass and plenty of fish rather than dramatic walls.
Beach-hop the headlands
Favourites include the long sands of Le Cannella, the coves of Capo Piccolo, the red-tinted beaches of Sovereto and the bay below the sanctuary at Capo Rizzuto itself.
Visit the towers and the sanctuary
At Capo Rizzuto, the 16th-century Torre Vecchia watches over the cape near the sanctuary of the Madonna Greca. The reserve’s visitor centre and small aquarium are also here — opening is seasonal.
How to get to Capo Rizzuto Marine Protected Area
- By car: the beaches are reached by side roads off the SS106 between Crotone and Le Castella; Capo Rizzuto itself is about 20 kilometres and 25 minutes from the city.
- By air: Crotone’s small airport lies just inland from this coast, a few minutes from Isola di Capo Rizzuto.
- Without a car: difficult. Buses reach Isola di Capo Rizzuto and Le Castella but not the individual coves.
Insider tips
- Respect the zoning signs and buoys — fines for entering the strictly protected zones are real.
- Do not anchor on or trample the Posidonia; it is the nursery of the whole ecosystem.
- Many coves have no shade or services. Carry water, an umbrella and reef-safe sunscreen.
- June and September have warm water and a fraction of August’s crowds.
Best tours & tickets for Capo Rizzuto Marine Protected Area
These experiences pair well with a visit to Capo Rizzuto Marine Protected Area:
Private day tour from €150 Capo Colonna, Santa Severina & Le Castella: Private History and Seaside Tour
The one tour that strings together the three great sights of the province in a single day, with a private driver doing the hard part. You go from the Greek sanctuary on the cape to the baptistery and castle of Santa Severina, then down to the fortress in the sea at Le Castella. Without a car it is the only practical way to see all three.
- The Doric column of Hera Lacinia at Capo Colonna
- The Byzantine hill town of Santa Severina
- The sea fortress of Le Castella
Scuba diving from €70 Montepaone–Soverato: Guided Scuba Dive
A guided dive with certified instructors on the Ionian seabed off Soverato, further down the coast in the province of Catanzaro. For dives inside the Capo Rizzuto reserve itself you book directly with the dive centres at Le Castella.
- Guided dive on the Ionian seabed
- Certified instructors
- Further down the coast from Crotone
Boat tour from €32 Tropea: Capo Vaticano Boat Tour with Snorkelling & Drink
Calabria’s most-booked boat trip, with close to two thousand reviews: three hours along the Coast of the Gods from Tropea to Capo Vaticano, with stops to swim and snorkel. Tropea is on the opposite, Tyrrhenian coast — about two hours’ drive from Crotone — so treat it as part of a wider Calabria itinerary.
- The coast from Tropea to Capo Vaticano
- Swimming and snorkelling stops
- Drink on board
