CASA ANNA

Stunning, beautifully decorated fully air-conditioned ground floor self-catering one room studio apartment with private fast Wifi connection situated on the secure gated Pizzo Beach Club Resort.

To maintain the security of the resort and for the benefit of the resident guests, we have introduced the compulsory use of wrist bands for the year ahead between April and September. This will ensure that the facilities of the resort ie the two swimming pools, beach, restaurant and sun loungers by the pools and on the beach are used exclusively by owners and guests only. Guests will be given the wrist bands on arrival (the price of which is included in your rental) by the management company at the Meet and Greet and it is compulsory to wear the wrist bands during your stay to access the site facilities such as swimming pools, beach and restaurant.

The development is secure as it is gated and only accessed with swipe cards only provided to guests of the resort. It is a short 15 minute drive from Lamezia Terme airport in the Calabrian region of southern Italy, and a fifteen minute drive away from the historic town of Pizzo. The apartment is furnished with a modern and stylish flair, spacious in size with lots of storage and has its own private Wifi.

The exterior of the studio apartment has a terrace and a private garden with outside dining facilities for alfresco dining and use of a BBQ. Secure free parking is available outside the front of the apartment.

From the apartment, a ten minute walk through an enchanting forest of pine and eucalyptus, brings you to a large sandy beach where free sun loungers are provided for your use. If you prefer to stay at the resort, there are great on-site facilities which include 2 magnificent outdoor pools (with lifeguards), 2 tennis courts, a football field, a restaurant that serves excellent food (open only during the peak season), children's playground with swings and slide, volley ball on the beach and free use of sun-loungers and umbrella on the private beach a short walk from the apartment. There is also a lifeguard on the beach.

This is a luxurious one room studio apartment that comprises a large air-conditioned room incorporating a living area with a contemporary table and 4 chairs and new comfortable double size sofa bed that converts into a comfortable bed for two adults at night. Also provided is a single bed for a third adult or child. The apartment is most suited to for two or three adults but if required, a bed cot suitable for children up to 2 years of age can be provided at an additional fee.

The modern integrated kitchen has a large built-in fridge freezer, electric oven, gas hob and is fully equipped with all the necessary kitchen utensils, cutlery and crockery for a home from home experience.

Private Wifi is also included in the price of this apartment.

In the living area of the apartment there is a modern table and four chairs, a top of the range 32' Sony LCD TV with decoder with a choice of over 1000 channels in different languages. In addition there is a Sony Blu-Ray DVD player and an iPod/iPhone docking station for music lovers. A selection of DVDs and CDs are also provided for your enjoyment.

In the modern separate fully tiled bathroom there is a walk in shower cubicle with sliding doors and power shower, a wash basin and mirror cabinet with a light, a toilet and also a washing machine. Towels are also provided for your stay and are included in the price of the apartment.

There is a private garden with outside dining facilities equipped with a table, four chairs, and umbrella for outdoor dining. A BBQ is also provided for your use during your stay. Free, secure car parking is available outside the apartment

The apartment is located a short 10 minute walk from a large private beach where free sun-loungers and umbrellas are provided for your use. The short walk is on a pathway through a beautiful pine and eucalyptus forest and is a delightful way to access the beach.

The apartment is near the historic towns of Pizzo & Tropea: The apartment is situated 15 minutes drive away from the historic town of Pizzo with its numerous shops, restaurants, cafes and ice cream parlours. Pizzo is home to the world famous Tartufo ice cream.

Tropea which boasts one of the best beaches in Italy is a much visited tourist attraction and is a 30 minute drive away from the apartment.

Other places of interest include Castle Murat, Piedigrotta which is a cave full of carved statues, and the recently renovated spectacular monastery in Tropea on a cliff overlooking the sea.

Food and wine in this part of Italy is excellent and inexpensive and includes fresh fruit and vegetables grown locally. Cuisine in the region tends to be spicy and flavourful, featuring pasta, cheeses and some typically Greek ingredients such as honey and figs, and the area produces sweet white wine.

Do not miss the experience of stopping off to taste the amazing famous Pizzo truffle, hazelnut and chocolate ice-cream (Tartufo) dusted with cocoa.

Places of interest and location information: The Calabria region of Italy is the country's best kept secret. Rugged and remote, Calabria is the region forming the ‘toe of the boot’ of Italy, neighbouring Basilicata to the east and Sicily to the west. There is an astonishing authenticity to Calabrian holidays, as tourists have only very recently discovered this fantastic forgotten corner of Italy.

A visit to Pizzo offers noteworthy panoramic views overlooking the coast and Tyrrhenian Sea as well as medieval glimpses of rare beauty. One can enjoy pleasant walks through the historical centre, that is, where it is possible to visit the San Giorgio Collegiate, which preserves important 16th century statues.

The San Sebastiano Church is located nearby. To complete the visit to religious buildings in Pizzo, one can visit the Purgatorio (Purgatory) Church, the Grazie Church and Pizzo Castle. From here one can reach Pizzo Marina, which is a much visited seaside tourist attraction.

The old, picturesque village of Pizzo is a short 15 minute drive away with a variety of shops, restaurants and bars as well as some breath taking views of the sea and surrounding countryside.

Tropea is only a 30 minute drive away and is worth visiting to explore the many restaurants, bars and the beach is voted one of the best in Italy.

Pizzo has two main tourist attractions: the Chiesetta di Piedigrotta, cave-chapel on the shore, and the renowned tartufo di Pizzo, a chocolate truffle ice cream. It also has a historic castle and a pleasant town centre where there is a tourist information office in Piazza della Repubblica, the main square.

The Chiesetta di Piedigrotta is just outside Pizzo; a fifteen-minute walk along the road leading out of town along the coast to the north-east. The church is down a flight of steps; tickets are for sale at a bar over the road. The church dates back to the seventeenth century and is a cave dug out of a soft rock in a bank facing right out to sea, and was originally created in gratitude by shipwrecked sailors who'd been saved from a storm. The interior is ornamented with statues carved enthusiastically from the rock by a local family in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is definitely worth seeing if you are in Pizzo. It is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Calabria, rivalling the Riace Bronzes in Reggio di Calabria's archaeological museum.

The tartufo di Pizzo is a chocolate and hazelnut ice cream (gelato) shaped as a rough sphere, containing chocolate fudge sauce and coated in cocoa powder and sugar. The cafes around the main square in Pizzo all serve this speciality, and variations on it, with waiters producing a non-stop selection of ice creams.

The centre of Pizzo is a picturesque network of narrow lanes, historic but bustling with everyday Calabrian life. The heart of town is Piazza della Repubblica, where travellers can relax at an outdoor table and enjoy a gelato. Close to the square is Pizzo's castle, known as the Castello Murat. It was built in the fifteenth century but is most celebrated for being the place where Napoleon's brother-in-law, Joachim Murat, was executed. The castle is open to the public, and also hosts special events. Downhill in the shadow of the castle is Pizzo's small harbour, with a pleasant seaside promenade. The railway station is along the coast in this direction. There is a stretch of beach here, and more beaches on the other side of town, a short drive away. In the summer tourist season a little tourist 'train' called the Pizzo Express takes visitors on a tour of Pizzo and to the Chiesa di Piedigrotta. Pizzo is conveniently placed on the coastal road and railway for visiting Tropea and the rest of the Costa degli Dei. If you have hired a car, you can tour the whole Tropea promontory visiting little coastal resorts and villages such as Briatico, Parghelia, Tropea, Capo Vaticano and Nicotera. The provincial capital, Vibo Valentia, is a short distance inland from Pizzo and is worth a visit for its mighty castle which has superb views. There are a number of interesting inland destinations for travellers with their own transport, such as Filadelfia, where there is a weekly market.

Further north up the Calabrian coast is the historic town of Amantea. Scilla, a very attractive fishing village and beach resort is around two hours away by train, and Reggio di Calabria is half an hour further - a long journey but worth it if you are interested in seeing the famous Greek statues, the Riace Bronzes, in the museum. From this stretch of coast there are summer boat trips to the Aeolian Islands, with departures from Pizzo as well as nearby Vibo Marina. These day trips are a good way to visit several of the beautiful islands including Stromboli, which is an active volcano.