Capo Rizzuto reveals the marine world from several perspectives: the shape of the coastline defines the landscape, boat trips turn attention to the seabed, and the CEAM Aquarium recreates marine habitats. The Gunny wreck adds a specific underwater object to the picture. These topics offer different starting points for planning your trip: you can focus on the coast, marine observation, the aquarium’s exhibits or a local tradition, rather than treating all the experiences as similar excursions.
A coastline of headlands and bays
Capo Colonna, Capo Cimiti, Capo Rizzuto and Le Castella jut out into the sea as coastal headlands. They enclose wide bays with predominantly low sandy beaches. One exception is the mostly straight stretch of coastline between Capo Cimiti and Capo Rizzuto. This distinction shapes the overall picture: alongside the headlands jutting into the sea and the bays, the coastline also includes a straight stretch. When taking in the landscape, you can distinguish between these different coastal contours instead of viewing the entire coastline as a uniform sequence of bays.
Seabed and the Gunny wreck
Visitors can view the seabed of the Capo Rizzuto Marine Protected Area from boats with transparent bottoms, including the glass-bottom boat “Aquavision.” The Gunny wreck offers a different focus: it sank in 1962 in the shallows off Capo Rizzuto and lies at a depth of 24 metres. Boat trips focus on views of the protected area’s seabed, while the wreck is a single object identified by its name, year of sinking and depth. These are two different ways to explore the marine protected area, each answering a different question. If you are planning a boat trip, it may be helpful to check the current sailing times in advance.
The CEAM Aquarium
The CEAM Aquarium is located in the Capo Rizzuto district, at Piazza del Santuario della Madonna Greca. Its 22 tanks have a total capacity of around 20,000 litres. The aquarium showcases the flora and fauna of the marine protected area and recreates its marine habitats. The tanks therefore focus on presenting these habitats, offering a different perspective from observing the seabed on a boat trip. CEAM also has an educational laboratory for children that explores marine biology and ecology. A touch pool allows visitors to touch marine life. The aquarium thus brings together recreated habitats, the exploration of biological topics and direct contact with marine life as distinct areas of focus.
Pilgrimage on foot and the Feast of the Madonna Greca
Religious traditions also give your trip a seasonal focus. Every Saturday after 19 March until the May festival, a pilgrimage on foot takes place from Isola to Capo Rizzuto. The Feast of the Madonna Greca falls on the Monday after the first Sunday in May. The dates follow different rules: for the pilgrimage, the key factors are the period after 19 March and the Saturday; for the feast, they are the first Sunday in May and the following Monday. If you want to plan your trip around one of these events, check the specific date in the events calendar before making your plans.
For the broader travel overview: Isola Di Capo Rizzuto.
