CAVES, CLIFFS & VINO FOR SIX
Forte della Monacella is by far one of the most beautiful, peaceful, breathtaking restaurants in Pizzo and definitely my favourite place to have dinner in Italy. If you are travelling to Pizzo / Calabria any time soon, THIS is truly the place to dine.
The restaurant is situated near top of the most amazing cliff by the shore of Le Spiagge di Pizzo (Pizzo Beach) - a very small and intimate beach which seems to be a regular spot for the locals of Pizzo. Forte della Monacella is a lovely family run restaurant consisting of both indoor and outdoor seating.
We actually stumbled across the restaurant whilst exploring during siesta time one evening, after realising that most of the restaurants on the strip near the beach were closed between 7-8pm, we decided to explore the area and came across this diamond in the rough!
Once we got to the top, we came across the owner who very welcomingly ushered us to the restaurant which was not yet open - to be honest, it had been such a long day on the beach, all we needed was a good hot meal and a glass of wine, or two, or three... Although the owner barely spoke a word of English, his mind reading skills were pretty much perfect! I'm sure he picked up on the fact that we really didn't want to wait any longer and were most likely going to find a different restaurant for supper.. Whilst we pondered on whether to leave or not, he directed us towards the top of the cliff where the actual forte is (this is where the restaurant gets it's name from).
I can't lie, I was not as thrilled as the others to have to climb even more stairs but I was outnumbered and gave in... luckily. At the top of the forte we actually found a gorgeous little cave hidden amongst the rockery which made an amazing photo spot! My mouth literally dropped in awe, this was the last thing I expected to see!
Just outside of the cave, we were are able to see most of Pizzo and at that time in the evening, it was lit up and sparkling to perfection. We spent at least half an hour up near the cave taking photos and taking in the views before heading back down to order.
I have no complaints about the food what-so-ever. I ordered the typical Italian meal... pizza (or pizzeria) with mozzarella and prosciutto which was TO DIE FOR. Between the six of us we also ordered about 3 bottles of wine! It was literally so sweet and refreshing it went down like juice :) After the meal, we sat for at least 45 minutes to an hour - just talking, making friends with other Brits, sipping wine and taking in the amazing views - and although I was travelling with a group of five other ladies, this would make the most fantastic, spot for a romantic dinner for two. We even had candle light when it began to get pretty dark!
The perfect "last supper" to end our holiday in Pizzo. Highly recommended, for the views, if not the wine.
