Hotels in Catanzaro

Catanzaro sits on a ridge above the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts in Calabria, southern Italy — the regional capital at roughly 320 metres above sea level. The city earned the nickname La Città tra i due mari (the city between two seas) because both coastlines lie within about 30 kilometres. Its historic centre clusters around the Duomo di Catanzaro, rebuilt after the 1638 earthquake and housing a Byzantine icon, the Madonna di Portosalvo. The Ponte Morandi viaduct — a 1960s concrete arch spanning the Fiumarella gorge — connects the old town to newer districts and remains one of the more photographed civil-engineering landmarks in Calabria.

Visitors come for a mix of reasons: Byzantine and Norman heritage, the Museo delle Arti e dei Mestieri di Calabria, and access to the Sila plateau national park roughly 40 kilometres northeast. Catanzaro Lido, the coastal extension on the Ionian Sea, draws Italian domestic tourists in summer with its long sandy beaches. The city is also known for silk weaving — a craft dating to the 10th century under Byzantine rule — and local workshops still produce traditional velluto di Catanzaro.

Catanzaro is served by Lamezia Terme International Airport (SUF), approximately 45 kilometres west, with direct flights to major Italian cities and several European destinations. The A2 Autostrada del Mediterraneo passes nearby, linking the city to Reggio Calabria in the south and Salerno in the north.