An important town in the province of Crotone, that overlooks the Ionian Sea, Isola di Capo Rizzuto has very ancient origins, attested by the discovery of relics from the Bronze Age and now exhibited at the Archaeological Museum of Crotone. There are two different schools of thought on the origins of the town's name: for some historians, it derives from the Latin "insulae" (center of agricultural storage), while according to others from the Greek "aysulon" (sacred place, shelter).
Probably built during the Byzantine era, the town was destroyed, burned down and depopulated during the Turkish invasion of 1517.
Located within the Marine Protected Area of Capo Rizzuto, today it is a major touristic resort.
Sites of Interest:
- the Cathedral, built on the ruins of a Norman - Benedictine monastery, was in part renovated between 1682 and 1717, when Monsignor Marini was Bishop here, whose crest still stands on the entrance portal of tuff stone, artwork of the Moglianese craftsmen. The cathedral features a façade characterized by a small rosette windows. The interior proposes three naves, a wooden coffered ceiling and a square shaped wooden choir. Worth of note are: the XVIII century altar, of the Neapolitan school and the Bishop's throne with a canopy, on which is depicted a Black Virgin and Child;
- the Church of the Annunciation, built in 1567, with a single nave plan, a square shaped choir and covered by a dome. Inside on the side walls are preserved two late Renaissance altars in local stone;
- the XVII century Church of San Marco, which originally was a privately owned noble Family chapel and belonged to the Barons of Ricca. The interior preserves the sarcophagus in tuff stone of feudal Lord G.A. Ricca;
- the Fortress in the village of Le Castella, a complex which consists of a round tower, built by the Angevin, and ramparts dating back to the XVI century and is located on a cliff at about 100 m from the seashore. It was originally connected to the mainland by an artificial path and a bridge, of which no trace remains. Inhabited until the XVIII century, it was a strategic defense against the invasions of the Turks;
- the fortified farmhouse of Concio, a typical building of the area, once a liquorice factory, which features an older square plan building, to which four corner towers were added in the XVIII century.