Kitesurfing beaches in Calabria

If your passion is kitesurfing, Calabria is the place to be!

Among the most popular water sports of all time, kitesurfing (or more simply kitesurfing/kiteboarding) requires three basic requirements: a desire to have fun, sea and wind. If you put the first ingredient in, we'll take care of the other two.

Kiting in Calabria is an enthralling and adrenalin-pumping experience. It is one of the most intense ways to experience the Calabrian sea, exploiting its currents and ventilation, which in some coastal locations reach optimum strength for practising this sport.

It is no coincidence that along the Middle Tyrrhenian Sea, for example, the Kitesurfing World Championship is held every year in Calabria.

Let's find out more...

Where to kitesurf in Calabria

Created in 1999 as a variant of surfing, kitesurfing consists of being towed into the sea by a kite (a kite, in fact), which uses the wind as its propeller and is manoeuvred through a bar.

Widespread throughout the world, where climatic and marine conditions permit, kitesurfing in Calabria has for some years now found one of its elective homelands.

In addition to the Tyrrhenian coast of the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia, particularly in the stretch of the municipality of Gizzeria in the province of Catanzaro, i.e. in the Lametino area where the Kitesurfing World Cup in Calabria takes place, in recent years several other beaches have been opening up to the practice of this fun sport.

Gizzeria Beach - Kitesurfing World Championships

Inaugurated by one of the most renowned lidos on the Lamezia coast, on the seafront of Gizzeria Lido, a short distance from the city of Lamezia Terme, the Kite World Championship in Calabria is one of the most important and eagerly awaited sporting events of the summer.

Why Gizzeria? Because of the unique characteristics of the beach, its stretch of water and the thermal wind that occurs every day with regularity and intensity.

Scheduled for the month of July (from 12 to 23 the 2023 edition), the Kite Foil Youth World Champion and, to follow, A's Youth Foil, are the competitions dedicated to the youth kite categories, i.e. the young talents who are going to participate in the Paris Olympics.

Not only young people! The Calabrian kite championship welcomes hundreds of athletes from all over the world, who each year in Calabria find the optimal marine environment to challenge themselves, train and give free rein to their passion.

From Gizzeria, the event involves the most beautiful sites on the Tyrrhenian coast of Lametina, offering participants, the public and amateurs the privilege of enjoying the sea of Calabria amidst sport, wilderness, services and nightlife.

The programme of the Kitesurfing World Championship in Calabria is always very varied and includes entertainment events, knowledge of the area and opportunities for sports tourism all year round.

Other kitesurfing beaches in Calabria

In addition to the Gulf of Sant'Eufemia, other kite beaches in Calabria can be found further south, in the province of Reggio Calabria, in the windy area of Punta Pellaro.

Going up the Ionian coast, it is instead possible to kite in Calabria in the province of Crotone, both in Gabella (where the Crotone Sailing Club is also active), and in Steccato di Cutro.

Still on the Ionian Sea but in the province of Cosenza, the breezy Corigliano-Rossano coast is recommended.

What to see after kitesurfing in Calabria

Gizzeria Lido is the marina of the historic centre of Gizzeria, which lies slightly further up the hill.

In the immediate vicinity there is the city of Lamezia Terme, which is definitely worth a visit for the beauty of the historic centre of Nicastro, rich in monumental buildings, cultural venues and small bars, and the therapeutic benefits of the legendary Terme di Caronte spa in Sambiase.

If you want to kitesurf on the Ionian beaches of Calabria, you can visit the city of Reggio Calabria with its famous promenade, the "Most Beautiful Kilometre in Italy", and the National Archaeological Museum which houses the Bronze Statues of Riace.

When it comes to history and antiquity, Crotone, the "City of Pythagoras", offers just as many monuments and curiosities to discover between the seafront, the old town, arranged around the imposing Castle of Charles V, and the striking Capo Colonna.

Kite surfing in Calabria along the Corigliano-Rossano beach offers the opportunity to visit two historic centres in one, with the unmissable Ducal Castle of Corigliano and the Codex Museum in Rossano, custodian of a precious UNESCO Heritage gospel.