Chianalea di Scilla
Chianalea di Scilla
4.5
Points of Interest & LandmarksHistoric Walking AreasScenic Walking Areas
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.

Top ways to experience Chianalea di Scilla and nearby attractions

The area
Address
Reach out directly
See what travellers are saying
  • Francesca V
    Australia4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Best spot in Calabria
    We stayed at Chianalea, for 10 days, and it was wonderful. Our apartment had spectacular views of the ocean, and the food, and ambiance was perfect. We had no car, but could easily walk to the beach, and also to the train station, which gave us access to day trips. Very sad to leave this extraordinary place. Loved it.
    Visited August 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 24 September 2023
  • Bat39
    Perth, Australia187 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Hidden gem with spectacular views
    This is a gem of a place. We stayed in a beautiful bnb right on the water with the most incredible view. U Catuio, just amazing. Incredible maze of streets, great little restaurants, beach beautiful but you need reef shoes!! Plenty of rocks, but the clear turquoise water is worth it. A great place to chill and just take in the views. Don't forget to visit the local fashion designer on the main strip for a unique piece of handmade clothing to take home. Highly recommended. We stayed 3 nights at the end of a 2 week stint in Sicily. Loved it.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 16 November 2023
  • Oldjack
    Greater Melbourne, Australia29,056 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Remarkable Fishing Village
    Known as the the Venice of southern Italy this is a beautiful little village with houses over the water and backing up to a tiny street.. There is no road traffic and it is a long walk along the narrow lane to see the shops ,restaurants and homes. A beautiful and interesting place like no other.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 15 June 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,502 reviews
Excellent
1,157
Very good
256
Average
51
Poor
25
Terrible
13

Anuj_Mithani
Mumbai, India4,517 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2022
This is the fishing district adjacent to Scilla, often known as "southern Venice", with traditional houses set on the rocks, along the bay. It's a wonderful little area to explore on foot, and we enjoyed walking the entire length of it, exploring every little stairway or alley leading upto the sea. Lots of interesting little local shops and restaurants perched along the rocks. Scilla is gorgeous, and Chinalea is the unmissable highlight.
Written 20 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Oldjack
Greater Melbourne, Australia29,056 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Couples
Known as the the Venice of southern Italy this is a beautiful little village with houses over the water and backing up to a tiny street.. There is no road traffic and it is a long walk along the narrow lane to see the shops ,restaurants and homes. A beautiful and interesting place like no other.
Written 15 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Wagoneer
Conestoga, PA1,166 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2024 • Family
We had read that Chianalea was one of the the top ten most beautiful villages in Italy so we booked a stay there. It was nice. The views of the sea were good and the fortress very picturesque...however it did not live up to the hype. We had been to other Italian hill towns and actually found them to be much more beautiful with equally (if not better) sea views.

The seafood was excellent.

We enjoyed seeing the fortress. The views from the fortress were fantastic. We would have liked to learn more about the fort's history. We wandered over to the beach in Scilla, and the beach was great with its pebbles (not sand) and remarkably clear water. This was probably a highlight of our stay.

Chianalea was worth seeing, but I doubt we will return.
Written 28 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bat39
Perth, Australia187 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
This is a gem of a place. We stayed in a beautiful bnb right on the water with the most incredible view. U Catuio, just amazing. Incredible maze of streets, great little restaurants, beach beautiful but you need reef shoes!! Plenty of rocks, but the clear turquoise water is worth it. A great place to chill and just take in the views. Don't forget to visit the local fashion designer on the main strip for a unique piece of handmade clothing to take home. Highly recommended. We stayed 3 nights at the end of a 2 week stint in Sicily. Loved it.
Written 16 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Andrea R
New York City, NY18 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
I am in Scilla to participate in the Mari del Sud Festival and I met this beautiful village of Chianalea. For those unfamiliar with it, one of the most enchanting places in Southern Italy. Thanks to South Seas that made me discover it.
Written 26 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

debart
Aurora, Canada192 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Couples
Che Bella Giornata! What a Beautiful day! Decided to visit the area of Scilla focusing on the zone known as Little Venice. Parked in Scilla & did the long winding walk down through the beautifully maintained vias from the top...what a wonderful adventure! Every corner a lovely visual surprise! Following the winding roadway to the sea and the alleyways with docked fishing boats.
Then Enjoyed a lovely local fish lunch on the sea at one of the many restaurants on the seaside.
Written 31 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

gioCt
ct1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Scilla is a slice of heaven, it is charming, the food and gelato is
delicious and the beach and its boardwalk are memorable.

There are three boroughs in Scilla:

San Giorgio, with beautiful views, San Rocco Church and the piazza. It is a great spot for a coffee, gelato or pastry in one of the outside cafes.

As you proceed down the steps you will encounter the Main Church of Scilla and the famous Castello Ruffo. You can take a right and head down to Chianalea or left to the Marina Grande,
Neither is a bad choice.

Chianalea is a historic district and can only be accessed on foot.
It is very charming fishing village with cobblestone streets and brings you back in history as it enchants you. There is a restaurant that you shouldn't pass up, it is called "Il Pirata"
and serves fantastic regional fare and is a very romantic setting as is as waterfront as you could get. There is also a lovely hotel,
"Il Principe di Scilla" in Chianalea.

Now you could take a memorable walk from Chianalea, walking toward the port and around the castle toward the Marina Grande.
You will be appraoching the boardwalk of on the loveliest beaches, simply enchanting.

There are plenty of restaurants to dine or get a spuntino. You can rent an umbrella with chairs and kayaks or boats to enjoy the beautiful Strait of Messina. The boardwalk is busy all day and evening and is an ideal setting for a romantic cena.

There are good restaurants, I recommend Grotta Azzurra and there is great gelato, pizza and pannini if you are looking for a spuntino.

Below is a website of Scilla Attractions:

http://www.hotelubais.it/ubais/eng/index.html

http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy-featured/calabria/scilla-calabria

Here's another review of Scilla:

South of Tropea, the coastline is stunning, in particular Costa Viola, the "violet coast" and Costa degli Dei, the "coast of the gods." The most worthwhile little dot on the Costa Viola is Scilla, a picturesque fishing village named after the fabled sea monster. According to legend, Scilla was a beautiful young girl who sat at the legendary rock jutting out high above the ocean. She drew the ire of a witch upon her, who turned Scilla into a violent sea creature. That rock is now occupied by the Castello dei Ruffo, which used to serve as a defense structure towards attacks from the sea. Farther south, visit the quiet fishing area of Chianalea. Stroll around, refresh yourself with a clear, bitter soda and lunch on sea snails at Alla Pescatora or swordfish at Grotta Azzurra. The Costa degli Dei is famous in the south for its turquoise waters and the gorgeous bays of the Capo Vaticano. The most popular beaches here are Santa Maria, Baia di Riace, Grotticelle and Torre Ruffa.
Written 8 September 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

David M
Cambridge, UK1,934 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2015 • Couples
We are staying at an AirBNB small apartment in Scilla, right on the main street of Via Annunziata. The main street itself is cobbled and delightful, with small passageways down to the sea. Small shops, bars and restaurants along the street, leading up to an old (still active) fishing port, with the castle above you.

The real problem is parking, which is very limited. Much of the available spaces are "Passo Carabile" which basically means you need a residents' permit. We parked beyond this area and lugged our bags to the apartment. We have found before that it is almost inevitable that other vehicles will have dented the car while we are parked there... we shall see when we get back!
Written 6 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

chide713
Brooklyn, NY13 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2014 • Family
Chianalea di Scilla is a beautiful small fishing village. My father-in-law came from this village and we still have family there. We went for the first time in 1994 and were awe struck at how quaint and beautiful it was. We have been back several times since then and will be going back again this year. There are very many small alleyways that mesh into one another which makes walking through Chianalea very interesting. There are no cars allowed so walking is very enjoyable. The homes are built connected to one another and many are situated right by the sea. When there is a separation between buildings, you can see a beautiful sea view, many times with small boats nearby. There are plenty of restaurants which feature every kind of swordfish recipe. The fish is always fresh and delicious. Some of my favorite restaurants are Il Pirata (The Pirate), Il Principe di Scilla which are situated on a deck right over the water. There is also Grotta Azzurra which is on the beach in Scilla. It is the perfect spot for young couples and families. The beach is a bit stoney but the water is warm and crystal clear. This is a fairytale kind of place to spend a holiday. I shouldn't brag about it too much as I don't ever want it to become too busy with tourists. It is perfect just the way it is.
Written 28 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

uko7000
107 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2018 • Couples
If you are in Scilla you should really take a stroll down to Chianalea di Scilla, the picturesque fishing village located north of the Castello Ruffo. You get there by stairs in just a couple of minutes and can walk the tiny old streets that often end right in the sea, with small fishing boats everywhere, almost like in Venice. There are nice restaurants on the sea and lots of spectacular foto spots. To get back to Scilla you either walk back up the stairs - or just take the little tunnel around the rock of Ruffo that leads you back to Scilla's main beach again.
Written 3 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 117
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

CHIANALEA DI SCILLA (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

All Scilla HotelsScilla Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Scilla
All things to do in Scilla
RestaurantsFlightsHoliday RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesCar Hire