On a rocky cliff above the Tyrrhenian Sea, in Calabria’s province of Vibo Valentia, we find the town of Pizzo. Small in population but rich in reputation, it is known across Italy as “the town of gelato.” Its fame, however, doesn’t come from the amount of gelato produced, but from a single, iconic creation: the Tartufo di Pizzo, a dense, round ball of hazelnut and chocolate gelato, filled with a molten chocolate heart dusted with cocoa powder. 

Believe us when we say this is no ordinary dessert, it is a regional treasure and a point of pride for the town’s residents. Pizzo itself is a lovely place to be: it sits along the Costa degli Dei, the Coast of the Gods, a stretch of Calabrian coastline marked by cliffs, sandy beaches, and crystal-clear sea.