Lazzaro & Punta Pellaro

LazzaroPunta Pellaro

1. Lazzaro

   sea

   Lazzaro, listed in places as Oliveto, sits on the Ionian shore south of Reggio Calabria in the Strait of Messina, with Etna across the water.

   intermediateadvancedsmall rigging room

   In seasonMay to Sep

   1. JanJ37
   2. FebF49
   3. MarM44
   4. AprA43
   5. May, riders' monthM27
   6. Jun, riders' monthJ23
   7. Jul, riders' monthJ31
   8. Aug, riders' monthA31
   9. Sep, riders' monthS20
   10. OctO24
   11. NovN43
   12. DecD39

   modelled: days with three hours in a row at 12 kt or more, between 06:00 and 19:00 local

   Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.

   Lazzaro: the long version, the launch and the rules

   More on Lazzaro

   The wind that works is the Borea, a northwest thermal running May to September at around 18-25 knots on roughly 70% of days in that window. Water is chop and small waves, never flat. The launch is the weak part: a small strip of hard sand with stones and rocks in it, so bring boots and watch where you walk. Beginners belong at Punta Pellaro 5 km away, where the schools and the services are, while Lazzaro is intermediate terrain that experienced riders get more out of. Summer water is 27 C and winter 16-18 C, so a full suit in the cold months and next to nothing in August. Nobody has published a launch-space measurement or a shore angle for this exact beach, which matters if you are driving the 15 km down the SS106 on a marginal forecast.

   Getting on the water

   Hard sand with stones and rocks on the Lazzaro/Oliveto beach south of Reggio Calabria.

   If it goes wrong

   No lifeguard post, club safety cover or rescue boat is documented at the Lazzaro launch itself. Sea emergencies go to the coast guard on 1530, the national number for distress at sea. The schools and the services are at Pellaro, 5 km up the coast, and at Reggio Calabria, 15 km away, so anyone coming out for you is coming from there.

   Rules and access

   2026: no Lazzaro/Oliveto-specific kiteboarding ordinance, launch corridor, or municipal rule was found; general Reggio Calabria Capitaneria di Porto bathing-season and maritime-safety rules apply by default until local signage says otherwise.

   Everything on Lazzaro

2. Punta Pellaro

   mixed · beginner ok

   Punta Pellaro sits on the southern edge of Reggio Calabria, facing the Strait of Messina, and the Strait is the whole story: NW to NNW flow gets squeezed between Calabria and Sicily and arrives clean and fast, a 15 kt afternoon base building to the 22-24 kt that most NW/NNW days give you.

   intermediateadvancedhuge rigging room

   In seasonall year

   The model here carries the month's average wind rather than a count of windy days: it reaches 13.5 kt in February, the strongest month it models for this spot.

   Punta Pellaro: the long version, the launch and the rules

   More on Punta Pellaro

   The beach is wide and sandy with no rocks, and there is room for everyone who turns up. About 40 m out a submerged shoal flattens the water over it; outside the shoal it is chop, and farther out small to medium waves. The base fills in after 13:00, so mornings are for the bar. The thing to know before you trust that flat water is that it sits about 3 m deep at its shallowest, so it looks like a lagoon and gives you nothing to stand on when it goes wrong. Beginners learn here with NewKiteZone, but strong-wind days are not beginner days: offshore current has been a factor in incidents, worse toward the southern end. The season is not settled. May-September gets the emphasis, Dec-Feb comes out as the windiest stretch of all, and no wind-station record has been published to decide between them.

   Getting on the water

   Long, wide, medium-grain sandy beach with direct access to the water in front of NewKiteZone, which holds a concession with its own launch corridor. The flat-water zone over the submerged shoal is roughly 100 x 50 m; outside it the water is choppy, with 30-40 cm shorebreak and up to about 1.5 m offshore.

   If it goes wrong

   The school on the beach runs a rescue boat, and a second wind-sports concession here is credited with two of them, reportedly. This is a beach service rather than a public station, so check it is staffed on the day you ride: NewKiteZone, +39 393 1933 234.

   Rules and access

   2026: Guardia Costiera Reggio Calabria Ordinanza n. 45/2026 references Punta Pellaro for a kiteboarding specialty area. Under the 2025 municipal bathing ordinance, a roughly 150 m section of beach (lots 11.L7 and 12.L1) is reserved for wind sports with bathing prohibited immediately alongside it; local wind-sports operators have asked the municipality to widen this to 200 m, a request not confirmed as granted.

   Everything on Punta Pellaro

• Aeroporto dello Stretto / Reggio Calabria (REG) — in the Ravagnese district, about 6 km south of the city centre and close to Pellaro

Kite bag rules for your airline

Type the carrier you are flying: what it charges for a kite bag, and the year of the policy that says so.

Known for Italy:RyanaireasyJet

Every carrier, with limits and what riders report at the counter →

1. Punta Pellaro’s wind reputation is not just marketing; riders and spot databases repeatedly describe regular thermal northwest wind in the high teens to mid twenties.

   consensus×5 riders

2. The main Pellaro beach is forgiving to launch from compared with many Italian spots: wide, coarse sand or micro-pebbles, few shore obstacles, and room even in summer.

   consensus×4 riders

3. It can still go from playful to serious quickly; riders mention sudden squalls, lots of people on the water, current offshore, and the need to respect coast-guard rules.

   majority×3 riders

4. Lazzaro is the rougher, narrower sibling: more chop and small waves, rocks and stones on the beach, and a better fit for intermediate or expert riders.

   majority×2 riders

5. Foreign riders like the wind and friendliness, but English is not always the default at local operations.

   majority×2 riders

• Lazzaro was the ancient Leucopetra, recorded by the geographer Strabo; Cicero is said to have stopped there in 43 BC while fleeing Rome.
• The 1908 Messina Strait earthquake and tsunami devastated both Pellaro and Lazzaro, with waves reportedly reaching 13 metres in Pellaro; roughly 1,000 people died in Lazzaro alone.
• Pellaro was an independent comune until it was absorbed into 'Grande Reggio' in 1927.

What we could not settle. Ride here? These are the gaps worth filling.

• Is 'Lazzaro & Punta Pellaro' the name riders actually use for this area?
• Specific accommodation names/prices at Pellaro or Lazzaro
• Money/SIM practicalities
• Any events calendar for the kite community