Isola Dino

Isola Dino rises off Praia a Mare as a limestone island shaped by coastal erosion. Its cliffs and sea caves define the shoreline of the Riviera dei Cedri, while traces of prehistoric life have been found in the caves.

Why it matters

The island covers about fifty hectares and reaches roughly one hundred metres in height. It stands opposite Capo dell'Arena and is the largest island within Calabrian waters. Its caves and surrounding seabed make it an important natural landmark on this part of the Tyrrhenian coast.

What to notice

The island's pale limestone cliffs are cut by sea caves, including the Grotta del Monaco, Grotta delle Sardine, Grotta delle Cascate, Grotta del Leone and Grotta Azzurra, which the municipality identifies as the largest. The Grotta delle Sardine contains stalagmites formed above an earlier waterline. From the shore, the contrast between the rocky island and the mainland coast is especially clear.

Context and history

The caves have yielded prehistoric material, and erosion continues to shape the island's rocky perimeter. Local tradition links the name Dino to a Greek word for storm, though the island's more certain place in local history is as a landmark along the Riviera dei Cedri. It remains an uninhabited natural feature of the coast.