Kilo

Verdict: Kilo is worth the detour into Prino for serious pizza

If you are driving the Ligurian coast and want a pizza worth stopping for, Kilo in the ancient fishing quarter of Prino delivers the kind of technically considered crust that most coastal towns in this stretch cannot match. Chef Chieppa works with a blend of flours and a careful leavening process that produces a super crispy base — the kind that holds its structure without turning cardboard-stiff. This is not a tourist-trap slice. For food enthusiasts who care about how dough is made and what goes on top of it, Kilo earns a booking.

What Makes Kilo Worth Your Time

The setting itself signals intention: a gracefully restyled space in pastel colours typical of Prino, the older fishing village that sits just inland from the seafront. The space has been thoughtfully updated without losing the quiet, neighbourhood character of Prino. Kilo is not trying to compete with the white-tablecloth dining rooms you will find at Osteria Francescana in Modena or Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico — nor should it. It occupies a different register entirely: a neighbourhood pizzeria where the craft is in the dough work and the sourcing, not the theatre.

Chef Chieppa's reputation at Kilo rests on experimentation, working with different flour combinations and fermentation timings to shift the character of the crust depending on the season and the toppings. If you are the kind of traveller who has sought out serious pizza in Naples or tracked down sourdough-forward pies at destination spots, the approach here will feel familiar and worth investigating. The use of first-choice products on leading reinforces that the kitchen treats the whole pizza as a system, not just the base.

Seasonal Angle: When to Visit and What to Expect

Liguria's produce calendar matters at a place like Kilo. Spring and summer bring the region's leading tomatoes, fresh basil, local vegetables that will almost certainly appear on the menu in some form. Autumn shifts toward the earthier end, olive oil from Imperia's famous Taggiasca olive groves, mushrooms, heartier toppings that suit the crispier, more structured base that cooler fermentation conditions can encourage. If you are visiting Imperia in the warmer months, eating on or near the lungomare and then moving to Prino for pizza at Kilo is a logical two-part evening. In the off-season, the quieter neighbourhood setting in Prino makes the experience more intimate.

Imperia sits at the heart of Ligurian olive oil production, the Taggiasca olive is a local staple, that culinary backdrop gives Kilo's sourcing claims genuine local credibility. For the food-focused traveller already working through Imperia's restaurant scene, this is a different gear from the seafood-forward options like Sarri or Osteria Didù, which anchor the local dining scene closer to the port.

Booking and Practicalities

Kilo is direct to book by the standards of Italian destination dining, no months-long waitlists, no tasting-menu-only formats. Walk-ins may be possible on quieter weeknights, but calling ahead or booking in advance is sensible if you are visiting in summer when the Ligurian coast draws more visitors. Prino itself is easily reachable from the Imperia seafront; the address on Lungomare C. Colombo places it within the coastal zone of the wider Imperia municipality.

Price range data is not confirmed for Kilo, but the format, neighbourhood pizzeria with quality sourcing, typically sits in a comfortable mid-range bracket by Italian standards. If you are also planning time in Imperia beyond the meal, see our guides to Imperia hotels, Imperia bars, Imperia wineries, and Imperia experiences.

Quick reference: Neighbourhood pizzeria in Prino, Imperia. Booking: easy, call ahead in summer. Price: mid-range (unconfirmed). Leading seasons: spring and summer for local produce; autumn for heartier combinations.

How It Compares