Kilo

Prino's Waterfront and the Case for Serious Pizza

The Ligurian Riviera has never positioned itself as pizza territory. This is the coast of pesto, focaccia, and trofie, where seafood caught the same morning lands on tables at places like Sarri and Osteria Didù, and where the tradition of a simple, ingredient-led plate has shaped the regional identity for generations. Against that backdrop, a pizzeria in the ancient fishing village of Prino that draws attention for dough experimentation and sourcing discipline occupies an unusual position. Kilo, on the Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo, is that kind of address: a place where the pizza itself is the editorial argument.

Prino sits at the western edge of Imperia, quieter than the Porto Maurizio waterfront and less touristic than the main corso. Arriving along the lungomare, the building reads as a local institution rather than a destination restaurant: pastel walls, a graceful interior restyling that nods to the fishing-village palette without tipping into costumed nostalgia. The room is the product of a considered renovation that kept the character of the neighbourhood intact. That restraint in design choices mirrors what happens in the kitchen.

The Sourcing Logic Behind the Crust

Italian pizza culture has split, over the past decade, into two distinct camps. On one side sit the Neapolitan orthodoxies, defined by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana's strict flour and technique specifications. On the other sits a broader experimental movement, concentrated in Rome but now spread across the peninsula, where pizzaioli treat flour blending, hydration rates, and extended fermentation as legitimate craft variables rather than deviations from tradition. Kilo belongs to the second camp.

Chef Chieppa's approach centres on a mix of flours and a careful, extended leavening process. The result is a crust described as super crispy, which in technical terms points toward lower hydration, longer cold fermentation, and a bake that draws moisture out evenly rather than leaving a soft, pliable interior. This is a specific textural commitment, and it sets a different expectation from the first bite. What matters editorially is not just the technique, but why it produces a different product: the blended flours introduce different protein structures and flavour compounds, and the leavening timeline determines how much of the flour's natural sugars have converted before heat is applied. Those choices directly affect what lands on the table.

The sourcing claim of first-choice products carries weight in a region where ingredient provenance is a genuine differentiator. Liguria's proximity to both the Ligurian Sea and the agricultural hinterland of the Maritime Alps means that local supply chains for olive oil, vegetables, and cured products run short and traceable. A pizzeria that commits to that supply chain is making a different product than one importing commodity toppings, and in a city the size of Imperia, that sourcing stance is visible and accountable in ways it would not be in Milan or Rome.

Italy's reference-point restaurants, from Osteria Francescana in Modena to Piazza Duomo in Alba, have spent two decades arguing that Italian regional ingredients, treated with technical precision, are the basis of the country's most compelling cooking. The same argument, applied at the pizzeria tier, is what Kilo is making in Prino.

Where Kilo Sits in the Imperia Dining Context

Imperia is not a city that generates significant international restaurant coverage. The dining scene is weighted toward seafood trattorias and traditional Ligurian formats, and the hotels and broader hospitality infrastructure (see our full Imperia hotels guide) reflect a city that primarily serves domestic tourism and local residents rather than the international circuit. That context matters when assessing Kilo. This is not a restaurant competing with Le Calandre in Rubano or Enrico Bartolini in Milan. It is a neighbourhood pizzeria operating at the quality ceiling of its category in a mid-sized Ligurian city, and that is the correct frame for evaluating it.

Within Imperia, the relevant question is whether a serious pizza program adds something to a dining scene already strong in seafood and traditional Ligurian cooking. The answer is yes, and specifically because the format is different enough from the region's defaults to read as additive rather than competitive. For visitors navigating Imperia's restaurant options, Kilo occupies the casual-serious tier: technically considered food at approachable scale, in a setting that reflects the local character of Prino rather than performing for an outside audience.

The broader Imperia scene extends across bars, wineries, and experiences beyond the restaurant circuit. Those looking to construct a fuller picture of the city can consult our Imperia bars guide, our Imperia wineries guide, and our Imperia experiences guide for a more complete overview.

Planning a Visit

Kilo is on Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo 188 in the Prino district of Imperia, a waterfront address that is reachable by car from the A10 motorway or by local bus from Imperia Porto Maurizio station. The lungomare setting means the approach on foot from the seafront is the natural way to arrive. Phone and website details are not currently listed in public directories, so confirming hours before visiting is worth a direct check on arrival in the area or through local accommodation recommendations. For a pizzeria with an experimental dough program and a commitment to first-choice ingredients, the kitchen's output can vary slightly by season as sourcing adjusts to what the region is producing, so visits in spring and autumn, when Liguria's agricultural supply is at its most varied, tend to align well with the format.

Italy's three-Michelin-star tier, represented by restaurants like Dal Pescatore in Runate, Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico, Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, Reale in Castel di Sangro, and Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone, operates at a different altitude than a Prino pizzeria. But the underlying argument, that Italian ingredients sourced carefully and treated with technical respect produce something worth travelling for, is the same one Kilo is making on the lungomare, at a price point and scale that makes the argument accessible in a way that a tasting menu cannot.