San Vito lo Capo, Sicily
Known as The Caribbean of Europe, San Vito Lo Capo is on the northwestern tip of the isle of Sicily. Just under two hours away by car from Palermo, San Vito Lo Capo is a holiday destination that has a little something for everyone; namely stunning beaches and seafood- really good seafood.
Arriving at our packed hotel in time for dinner, the proprietor squeezed us onto the last available table – it was the last available table for a reason. The food here was spectacular! Sicily has been conquered by many different nations throughout millenia, including the Phoenicians, the Islamic Moors, Greeks, Romans, Normans and Spanish. The island joined the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, and by that time, the culture, customs and cuisine reflected this diversity. We tucked into a seafood platter served with couscous that evening, featuring the famous Sicilian Red Shrimp.
We were staying in a small, family hotel, and although it was a few kilometres from the sea, the attraction for this place was the food. Located about 3 km from the beach, we had intended to take a taxi each morning and walk back to our hotel, arriving just in time for a very chilled appertif. Waiting in the morning for the taxi driver, we got chatting to the receptionist; a smiley, vivacious young lady who informed us that San Vito probably isn’t the place to be for a week without a car.. the local taxi driver works day time only, when he’s not flirting outrageously with the girls..
San Vito is a popular holiday destination for Italians from all over Italy, but don’t worry, everyone else is welcome too! The seafront has everything you’d expect from a holiday destination by the sea; with arcades, a marina, an endless line of restaurants and bars, and a beautiful sandy beach, not to mention the many shops selling seriously good, authentic gelato.
The beach at San Vito Lo Capo is about 70% private- where you have to pay for sun loungers and an umbrella or canopy. In the height of Summer, the beach area gets very crowded and if the idea of a private beach area appeals to you, as it did us, there are a few good private beaches to choose from. Some areas offer just sun loungers and umbrellas and/or canopies, and some areas are fenced off and offer private toilets/showers and food and beverage service. 1. Mamita’s Beach Garden has an on-line reservation system for sun loungers and parasols, and will set you back between 30-50€ per day for a couple, or if you book in advance and don’t care where you are seated [there are 10 rows of sun loungers, and they are more in demand the closer you are to the shore line] we bagged a week for 140€ chairs only 2. Lido Acqua Azzura, and 3. Al Sabbione, is an upmarket full-service beach offer.
The soft clean (and very hot) sand on the beach itself is the perfect place to lay back on a sun-lounger and soak up the sun, people watch, or read a book, though you will be periodically interrupted by the Coco-Bello. The Coco-Bello is, as the name suggests, a man walking the beach with a large tray/bowl of coconut pieces and often bottled drinks on ice that he sells as he passes. To alert you to his presence he yells out ‘Coco Bello’ (Coconut Man) among other things. The Coco Bello is usually a joker or ‘amateur entertainer’ and will often try to entice more custom by making everybody laugh (everybody that understands Italian). It’s often quite comical, even if you do not understand the words.
As you might expect seafood is on the menu everyday and for obvious reason. San Vito Lo Capo was once nothing more than a fisherman’s village, though a fisherman’s village with fantastic white sandy beaches. Gone are the days of tuna fishing dominating the industry of this region, now it is dominated by tourism and olive groves. Local produce is abundant on Sicily, none more so than that from the sea, so if you love seafood you are spoilt for choice when looking for restaurants.
After we peeled ourselves off the sunloungers that first day, we realised the 3 km walk back to the hotel was all uphill, it was hot as blazes, and there were no sidewalks. We wandered around town and went into a Gelato shop, as you do after an exhausting day at the beach.. we thought maybe, just maybe, there is another taxi driver in town who isn’t already booked, so we asked at the Gelato shop. Nope. The guy spoke perfect English and offered to drive us back to our hotel. His name was Giacomo and everyday, we would finish up at the Gelato shop and Giacomo would either drive us back to our hotel, or he would ask someone else to. To this day, we are still great friends with him, and he proved to be a marvellous ambassador for San Vito!
Walking or hiking are a great way to walk off a big lunch and as this corner of Sicily is mountainous, the views from climbing to the top of the mountains can be quite breathtaking. We spent several afternoons meandering along the four major trails of the Zingaro Nature Reserve. On one particularly hot day, we decided an all-day boat trip was an excellent idea.
There are commercial boat tours you can book, for an all-day excursion. We had seen some of these boats returning in the late afternoon, with loads of people disembarking, and we fancied something a bit less crowded. We asked Giacomo, who suggested a local guy with a boat and arranged a day out. We spent hours exploring the coastline up to Scopello and the beaches in the Riservera lo Zingaro, including little caves, and diving in the clear turquoise water. Along the way, there are abandonded tuna fishing and processing ruins, called Tonnara de Secco that looks like the set of an old movie and offers some fantastic areas for swimming.
San Vito is a very well kept secret; it’s a beautiful seaside town and there is enough in the area to keep you occupied when you aren’t lazing on the beach. But this is the beach and that is what you are here for. Below are some nearby beaches that are slightly off the beaten path, and well worth a visit:
- Zingaro Nature Reserve boasts some of the most spectacular beaches, including Tonnara del Secco . The Zingaro Nature Reserve is located between Scopello and San Vito Lo Capo. You will want to access it by the south entrance where there is a large car park. Get there early in the high season, as we’re told it fills up quickly and early. There is also a small snack bar where you can buy food and drinks. This is the only place where you can buy food and water. Once inside there is no drinking water, so make sure you bring enough water for the entire day. There is a 5€ entrance fee.
- Bue Marino Beach – crowned in 2015 as the Most Beautiful in Italy, has a small pebble beach which hosts amazing sunsets and is just 3 km from San Vito lo Capo. There are no amenities here so bring your own chairs, parasol, water and lunch
- Isulidda Beach, nearby to Bue Marino is another pebble beach which is a paradise for snorkeling and expoloring sea caves. Bring what you need for the day including snorkeling gear.
- Bala Santa Margherita further down the coast is your beach in the height of the summer. It’s postcard gorgeous with rocky outcrops, and giant cliffs. The infrastructure isn’t as good as San Vito, but it doesn’t have the crowds and there are some entrepreneurs about; renting sun loungers, a small bar offering and a few food vans scattered about.
- Macari Beach is located just 4 km from San Vito. An absolutely gorgeous beach with waters highlighting every shade of blue and turquoise you can imagine, it’s San Vito’s cousin without the crowds. There are no ammeneties here except for the raw natural beauty and the sunsets…
Visiting San Vito Lo Capo in September is a very good idea; most of the tourist are pretty much gone and these amazing beaches are quieter and people are less stressed and friendlier. Held annually, Couscous Fest San Vito showcases the flavours, and the music and dance of North Africa in a week-long celebration.
There are also many festivities and celebrations on Sicily throughout the year and you’ll want to check out the local festival guide before you book to see which festivities you can be a part of. You will find a festival for almost everything if you look; from martyred saints to artichokes and salami makers and back for some more saints, there is always something being celebrated and you will usually always be welcomed by the locals and encouraged to participate.
There was a full moon while we were in San Vito, and one thing I remember is the clarity of the night sky; there isn’t light pollution here at all so the night sky is so visible you can almost touch it. I love to watch the sky on a summer’s night, and as you can imagine doing so from a tiny little island in the middle of the Mediterranean is about the best vantage to view the night sky you could wish for in Europe!
