Italian beaches in Sicily: Haven for Beach Lovers

Sicily might have what can be called the sandiest beaches you’ve ever seen and this region can boast of having a dramatic coastline to add to all the beauty and glory. This is perhaps the place to get all the best Italian beaches. Or is it so?

The best part about Sicily is that the water here is generally warm enough to swim in; and it stays like this for about 6 months in a year. It boasts of beautiful shorefront restaurants that dot the region. There are various ways to get around the Italian beaches as well. You could try renting a pedalo while you’re at San Vito lo Capo or you could hire a beach shuttle boat while at the Aeolian Islands. Give yourself at least a week so that you could visit all the places while at Sicily.

The bottom line is you got to visit this place with a leisurely pace in mind. You can’t rush through this one.

First Stop: Mondello

This is a crescent bay, replete with white sand and shallow water. You will also find an Art Nouveau bathhouse here. This is the quintessential ‘people’s beach’ of the Palermo region and the carnivalesque atmosphere is what renders it this nickname. Snorkeling and windsurfing are extremely popular in these regions.

One of the main attractions of this region is the Grand Stabilimento Balneare. It is a bathing club which was built on the pier during 1913. A visit here will show you that this spot is like a blast from the past; a glimpse at what the good-old-days of European life looked like.

You can reach Mondello from Palermo. It should take you around 15 minutes by road. You could stick to doing a day trip from there.

Stop Two: Cefalu

The picturesque region of Cefalu is best seen in the Giuseppe Tornatore movie Cinema Paradiso of 1988. You should probably rent out a copy of it before you visit this place. This is, in reality, a fishing village and every second person you meet here will be named Salvatore. You’ll also see a major influx of northern Europeans here during the summers. They all shunt here to find some sun.

Sight-seeing wise there isn’t much to do in Cefalu. You could, however, pay a visit o the Duomo and rocca, which is a fortress. But this village plays its role well as a base for sunbathing and relaxing.

Stop Three: Aeolian Islands

If you’ve planned your trip to have some extra time, it might be a great idea to hop onto a hydrofoil at Milazzo. You could spend some time at this archipelago which stands right off the northeast coast of Sicily. The Aeolian Islands generally remain a ‘native’ Italian experience, given the fact that they’re that much tougher to get to.  Each of these islands have their own characteristics to deal with and some of them are as follows –

Panarea –

Party animals will love it here.

Salina –

It is a haven for nature lovers.

Lipari –

It is the largest island and has most of the services you’d want to make use of.

All said and done, each of the islands is known to have calm and clear water. It is an almost paradisical place to swim and very few of the Italian beaches are sandy.