Guide to Northwest Sicily
If someone requested that I build a Top 5 List of places I’ve visited, without question, Sicily is making that list. There is no other way to put it, this desert island is simply gorgeous. Crystal clear water cascades over serene beaches, overlooked by the staccato mountains that are scattered throughout the landscape. It’s small towns are trapped in a time when the world was a simpler place. Wi-Fi and even cell service can be tough to find outside of the city of Palermo. There are no Ubers. Not a ton of TV. Sicily is a land of doing something while doing nothing. There is no in between.
As our plane approached the northwestern city of Palermo, I had no idea what to expect. I was recovering from the wedding of my best friend in Portugal and my head was throbbing. I was not ready for the heat. This is my first lesson for you; Sicily is fucking hot. If you’re a little dehydrated, get some water and get some sleep before you hit it. I was dragging ass for the first 2 days as I tried to catch up to the extreme heat.
We spent the majority of our time in the peaceful town of Castellammare Del Golfo, Nicole’s family owns a three story home in the heart of the Castellammare Del Golfo - it’s partially unfinished and only recently furnished but it has AC! THANK GOD! It’s from this amazing family home that we called basecamp for our week in northwest Sicily. We are really thinking about the prospect of trying to finish the property, furnish it, and open it as a hostel or bed and breakfast. It would be perfect! But for now, you’ll have to stay at one of the many AirBnB’s in the town.
Where we stayed in Sicily
Castellammare Del Golfo
The Castellammare Del Golfo province is one of the largest in northwestern Sicily. The town of Castellammare Del Golfo is centered around a seaward facing castle, which overlooks the marina area, known as the Porti di Castellammare Del Gulfo. The marina area is a lively stretch of bars, restaurants, coffee shops and boat excursions and is a perfect Instagramable location for photos. Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi and Corso Bernardo Mattarella are packed with gelato, pizza, bars, people watching, street performing, restaurants, entertainment and public seating. Otherwise, between here and San Vito, which we will touch on in a moment, you’ve got the perfect 7-10 day trip for a family or romantic vacation for two.
Day Trips from Castellammare
Visit Erice
I love, love, love, me some Erice! This tiny mountain town feels like an actual Disney town. Like what Disney or a theme park tries to emulate, except that it’s real. It’s so cute. The road up has to be about 40 switchbacks of 45+ degrees. It was about 90-100 degrees at the base of the mountain and suddenly we needed jackets 15 minutes later.Once we arrived at the top we entered the narrow cobblestone streets and stone homes. I felt like Robinhood was about to start riding through the streets!
San Vito lo Capo
A lively town to visit day or night. During the day the beach is the perfect beach to lounge at. The beach is overlooked by a very scenic mountain on one end and the town on the other. Everything you need from a food/drink perspective is accessible from the beach but I still advise that you bring your own water. Once you’ve gone home and showered from the beaches, the town of San Vito is a lively strip of restaurants, ice cream, bars, shops, music, and people watching. All of San Vito is perfect for a full day/night of your vacation to northwestern Sicily. Parking is a bitch! I recommend arriving early to get a space.
Pro Tip: Rent the little paddle boats with a slide! I had SO MUCH FUN jumping off of the top as we drove around. The crystal clear water gets deep very quickly so you can jump off the 10 ft slides safely.
San Vito Lo Capo Beach
Take the ferry from Trapani to Favignana!
Take a 30-45 minute ferry from Trapani and you’ll find the three quiet islands of Marettimo, Isola di Levanzo, and Favignana. We spent our day on the largest (largest doesn’t mean that it’s very large) of the three islands, Favignana. We rented a motorbike and explored the entire Island on our own, which we would 100% recommend as the roads aren’t intimidating even for novice drivers.
Start your day off at the stunning Cala Rossa beach, a stone ruin beach with idyllic views of the Tyrrhenian Sea and its crystal clear waters. The whole cove is wrapped in stone ruins where you can lay your towel and from which dive into the turquoise clear waters. Grab lunch at La Costa Sunset Bar & Bistrot Cala Trono Favignana - a gorgeous loungey beach bar to enjoy cocktails and seafood. After lunch head to Spiaggia di Lido Burrone for a second round of relaxing in the turquoise waters before you make it back for the ferry home.
Have Lunch and Relax in Scopello
An adorable little town with a very unique beach that is a perfect middle of the day lunch R&R. Another place that you’re going to want to bring your camera because Scopello is where wedding photos are made - it’s an Italian dream.
Explore the Greek Temples of Segesta
Greek temples in Italy. Definitely a tourist spot but a very unique one. There is an amphitheater and traditional Greek temple that are worth seeing. You can get the whole thing done in about two hours.
Hike and Swim at Lo Zingaro Nature Reserve
Do it, do it, do it! A thousand times yes! Zingaro is a national park consisting of about 10-12 miles of coastline that you can hike from Scopello to San Vito. It is littered with some of the best beaches EVER!
There is parking on both sides but you cannot drive into the reserve. There is less parking at the north entrance but it’s also a shorter walk to many of the beaches. So you’ll need to hike to the many beaches on the reserve. If you have a boat then I 100% recommend pulling up and dropping anchor to any of the beaches.
It’s 5 Euro to enter the reserve and parking will be a bit extra too. Bring some cash but most importantly: BRING WATER!! There are no shops in the Reserve so what you bring is what you got for the day. It’s Sicily, be smart, it’s going to be friggen hot.