Sea
Mondello: impossible not to mention it despite being too touristy during the day and with an almost snobbish touch in the evening, when you take a walk among stalls and ice cream parlors. Yet with its mix of people and about 11 kilometers from the city center, it impresses with the white sand and a series of currents that give the water shades from blue to turquoise. Between Monte Pellegrino and Monte Gallo it boasts a one and a half kilometer beach, between the free and the paid part with the adjoining fishing village waiting to be discovered.
Capo Gallo: the reserve is the place where the dwarf palm grows spontaneously and there is no beach, but only rocks and a fabulous sea. You can access it by paying a symbolic amount of a few euros, but in these parts the seabed offers a spectacle of marine fauna, including lobster.
Addaura: on the north side there is also this area, which derives from the dialectal form of the word "laurel". It can be reached either from the Shipyards or from the Favorita park. Between rich backdrops and beautiful villas, it is a very popular area in summer.
Arenella-Vergine Maria: golden beach and very wide, it boasts a tonnara with anchors on display and immediately high depths. It is usually preferred as a solarium.
Sferracavallo: it is a seaside village full of excellent fish restaurants at a more or less fixed price. The Baia del Corallo, is located close to the Navy establishment, with an emerald green panorama. On the south coast, on the other hand, there is Barcarello with its coral reef and its limestone quay on the water.
Isola delle Femmine: various legends and stories follow one another around the name in question. There are those who speak of the presence of a women's prison and those who say that it derives from the Arabic "Fim", that is, inlet. Again, it could come from Eufemie, Byzantine governor of Messina. Pliny the younger, on the other hand, spoke of an island full of beautiful women. It is an islet 300 meters from the coast with a sixteenth-century watchtower and today a nature reserve, managed by the Italian Bird Protection League.
Capaci: full of bathing establishments and a stretch of free beach, it boasts shallow and sandy bottoms.
Cinisi: fine golden sand on the Magaggiari beach, at the exit of the town, which despite being free is full of refreshment points.
Punta Raisi: Not far from the Falcone and Borsellino airport, it is full of shallow and fishy waters. It can be reached by following the motorway with the exit for Villagrazia di Carini.
Terrasini: the rocks are reddish with white veins and Cala Rossa stands out, which can be reached both from the SS 113 and from the motorway to Trapani.
Trappeto: sand for several meters, but a sea that is not infrequently rough yet splendid.
Balestrate: due to the currents, the water in the area is often colder and the name derives from the crossbow, which in the Norman period was used for a shot from the coast to the hinterland.
The southern side is splendid with many bays, including:
Ficarazzi: With the Crucicchia beach it represents the first bathing area after having overcome the once sought after and now often polluted stretches of Romagnolo, Bandita and Acqua dei Corsari.
Santa Flavia: dominated by Monte Catalfano, near Solunto, a Phoenician stronghold, it has a coastline that allows you to reach the Secca delle Formiche by boat, a paradise for divers. Do not forget the Mongerbino coast, with the mythical cove "Ai Francesi" and that of "Kafara" with the adjoining hotel of the same name and a series of views to try along the road that connects the two stretches of sea.
Capo Zafferano: with the Lido dei Carabinieri, Solanto, the ancient tonnara and the castle of the Princes of San Vincenzo. After the Sperlinga Tower you will find the Fondachello beach.
Casteldaccia and Altavilla Milicia: the first, between low cliffs and sandy beaches, was a splendid area until the 1960s, until an intense building erased an area, now slowly again ready to be rediscovered. In Altavilla there are many coves to try, some of which are not easy to access, starting with the free beach of Ravetto. Continuing it is worthwhile to also reach the sea areas of Trabia, Termini Imerese Lascari, Campofelice di Roccella, final of Pollina.
Cefalù: the name derives from the Greek Kefaloidion and from the Punic Kefa (head), due to the characteristic shape of the fortress. restaurants and ice cream parlors, perhaps before reaching the illuminated Duomo.