Beaches in Sicily
BEAUTIFUL BEACHES
TURQUOISE SEA
As the largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily also has a correspondingly large coastline. Especially the southeast is known for its beautiful sandy beaches. Directly south of Siracusa is the beautiful and characteristic rocky coast of Plemmirio, but then a stretch of coast with beautiful, varied sandy beaches begins in the Gulf of Noto. From Fontane Bianche, the house beach of the Siracusans, to far beyond Marina di Ragusa on the south coast, the sandy beaches of Avola, Lido di Noto, the 5 beach bays of the Vendicari nature reserve, San Lorenzo and Marzamemi line up. At the south-eastern end of Sicily, at Portopalo the Capo Passero, where the Ionian Sea meets the Mediterranean, the beaches become larger and thinner, stretching through Carratois, Porto Ulisse and Marza to Pozzallo, where the coastline begins with the beaches of the baroque towns of Modica, Scicli and Ragusa, whose marinas are joined by Sampieri, Cava D’ Aliga, Donnalucata, Punta Secca and Scoglitti. Since most of our holiday homes in south-eastern Sicily are located around Noto, we will go into more detail about them.
vendicari
The Vendicari Nature Reserve
Vendicari is an 11 km long nature reserve with 6 (including the beach Pizzuta) beautiful natural sandy beaches, which are open for swimming. However, the Riserva Naturale di Vendicari is not only suitable for swimming, but above all for walking and bird watching. The nature park was founded in 1984 and is home to a great variety of flora and fauna. The high salinity of the soil provides an ideal habitat for Mediterranean scrub vegetation. Herbs like thyme and rosemary grow here, as well as other prickly bush plants like juniper. Many migratory birds stop here for a few days on their way to and from Africa. Flamingos, herons, storks and cormorants can be found here in autumn, while terns, ducks, mallards and pintail ducks are guests in winter. With its numerous observation huts, Vendicari is a paradise for bird lovers. Worth seeing is above all a 15th century tower built by Peter of Aragon, a brother of King Alfonso (known as Torre Sveva), a tonnara (tuna fishery) and various old fishermen’s houses.
Whichever entrance to the nature reserve you choose, you will have to park your car some distance away and walk the rest of the way through this unique area.
Eloro is the first beach of the Vendicari Nature Reserve south of the excavations of the ancient Greek city of Eloro.
