San Vito Lo Capo

The town sits at the tip of a cape with Monte Monaco rising behind it and a wide crescent beach of fine pale sand and shallow water, unusual on a coast that is mostly rock. Couscous has been eaten in this part of Sicily for centuries, arriving through North African contact and made here with fish rather than meat, steamed in a perforated earthenware pot. The Cous Cous Fest, held each September since 1998, brings teams from several countries to cook and compete, and fills the town for a week. Rock climbing on the surrounding limestone has developed strongly since the 1990s.

Background

San Vito Lo Capo, Santu Vitu in Sicilian, is a town and comune on the north-western coast of Sicily, in the province of Trapani, with the Zingaro Nature Reserve on its eastern border. Its white-sand beach is a major tourist destination for all of Sicily and is considered one of the most beautiful in Italy. West of the town, a coastal cliff nearly 4 kilometres long carries as many as 1600 bolted climbing routes. Since 1998 the last week of September has brought the Cous Cous Fest, an international celebration of Mediterranean culture and food. The feast of the patron, St Vito Martyr, on 15 June opens with the antenna game, in which players try to walk a soaped 10-metre beam over the sea and grab the flag at its end.

Source: Wikipedia, "San Vito Lo Capo"

The main sights

• The crescent beach - fine pale sand with shallow water below a mountain.
• The fish couscous - a Sicilian version steamed in earthenware.
• The Cous Cous Fest - an international cooking event each September.
• The climbing crags - limestone walls developed since the 1990s.

When to go

May to June and September; August is extremely crowded and parking is severe. The festival falls in late September and books out accommodation.

Good to know

Much of the beach is occupied by paid clubs in season. August traffic on the single access road is heavy. The town is almost entirely seasonal.

Nearby

The Zingaro reserve begins south; Erice lies inland.

Key facts