Cold weather in Slovakia made us think about where to go for warmth in autumn. Ryanair tickets for 58€ to Sicily didn’t have to convince us for long. After a previous colleague’s trip across Sicily, we focused on the northwestern part of the island, San Vito Lo Capo. This charming town with a beautiful beach and the Monte Monaco mountain represents the perfect getaway for a long weekend. The pleasant water temperature of 23 degrees in October says it all. Add to that two nature reserves with marked trails, so not only swimming enthusiasts but also hikers will enjoy themselves. The autumn trip can begin.
Contents
Day 1 – San Vito lo Capo Beach
Day 2 – Monte Cofano Reserve
Day 3 – Relaxation in San Vito lo Capo
Day 4 – Hiking on Monte Monaco
Day 1 – San Vito lo Capo Beach
After a long flight from Budapest, for a change, we have opted for flights from Bratislava. The direct flight to Trapani took just under 2 hours, and at the airport, we rented a car from Auto Europa. We booked the car through the website vipcars.com. Fiats are a monopoly there, and we also managed to get one, a white Fiat Panda. We didn’t take photos of the car at the beginning, and the next day we discovered dents and a small scratch. Even though we didn’t have any collisions, we still recommend photographing the car at the beginning. Luckily, we were not charged for it, but it was noted as a new damage in the papers. On the way to our accommodation, we stopped at the salt flats with a stone mill. A few meters further is Carrefour, where we did a big shopping, as some markets in the city were overpriced and emptied. Driving through Trapani was quite an adrenaline rush, with bicycles and motorcycles overtaking you on both sides, and cars squeezing in from side streets. After over an hour’s drive, we arrived at our San Vito Lo Capo. We have a check-in at Hotel Mira Spiaggia, but we are staying at Residence Smeraldo. We are extremely satisfied with the accommodation; we got an apartment with two bedrooms, a kitchenette, and balconies. The only extra charge was for bed linen and towels. We unpacked our things and headed to our San Vito Lo Capo Beach. By the way, it’s only about a 5-minute walk away. The sun is shining, so we spend the rest of the day relaxing on the beach. The scenery with the peak of Monte Monaco is amazing. In the evening, we take a walk to the lighthouse to conclude the day.
Day 2 – Reservation of Monte Cofano
We start the day with a morning swim, so put on your swimsuit, grab a towel, and let’s go. The morning view of the sea is like looking at one big glass board. We count down three, two, one, and jump into the water. If only we could have such a wake-up every day. Today, we plan to visit the eastern coast all the way to the Monte Cofano reserve. The first turn towards the coast is towards El Bahira campground, where we take a short walk. Further along the coast, there is a wide space with grass that seems to serve as another campground.
TIP: Just under a kilometer ahead, you will find a tiny hidden cove where you can swim
The road changes from asphalt to dirt and slightly gravelly, but with slower driving, it can be easily managed. Here and there, you have to dodge potholes or cattle 🙂 We parked the car at the end of the road, where there were wooden barriers. Originally, we only wanted to walk to the fortress we saw from a distance, but it turns out that the main loop of the reserve starts there. The trail around the hill to Cala Buguto took us a little over an hour. If you want to do the loop, be prepared for a bit of hiking, as the path leads through nice switchbacks. Due to lack of time and inappropriate footwear, we chose to return along the same route, so maybe next time. The path is well marked with signposts with educational boards, and you can explore caves, chapels, and a watchtower. On the way back, something scratched our tire, but luckily no damage, it was just a poor snail. We arrive in San Vito just before dark. In the evening, we take a walk along the main shopping street Via Savoia and we are lured into a local restaurant. We taste seafood salad, the local specialty caponata, and of course, some Italian wine.
TIP: Postcards are only sold in tobacco shops, but they were out of stock too, the only certainty is the post office on the main square near the church
Day 3 – Relax in San Vito lo Capo
We start our third day with another early morning swim. This is followed by a morning coffee, while we gaze at the sky – today it looks like rain. More and more clouds gather, the sea gets rough, and indeed, thunder and lightning have arrived. We spend the whole morning playing cards and watching a movie. A slight change to our plans, but what can you do, you have to experience all kinds of weather. The sun rises around three o’clock, so we slowly make our way to our San Vito beach. To drain the city streets into the sea, they made channels with shovels in the sand, so the water was quite dirty. It was worth moving a little further to the right. Today we don’t push ourselves at all and relax on the beach until evening. In the evening, we will try another local restaurant and some good food.
Day 4 – Hiking on Monte Monaco
The plan for today is a reservation at Zingaro on the east side of San Vito. The road by car leads along the coast, and be prepared to occasionally dodge cows. You will encounter gentle switchbacks with panoramic views, and at the end, there is a sufficiently large parking lot. The catch was that despite the nice weather, we were not allowed to enter the reserve due to the wind. They allowed us to take a few photos, and not only we leave disappointed. No problem, at least we have one more reason to come back here. As an alternative program, we choose a hike to Monte Monaco. You can park the car at the beginning of the dirt road to the top. The ascent with an elevation gain of about 500m took us a little over an hour at a moderate pace. A massive cross and indescribable views from a height of 532m await you. You have the entire coastline in the palm of your hand, with visibility from San Vito to Monte Cofano. We even met Czech tourists here 🙂 Panoramas and videos done, we can head to our beach, which we carefully examined from a bird’s eye view. After a hike in such heat, we are looking forward to the water.
TIP: A few dozen meters from the beach, there is a marked underwater wreck where you can dive or snorkel, and there is no shortage of little fish
As it usually happens, at the end of the trip we always have the most beautiful weather. We are enjoying the last day at the beach and in the evening, we are ending it with a concert at the main square. A really nice unplanned ending. In the morning, we will just move to the airport, return the car, and at 10:55 we are flying to Bratislava.
