Mondello, Capo Gallo and Isola delle Femmine

Just about 10 kilometres from the centre of Palermo, on the other side of Mount Pellegrino, Mondello is the favourite seaside resort of the people of Palermo, enjoying first of all a vast popular beach and tourist facilities, but also embellished with Art Nouveau villas.
To the north of the beach lies the small harbour, at the foot of the mount of Capo Gallo which dominates the coast from its 524 metres, now a nature reserve between the villages of Mondello and Sferracavallo.

Mondello

Mondello is one of the favourite outings for the people of Palermo to relax, especially in summer, being located only just over 10 kilometres from Palermo.
This town was nothing but an unhealthy marsh until the end of the 19th century, before being reclaimed and then entrusted to an Italo-Belgian company to build a bathing establishment there, with a hotel and villas. The heart of this project is the Antico Stabilimento Balneare, inaugurated in 1912, a major Liberty style (Art Nouveau) building, built on reinforced concrete stilts and which has become the emblematic architectural feature of Mondello.

Mondello Beach

This urbanisation was a success with beautiful Art Nouveau villas, including masterpieces by the architect Ernesto Basile.
With the development of the beach, the resort became at the beginning of the 20th century a favourite of the upper bourgeoisie and the aristocracy.

Mondello is characterised by its sandy beach of nearly 1.5 km which stretches between Mount Pellegrino to the south and Mount Gallo to the north, lined with Art Nouveau villas, many of which are still well maintained.
The site was restored over the years at the beginning of the 21st century, with the opening of the Charleston restaurant in the Old Bathing Establishment, and its beach was “cleaned” of the wooden cabins to privatise the coastline with bars and sun loungers.
All water activities are well developed in Mondello, including diving, sailing, with the organisation of regattas or international surfing competitions such as the World Festival on the Beach.
Prestigious restaurants are present on the seafront (Charleston, le Terrazze) while in the village located near the harbour to the north there are more popular establishments, around Piazza Mondello, with cafés, ice cream parlours and trattorias offering simple Sicilian cuisine, notably based on fish, seafood and local specialities.

Where Mondello is located: map

Capo Gallo Reserve

Punta di Barcarello, Capo Gallo

The Capo Gallo Reserve (capo gallo in English), between the gulf of Mondello and that of Sferracavallo was established in 2001, covering nearly 585 hectares with adjoining marine zones.
It is a very beautiful site, where you can enjoy lovely walks and swims in its small coves, with beautiful Mediterranean vegetation rich in plant species such as mastic, sea fennel and various wild orchids. It is also a resting place for many migratory birds, notably the white stork and the hoopoe. 
Access is theoretically free, but at certain points may be paid or unofficial, with fees charged for using certain private paths, such as near the harbour of Mondello.

The three zones of the reserve

There are three accesses to explore three distinct zones (due to the rugged terrain), two of which border the sea, and the other explores its heights.

• You can reach the cape of the Capo Gallo promontory and its old lighthouse built in 1854 by following the sea along a path with little elevation change from the entrance of Torre Mondello, passing by swimming spots.
• Another entrance, via Tolomeo and also by the via del Semaforo, leads to the “Piano dello Stinco” trail which climbs through pine woods and scrub to reach Mount Gallo which rises to nearly 550 metres and dominates the Capo Gallo promontory with a superb panorama. At the summit the “Semaforo”, an abandoned lighthouse, has been transformed by an unconventional hermit into a masterpiece, having covered it with mosaics of small pieces of stone and glass.
• The third entrance is located to the west, at Barcavella in the municipality of Sferracavallo, exploring the area at the foot between the cliff and the coast, a coastal walk with sea panoramas.

On the southern slope of Mount Gallo, an abandoned neighbourhood is crossed by a road that climbs up to Pizzo Sella (Saddle Point). Some houses have been taken over by graffiti artists and contemporary artists.

By sea you can follow the coast and discover for example the grotta dell’Olio, by kayak or even diving.
The seabeds are rich and there is a Carthaginian wreck and amphorae. The marine protected area around the cape includes posidonia meadows.

The caves of Capo Gallo

This karst mountain has several caves that humans frequented since prehistory, including the Grotta Regina (cave of the queen), a rare Punic sanctuary, with dozens of rock paintings and inscriptions from several eras, including human and animal figures and Punic inscriptions: a Punic warrior, a bear, a horse, Carthaginian ships, etc. 
Ceramics have shown the passage of Romans, Arabs and others.

In another cave, traces were discovered of a dwarf elephant that lived in Sicily and Malta, and of other mammals such as hippopotamuses, from the Middle Pleistocene around 230,000 to 170,000 years ago. 

Where Capo Gallo is located in Sicily and map

Isola delle Femmine

Isola delle Femmine

Isola delle Femmine is a coastal village located to the west of Palermo, facing a small island classified as a nature reserve, recognised for its marine ecosystems and its interest for migratory birds.
It has become one of the most popular seaside resorts for the people of Palermo, whose village retains an identity linked to fishing and maritime life, with its seafront and its small harbour.
The long sandy beach benefits from clear waters suitable for family swimming. 

Where Isola delle Femmine is located and map:

Sferracavallo

Sferracavallo Harbour

Sferracavallo, an old fishing village between Isola delle Femmine and the Capo Gallo reserve, stands out for its natural setting and its gastronomic tradition centred on seafood.
The seafront is dotted with small rocky coves and direct access to the water. From there you can reach the Capo Gallo nature reserve, with the pretty Punta Barcarello and its beach at the foot of the rocky massif.

Where Sferracavallo is located and map:

Information

Suggested visits and sea excursions

External sites

• Mondello: fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondello
• Capo Gallo: www.mammasicily.com, fondoambiente.it, fr.wikipedia.org
• Capo Gallo trails and caves: www.riservacapogallo.it/sentieri, www.palermoweb.com, www.riservacapogallo.it/grotte