The coast from Capo Rama to Terrasini

The Sicilian coast between Capo Rama and Terrasini extends just east of the Gulf of Castellammare, with a remarkable landscape diversity, combining protected natural areas, accessible coastal zones and small inhabited centres.

Capo Rama and nature reserve

At the eastern end lies Capo Rama, a rocky promontory classified as an oriented nature reserve, managed by the WWF. This protected area of about 57 hectares is distinguished by its steep cliffs dominating the sea, with sea caves, and which are preceded by a plateau covered with dense Mediterranean maquis, a typical flora including in particular the dwarf palm.

Capo Rama Tower

The Capo Rama tower is an old 15th-century coastal watchtower, which can be reached by various waymarked footpaths.

From Trappeto to Capo Rama: open beaches and rocky coast

East of Trappeto, the coastline opens onto a lower, sandier coast before becoming rocky again from San Cataldo. The main seaside complex corresponds to Ciammarita beach, a long fine-sand beach several kilometres long.
Towards San Cataldo, there are the Torre San Cataldo, remains of an old coastal surveillance tower, and San Cataldo beach, alternating sand and rocks.
Città del Mare is a vast hotel and tourist complex set in a Mediterranean park by the sea; it groups together accommodation, leisure facilities and terraced swimming pools.
Between Città del Mare and Capo Rama, the coast takes on a distinctly wilder character, formed of steep limestone cliffs, cut by numerous caves and small coves accessible mainly from the sea or by discreet paths. It represents one of the most intact stretches of the coastline.

Terrasini

Terrasini and La Praiola

Around Terrasini, the coastline combines golden sand and rocks, with clear waters favourable for swimming and snorkelling. Among the best-known beaches are La Praiola, a small cove accessible from the village centre. Cala Rossa, further west, is recognisable by its reddish-tinted cliffs, while east of Terrasini, the vast Magaggiari beach is located near Cinisi, appreciated for its expanse and its shallow seabed. Many more discreet coves complete this coastal landscape, often less frequented.

Further on, following the coast alongside the airport infrastructure, the Torre Mulinazzo is a 16th-century coastal tower, dominating a steep rocky coastline.

Terrasini is the main urban centre of the area, a small coastal town with a certain charm. The old town is organised around the pretty Piazza Duomo, with the Chiesa Madre of the 18th-19th centuries. Near the port, the Museo Regionale di Palazzo d’Aumale is dedicated to local history, fishing and Sicilian popular traditions. This palace was built in the 19th century, distinguished by its dominant position facing the sea and by its unusual eclectic architecture. It was originally a wine warehouse for bottling and exporting the wines produced in the region by Prince Henri d’Orléans, Duke of Aumale (1822–1897), son of the King of France Louis-Philippe and of Marie Amélie de Bourbon-Two Sicilies, who acquired the palace in 1860.
The museum presents multidisciplinary collections: naturalist (palaeontology, malacology, entomology, ornithology, mammals), archaeological (marine and terrestrial relics) and ethno-anthropological, with a permanent exhibition of Sicilian carts and traditional boat models.

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