Palermo and Mondello in Sicily Sailing Tour and Lunch Gourmet

We will leave from the tourist port of Cala di Palermo in the direction of Mondello. Sailing along Monte Pellegrino we will see the following wonderful attractions.

The first stop will be at the astonishing Villa Igea. Villa Igiea is a neogothic former residence, now a luxury hotel maintaining some of the art nouveau (Liberty) refurbishment completed at the dawn of the 20th-century; the hotel sits on a high outcrop overlooking the sea at Porto dell'Acquasanta, located on Salita Belmonte #43 in the quartiere of Pellegrino of the city of Palermo, Siciy, Italy. Next to Villa Igea there is the Queen's Cave, one of the jewels of Palermo, a fascinating and mysterious place, which has a long history and which offers a unique experience to visitors. The cave is located on the coast of the Gulf of Palermo, a few kilometers from the city center. It is accessible by sea or via a path starting from Mondello. The cave is characterized by a large internal room, with an oval basin artificially dug into the rock about 10 meters deep. The room is illuminated by an opening in the ceiling, which allows sunlight to filter inside.

The next attraction is the beach and the touristic port named Arenella. The port is located on the slopes of Monte Pellegrino in the Arenella district, it is built on a small inlet between high rocky walls, right next to the Port of Acquasanta a short distance from the Port of Palermo. The port developed mainly as a function of the Tonnara Florio built in the nineteenth century which provided work to the fishermen of the village. Currently the port has a dual function as a fishing port and a tourist port.

Next we will visit the Vergine Maria beach (Virgin Mary). Vergine Maria is part of the residential areas founded on the north-western coast of the capital. It stands on a narrow strip of land at the base of the eastern slope of Monte Pellegrino, bathed by the waters of the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. Although the coastline below the promontory is mainly composed of rocks, in the area of ​​the village there is a modestly sized beach, appreciated for the aesthetic qualities given by the golden color of the sand and the crystal clear, turquoise waters. In the coastal stretch of this area there is an artificial protrusion originating from the massive dumping of building debris during the sack of Palermo, which, by covering the pre-existing cliff, altered the morphology of the coast.

Mondello (Sicilian: Munneḍḍu) is a small borough of the city of Palermo in the autonomous region of Sicily in Southern Italy. Its beach lies between two cliffs called Mount Gallo and Mount Pellegrino. The town was originally a small fishing village situated on marshland, but at the end of the 19th century it grew into a tourist destination. A number of Liberty style villas on the seafront promenade have made it one of the gems of Art Nouveau in Europe. Until the beginning of the 20th century, Mondello was an unhealthy marsh enclosed by two headlands: the Mount Pellegrino described by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as "the most beautiful promontory in the world" and Mount Gallo. The ancient fishing village laid at the foot of the latter. Once in Mondello there will be a longer stop for lunch which will be either in front of the beach or in front of the Oriented Natural Reserve of Capo Gallo.