Castellammare del Golfo

Formerly known as Emporium Segestanorum, over the centuries, it has had a great strategic and economic importance, as attested by its export activities (tuna, sumac and manna). The Arabs have left their mark on the history and traditions. The Castle, for example: built on a promontory to avoid attacks from the sea, over the centuries it has been subjected to many enlargements, starting from those made by the Normans. Today this imposing fortress is a Museum Complex. It is linked to the town through a stone bridge and it is surrounded by the sea. Its walls have been used to build fishermen’s houses, while the port and the port’s quay are located on the eastern side. Today, Castellammare features a series of narrow streets and staircases, which reveal a cultural path of great charm not only for its monuments, palaces and churches that embellish it, but also for its traditions, flavours and dialect expressions. The coasts of Castellammare offer visitors a range of emotions really indescribable: cliffs falling sheer into the sea are reflected in the crystal clear waters, inlets coloured with shades of blue and turquoise, a landscape characterised by a vegetation typical of hot places which extends the view to the sea. We are in the Riserva Naturale Orientata dello Zingaro (Zingaro Nature Reserve): a breathtaking place. Scopello is located in this corner of paradise: it’s an hamlet perched on a rock overlooking a splendid bay with stunning stacks. Its tonnara (tuna fishing factory) recalls a glorious past made of tuna fishing. Mount Inici rises steeply over the surrounding territory: it is characterised by an altitude of more than 1000 meters above sea level, a vast wooded area of more than 2000 hectares, with a rich patrimony of geological interest made of caves and ravines, as well as a rich flora and fauna.