Mondello

Located a few kilometers from the city center of Palermo, Mondello is one of the most beautiful, famous and renowned seaside resorts in Sicily.
Must for all visitors, Mondello beach is a real paradise for sun, sea and sunbathing lovers. Fine white sand and crystal clear sea are its strengths, as well as the beautiful and picturesque landscape.
The beach is located between Monte Pellegrino and Monte Gallo and it overlooks a gulf with transparent waters, with shades going from emerald green to turquoise.
The aforementioned Monte Pellegrino hosts also a Nature Reserve that extends over an area of more than 1000 hectares. The latter is home to a rich fauna and a wide expanse of Mediterranean scrub. The Reserve houses Parco della Favorita, a green lung of Palermo, home to the important Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia, a place of worship and destination for tourists and believers, indeed, “la Santuzza” is the patron saint of the Sicilian capital. Going up the mountain you can admire the gulf from above, enjoying an amazing view. Goethe also referred to Monte Pellegrino as “the most beautiful promontory in the world”. However, Mondello is more than this, it offers a series of architectural beauties of ancient and modern times and a unique landscape beauty.

Also worth a visit is the beautiful Capo Gallo Oriented Nature Reserve, which has Mondello as one of its three entrances. Here, biodiversity is the main feature: flora and fauna coexist harmoniously and species at risk, rare or threatened with extinction are protected.
Do not hesitate to walk entirely on foot, between a dip and another in crystal clear and sandy sea; you can admire the variety of the landscape until you reach a small abandoned lighthouse, a very romantic place to visit. This route reaches the peak of its beauty when the sun sets: it takes just a 35 minutes walk from Mondello to get there.

Parco della Favorita, just a few kilometres from Mondello, is full of very beautiful buildings, such as the oriental Palazzina Cinese and Villa Niscemi, a few kilometres from the centre of Mondello. The area is also renowned for its Liberty style villas, still inhabited and in perfect condition.