Let’s face it right away Sicily is in Italy, an incredible combination of sea, climate, architecture and great food!
A sun-kissed island, where summer begins in May and ends in late October.
We who are in Scicli, in the beautiful Val di Noto, a UNESCO heritageUnesco, we are further south than Tunis. So to all intents and purposes we are further south of Africa. And as if that were not enough, Sicily is the island, in the national territory with the largest number of coasts to live. This is why it offers a huge variety of landscapes and solutions for all tastes and needs.
Golden beaches, or white sand beaches, with crystal clear waters, Baroque historical centers, typical of south-eastern Sicily, will make your holiday a perfect combination of sea, cultural visits and excellent food.
Let me preface this by saying that I love fine sandy beaches, where nature dominates, surrounded by a possibly unspoiled natural landscape. Here you will find a selection of the most beautiful in the area between Syracuse, Noto and Ragusa.
Ragusa and surroundings, which are the most beautiful beaches
Let’s explore first of all our coasts, so what you will find below is not a ranking, but let’s start from the vicinity of Casa Farlisa. 🤩
The area offers a large number of beaches of fine and golden sand, but as per the premise, here you will find a selection. The most beautiful in South Eastern Sicily, according to my personal point of view. It being understood that everyone has their own tastes and needs. Therefore I will try to give you all the possible indications, to understand which one might be more suitable for you.
1. Sampieri beach
Located in the territory of Scicli, in the hamlet of Sampieri, it is just 5 km from Casa Farlisa. In addition to being one of my favorite beaches, like the Vendicari Reserve, it is always my first choice when it comes to going to the nearby beach. Here, in addition to the sea and golden beaches, you can admire the baroque of south-eastern Sicily and its pearl, Scicli. It remained outside the mass tourism circuits and became famous thanks to the fiction “Il commissario Montalbano“.
It has beautiful sand dunes that separate it from a large equipped pine forest, complete with a cycle path, an absolute rarity in this area. Furthermore, here you will find 3 bathing establishments that offer different situations, as well as a lot, but really a lot, free beach.
Sampieri is one of my favorite seaside resorts, for a variety of reasons, which go beyond the golden and long beach, almost 2 km long.
It has a beautiful promenade with a small characteristic town and a small fishing port, which I personally love. Continuing from here you can take a walk to the next beach of Costa di Carro, passing on a promontory where you will find stretches of rocks, with large areas where you can sit and listen to the sound of the waves breaking on the rock.
Exactly on the other side is the famous Fornace Penna, also known as Pisciotto, renamed the Mannara from the fiction “Il commissario Montalbano”. A beautiful industrial archeology, overlooking the sea. A truly fascinating and unique place, which I hope will be preserved and enhanced.
Alas, today the area is cordoned off and cannot be visited. But the furnace stands out on the promontory overlooking the sea and is visible from the whole beach and from the promenade. In fact, you can walk the entire stretch of coast up to its perimeter for a super walk.
- There are 3 bathing establishments in Sampieri, on about 2km of golden coast. The first and most famous is the Pata Pata. In August they have a full schedule of evenings with concerts and disco, so it’s quite lively with a lively atmosphere. It is perhaps the hottest place in the area for several years, it is very popular with young people in the evening, especially in the 20-40 year old range. It is great if you want to have fun after a nice day at the beach.
Here you will find restaurant, open for both lunch and dinner, and bar, for breakfast appetizers and snacks under the umbrella. Waiting times are quite long when the venue is full, which often happens in high season.
The food is decent, the pizza good and offers a menu of meat, fish and salads with a healthy value for money.
- Another establishment on the beach is the Pappa Fico. Definitely quieter when it comes to renting sunbeds and umbrellas, but even here in the evening there is activity. Some evenings it turns into a disco for those who want to have some fun.
- The third establishment is Ossi di seppia, in the center of the beach, a 5-minute walk from the beautiful pine forest. It is the quietest establishment, even in mid-August, even if you find it full you will never risk finding crowds. Apart from sunbeds and umbrellas, here you will find a small bar , with salads and other quick dishes. I wouldn’t choose it for the food, but for the tranquility it can offer. Among other things, it is the bathing establishment of the Marsa Siclà village, so always book.
2. Costa di Carro beach
It is a small, more sheltered beach next to Sampieri. Excellent on the windiest days, it has white sand and a clear sea, like its neighbor. The beach is completely free, but if you want you can rent sun beds and umbrellas from the nearby campsite.
The pizzeria and camping La Spiaggetta stands above the beach and is open only in the spring-summer period. The pizza is good and it has a nice outdoor space with a dedicated appetizer area.
3. Donnalucata beach
Donnalucata is the largest seaside village of Scicli, also characteristic and very much experienced by the locals throughout the year.
A large and suggestive promenade, the long pier, the marina and the freshest fish market, frame a beach of fine and golden sand where you will find 2 establishments. Jammola restaurant and lido and the Sabir beach club. A new establishment opened in 2020 which also offers an outdoor whirlpool overlooking the beach, a service not offered by others in the area and very pleasant.
4. Marina di Modica beach
Marina di Modica is the maritime fraction of Modica. It has an equipped beach not far from Sampieri beach with several bathing establishments and a beautiful promenade for a stroll. Here too, fine and golden sand, as often happens in this stretch of beaches in south-eastern Sicily, but also a stretch of rocks. Crystal clear water so much that it received the coveted Blue Flag.
Much lived and inhabited by the Modicans during the summer, here you will find a bit of everything, restaurants, sandwich shops, ice cream parlors, pizzerias. Free beach areas and establishments.
My favorite place in the whole area is Shuluq, open during the summer season, both as a bathhouse and as a club on the rocks. Know that for the bathing establishment, which you can see in the night version in the video below, with sunbeds and umbrellas on the rocks, reservations are required. Places are limited.
Personally, the moment I prefer it is in the evening, for an aperitif at sunset or after dinner. Good music and a young atmosphere, where you can enjoy a drink in a very pleasant seafaring atmosphere.
Another establishment worth mentioning is the Corallo Food & Beach, which in addition to sunbeds and umbrellas, also offers an appreciated restaurant service.
5. Santa Maria del Focallo, Ispica
Santa Maria del Focallo is a very long golden beach bordered by large dunes,, usually windier and in the territory of Ispica. It is popular with surfers and kiters, which is why it also has a kite surf school named Floripa. Here you will find a lot of free beach, clearly excluded mid-August!
The bathing establishments that I prefer in this extended stretch of coast are two, Soda and Tiki.
The Soda offers bar service and has sun beds and umbrellas, as well as a large interior space, with a full program of evenings and DJ sets. In the pre-Covid era, this summer we will see that they will organize to entertain us a little.
The Tiki instead, in addition to the bar service, sun loungers and umbrellas, has a pizzeria restaurant with a beautiful terrace overlooking the sea overlooking the beach. The pizza is good and maybe the bill a bit salty, but on the other hand, you pay for a view like this!
6. Punta Cirica
Let’s start from the fact that identifying which is the right road and finding a parking space to get there directly, without going through the stretch of beach next to it, could be a little adventure. Especially on high season weekends. But wherever you will be able to park, remember the most particular area to visit is that of Punta Cirica. Beautiful especially if the sea conditions are optimal, so flat calm, no wind.
The area is a collection of small beaches with various coves and caves, overlooking a stretch of crystal clear water protected by breakwaters. So avoid days that might be too crowded or you risk not enjoying it fully. It is certainly one of the most particular beaches in this section of south-eastern Sicily.
7. Special Biological Nature Reserve “Macchia Foresta Fiume Irminio”, Marina di Ragusa
The Special Biological Nature Reserve “Macchia Foresta Fiume Irminio” is the ideal place if you love walking. The beach is very nice to the right of the river mouth, unfortunately be aware that bathing is not allowed. This is solely to prevent the echo system from being disturbed. Having many beaches, we have chosen to preserve nature here, but it is a real shame to skip this stage. While there are various features of beach, some with large white pebbles, the most beautiful, which you see below, has a beautiful sandy shore of fine,golden sand and a very beautiful, crystal clear sea.
The most beautiful beaches of Syracuse
As for the sea, we who are in the province of Ragusa, rich in Baroque cities that are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, cannot help but admit that between the Plemmirio Reserve and the Vendicari Reserve, you will find crystal-clear waters and breathtaking backdrops.
1. Nature reserve oriented to the Vendicari Fauna Oasis
I state that, in my opinion, the beaches and the sea of the Vendicari Nature Reserve are among the most beautiful that you can find throughout the Val di Noto area and along this coast. of south-eastern Sicily. If you are looking for the Caribbean sea, this stage cannot be missed.
From Casa Farlisa it will be a trip of about 35 minutes by car, on days without traffic. Plan your trip well because this area, especially in August, is also very popular with locals.
- The Vendicari Reserve includes several beaches, all beautiful and not equipped as it is a nature reserve. So arm yourself with an umbrella, water and everything else you may need. You will have to park in an area outside the Reserve and cover more or less long stretches on foot.
The sea is splendid, clearly when the conditions are optimal, so flat calm and no wind.
Choose the beach carefully according to your needs, because in some cases you may have to walk long distances in the sun to get to the beach. As in the case of Cala Mosche, a beautiful cove, which you see in the image that opens our article. The beach was recently crowned by The Guardian among the 5 most beautiful beaches in Italy and among the 40 most beautiful in Europe. 😍
- The beach of Cittadella di San Lorenzo is the most popular. Accessing southernmost stretch of the Reserve, there is very little road to walk, so it is the first to fill up. Here the shoreline is white, the beach very long, and the sea, as you may have guessed is always beautiful, weather conditions permitting.
- In addition to the Vendicari beach, which you see in the image above, in this section of the reserve you will find much more to visit. An ancient and fascinating Tonnara on the sea , the salt pans area, the remains of an ancient 15th century fortification, the Swabian Tower and archaeological remains of Hellenistic tanks . Continuing towards the north of the reserve, you will meet the Pantano Piccolo, where a reserve of pink flamingos is kept, with observation points for birdwatching.
- The naturist beach of Marianelli has a freer and wilder vocation. Parking is less than a 10-minute drive away and is frequented by a mixed population. The only beach on this stretch of coastline for nudists and a population of LTGBTQIA+ people. Precisely because of its sense of freedom and inclusiveness, it is my favorite, as well as because of the beautiful sea and the convenience of parking.
- The Cala Mosche beach, which you see on the cover, is a beautiful cove, with a wide sandy beach. It takes about a 30 minute walk. Always wonderful to visit too, along the stretch that runs through the reserve (hot permitting of course). It is sheltered and framed by rocky ridges which make it particularly protected.
