Beaches of Scalo Mandrie and Capo Passero Island

Lying between the Tonnara and the Island of Capo Passero, the beach of Scalo Mandrie is the beach par excellence for the inhabitants of Portopalo, the southernmost municipality in Italy. It is a golden sandy shoreline sandwiched between extremes of rocky shoreline, which is washed by a clear, crystal-clear sea of an enchanting blue-green color.

This is a stretch of free beach, right on the coast of the town and served by public showers; the considerable proximity to the town center, which offers, even on holidays, the necessary services, means that this beach is preferred by families as well as being frequented, for the most part, by the inhabitants of the town.

The sea around this beach, due to its picturesque seabed that is home to a variety of fish species and the presence of beautiful sea caves, is undoubtedly the ideal environment for scuba divers and snorkelers.

In its initial northern stretch, this beach has a small landing place where you can take advantage of a rental service for pedal boats and other useful equipment as well as a paid shuttle service that will allow you to reach the nearby Island of Capo Passero by boat. This is, moreover, also reachable by ford at low tide.

A small tongue of sand emerges from the waters allowing you to swim, easily, the distance between the mainland and the island, experiencing a truly unique experience. At the landing, on the west coast of the island, you will be greeted by the small, delightful beach on the island of Capo Passero with similar characteristics to the beachfront on the mainland.

The island owes its charm to the presence of the Spanish-era fort, the construction of which, for so long mistakenly attributed to Charles V, actually dates back to the very early 1600s and must be attributed to Philip III of Spain, as shown in his publication The Fort of Capo Passero, the scholar Antonello Capodicasa.