West Coast Sicily Day 22 Mondello

The next day is the 22nd day, that is the extra day in a three week holiday. It's dedicated to the sea. We take the bus from Palermo to Mondello. In low season that entails changing once, but it all goes smoothly and in less than an hour we are in Mondello. We are in Mondello because a friend guaranteed that the beach and sea in Mondello are fantastic. I am extremely sceptical. Some places around Palermo are definitely not very clean and Mondello is so close.....

Instead, he was right, the beach is clean and of soft and light coloured sand and the sea is transparent, clean and absolutely beautiful, as good as San Vito, which is high praise indeed. 

We sit on the beach and I swim, the late October water after the hot weekend in particular is delightfully warm and I'm in no hurry to get out. There are a few people scattered along the beach but not too many, it's Monday morning too. After drying off in the warm sun we walk north along the beach and then the coast towards the part of the Capo Gallo Nature Reserve on the coast. It's pleasant, there are a few other people walking, cycling and jogging and it makes a pleasant walk to go as far as the abandoned Capo Gallo lighthouse, the path is right next to the sea and there are even some flowers. 

At the lighthouse we look at the view around the other side, but lunchtime is approaching and we decide to go back. 

We find an ordinary bar which also has Rosticceria and have an inexpensive but tasty lunch of arancine and schiacciatine with various fillings. After another stroll along the beach right to the opposite end it's time to get the bus back to Palermo. Once again the trip goes smoothly and we get off the bus near the Teatro Politeama Garibaldi, 

and have a look around the square and nearby shopping streets and then go to another Pasticceria Cappello in a much smarter area, on Via Nicolò Garzilli, where we once again indulge in a multilayered cake and buy some pasticcini di mandorle to take home. I also have a freshly squeezed pomegranate juice which is something I've been hankering after the whole holiday since I saw the piles of pomegranates in Trapani. We sit outside to eat and enjoy very much our afternoon 'merenda'. We are soon back at the apartment where we tidy up and pack for the next day. Towards evening we go out to see Palermo by night, well not exactly, but at least in the dark and illuminated, it's also a bit quieter and we have a pleasant last stroll. A beautiful day, the last of a beautiful holiday. 

The next day we get the airport bus, which is so unexpectedly punctual that we arrive in the airport far too early, and fly home.