Today marks Day 24 of the Italian nation-wide lockdown for coronavirus. Sadly, we’ve been spending the last 24 days indoors, deprived of eating out, socializing or traveling. It’s hard, but we are all in this together and it’s beautiful to witness how our communities come together in time of hardship.
Since we can’t physically travel, I wanted to take you on a virtual trip. Let’s #STAYHOME but escape our living rooms together for a few minutes. I am taking you to the most beautiful place in Sicily.
Imagine the clearest turquoise water and sun-kissed rock columns soaring out of the sea. The golden rocky coast meets the blue water, salty summer breeze blows gently and sunlight glimmers on the soft waves.
It’s summer in its most magical form. It’s summer in Scopello.
Scopello sits on the north-west corner of Sicily, about an hour drive from Palermo. It is a small gem with only about eighty residents. The town dates back to the 15th century and was founded around the tuna fishing trade. The jewels of the Scopello coast are two sea stacks, named Faraglioni. These two beautiful rock columns gave the town its greek name Skopelòs, which means rock.
With its crystal clear water, its vibrant turquoise colors and amazing weather, Scopello is as picture perfect as an Italian holiday destination can get.
By the feet of the Faraglioni stands the Tonnara Di Scopello. The Tonnara is an impressive and gorgeous set of buildings that were built as a tuna fishing estate. The Tonnara consists of several buildings - a beautiful main villa, a small chapel, boat garages and other small side buildings used for fishing equipment storage, boat repair, etc.
Tuna fishing stopped decades ago in Sicily, after the sad overfishing of tuna in the Mediterranean.
Fortunately, the Tonnara was renovated and opened its doors to the public. It is a small, privately owned gem that houses a handful of beautiful apartments, apartments that have the most magnificient views of the sea.
I was lucky enough to stumble upon the Tonnara di Scopello during one of my online quests for weekend trips around Sicily. I have to admit I got even more lucky because I found availability, which is rare as the place books up months in advance.
What happened next turned out to be one of the most memorable stays of my life….
I am not sure how to put it in words, but from the moment we drove onto the property my mouth curved upwards and I kept smiling the entire time we were there.
This place is PURE MAGIC.
The landscape is as picturesque as anyone can paint. The air is balmy and smells of salty sweetness and the sun paints everything golden. To top this, you get to stay in an Italian sea-side villa that’s beautifully but simply restored. It carries hundreds of years of history within it, and you can feel those simpler times, the slower pace of life from centuries ago.
This place is not an upscale, pretentious hotel. There is no room-service, no restaurant or bar. There are no extra amenities, because there is absolutely no need for any of those.
Each room opens its 3 meter tall french doors to balconies overlooking the sea. These doors are like picture frames to the most beautiful painting, a painting that changes every hour of the day. The sea, the sun, the romance of summer are all the amenities that you need.
After checking-in, we spent the afternoon swimming, snorkeling and soaking up the Sicilian sunshine. The Tonnara is a private gated estate with its own beach. Guests have access to the beach, the tuna fishing museum and the Tonnara grounds.
There are a limited number of visitors who can also enter during the day by purchasing day tickets for the beach or the tuna fishing museum. If you don’t get to stay overnight at the Tonnara, you can still come and spend the day on the beach and enjoy the view.
I spent a lot of time just exploring the different rooms, sections of the estate. Sitting down and taking the time to watch as the sun moved and casted shadows, illuminated the beautiful details of these spaces. I was in a photographer’s heaven.
HOW TO BOOK?
There are two ways of booking a room at Tonnara di Scopello. You can go through their website http://www.latonnaradiscopello.it/en/ and contact them via a request form, or you can use Booking.com.
I’d definitely suggest booking months in advance because it’s quite impossible to get a room during the summer months.
Sadly, we only stayed one night but I am planning on going back after this coronavirus travel ban is over. I honestly had a magical experience. The Tonnara is absolutely serene. I felt so relaxed and so happy the entire time we were there and I didn't want to leave.
Also, for our next visit we hope to stay a few days so we can check out the Zingaro Nature Reserve that’s right next to Scopello. It’s one of the most pristine coastlines in Sicily, only accessible by boat or on foot. We’d love to hike to some of the hidden beaches there and explore all the treasures of Sicily.
WHERE TO EAT?
I am sorry, but I couldn’t tell you. In all honesty, when we arrived to the Tonnara, we instantly knew we didn't want to spend any time away from the estate, so when dinner time came around we drove to the local salumeria called ‘Market Scopello’ and bought cheeses, cold cuts, bread, olives, wine and made the most delicious cheese board. We had a simple Italian feast on the balcony with the most magnificent views of the sea, what more could you ask for.
I can’t tell you which part of the day was my favorite, because every hour created a different vibe. Sunset colored the sky hues of pink and purple. Sunrise painted the water shimmering gold and casted the most beautiful shadows and during the day the water sparkled turquoise.
I hope you enjoyed this virtual trip to Scopello and when life is back to normal you are inspired to visit. It is a truly unique place and I hope you get to experience the magic.
