Why start from Scopello
The reserve has two entrances: the North entrance on the San Vito Lo Capo side, and the South entrance on the Scopello and Castellammare del Golfo side. I always recommend the South entrance: it is the easiest to reach, and within minutes you are at the main facilities and the first, beautiful cove.
The ticket is €5 per person. Children get reduced or free entry depending on their age, so ask at the ticket office for the current rules.
The entrance tunnel and the 1980 march
Just inside the entrance you walk through the famous tunnel, and it is worth pausing for a moment. A coastal road was meant to run through here, linking Scopello to San Vito Lo Capo. On 18 May 1980, local people marched to stop it, and the following year, in 1981, the reserve was created.
At the tunnel entrance, a wooden artwork remembers that march: a line of figures walking towards the mountain. Inside, look up and you will still see the holes left by the explosives, from the road works that had already begun. It is the best way to understand how precious the coastline you are about to see really is.
Museum, visitor centre and facilities
Shortly after the tunnel you reach the museum, which displays prehistoric limestone finds from the Zingaro. Nearby is the information house with the cultural centre, where you will also find works made by the reserve’s residents.
The museum has toilets where you can freshen up, a refreshment area and, a few steps away, a picnic area. Make the most of them: further along the trail there is no drinking water.
Finding your way
The coastal trail, from the South entrance
A simplified sketch of the coastal trail and its main coves. Distances are approximate.
Besides the coastal trail (easy), the reserve has a mid-slope trail (moderate) and a high trail (difficult). For a first visit from Scopello, the coastal trail as far as Cala Capreria is the right choice.
Cala Capreria, the most beautiful cove
For me, the most beautiful cove in the Zingaro is Cala Capreria. It is the first one you reach, about 1.2 km from the South entrance along the coastal trail: white pebbles, crystal-clear water and Mediterranean scrub running right down to the sea.
It is also where I suggest my guests head during the free time of the Scopello and Zingaro experience: close enough to enjoy without rushing, beautiful enough to remember.
Further on: Massimo’s watermelons and hammocks
If you feel like walking a little more, the trail continues north beyond Cala Capreria. In about 20–30 minutes, just before Cala della Disa, you reach Massimo, the Zingaro’s long-time resident. You can taste his watermelons, have a chat and stretch out in a hammock with a sea view.
It is one of those places you will not find on a map: the real Sicily, made of people even before landscapes.
Read Massimo’s story and the history of his house on Balarm (in Italian) (opens in a new tab)
Before you go
What to bring
- Comfortable shoes with good grip
- A hat: the sun along the trail is strong
- Enough water
- Sunscreen
- Swimsuit and towel, if sea and weather allow