Close to San Vito lo Capo, between the seaside shore and the foot of the Zingaro mountains lies the little village Macari.
Macari – Between Beaches and Mountains
While we were visiting Castellammare del Golfo, and really enjoying our hikes there, we decided we needed some more countryside and peace. We looked on a map of hikes around the Zingaro reserve and could see the small village Macari, had a great location. Macari turned out to be a new favorite spot in the North West area of Sicily. We spent 6 days exploring the many small beaches around and hiking up the to the Zingaro.
We loved Macari for it’s peaceful, sleepy village feeling and for its superb location right in between the sea and the mountains.
Macari is a real holiday town, that must be busy in the summer, with many choices of hotels and guesthouses. Like the rest of Sicilian holiday areas, it closes down most of its business, in October. We found a place on Airbnb and were the only guests around in town, together with the locals living there, which also included many cats, dogs, and a goat.
The house we rented had lots of outdoor space – great for kids – a great view and a garden where we would pick tasty oranges from the trees. From our terrace, we could see the morning sunrise over the mountains and watch the sunset over the sea.
Beaches around Macari
The seaside is just 5 min. walk away from Macari. Walk down Via dell’ acqua to the rocky beach Cala delle Perne or walk at Via Rocca Perciata, to reach the sandy beach Santa Margherita in about 10 min. walk.
A bit further lies the little sandy and rocky beach cove Spiaggia di Seno dell’Arena.
In November the beaches were almost empty, which means there were about 4-6 other persons around, soaking up the last sun and taking a swim in the water that is about 19-20 degrees. It was very calming to hang out on the beaches there. To have both the view of the mountains and the sea – together with the sound of the waves.
Hiking to Zingaro from Macari
From Macari, you can walk straight out into the mountains, where you will find a trail leading to the Zingaro Reserve and all the way across the beach area of Cala di Punta Lunga to the Monte Cofano Reserve, close to Custonaci.
The trail from Macari to the Zingaro reserve is in the northern area of the reserve. From the peak, there are trails that lead to Scopello or the coastal side of the Zingaro Reserve.
If you like to start the day with a quiet walk in the mountains, a little siesta, and then a swim in the sea during the sunset, Macari is a perfect place to stay!
Some days we chose to split up for solo activities. One of us played with Sixten and one hiking up the mountain to the Zingaro Reserve, as the road and trail up there is super steep and it was too long for three-year-old Sixten to walk very far up.
One afternoon we hiked part of the route together, the three of us. It was sweet to see how Sixten reacted to the amazing views and the peaceful sunset.
We didn’t meet anybody during our hikes and didn’t hear any sound besides the wind and the crickets.
Restaurants in Macari
In Macari, there are two restaurants, which have great views over the sea. They were closed for the season in November but seemed to very be nice places. A third place, the local Makari caffé is, besides a well-visited cafe by the locals, a place that has very good cornetti in the morning and makes really tasty pizzas, from a wood-fired oven, in the evening. We loved their pizzas, which we could see at the numbers of visitors that many locals also did. I especially liked the local Rianatta pizza, with anchovies and pecorino cheese.
Most people drive to San Vito to eat out. We recommend Salumeria Enoteca Peraino a small restaurant that is open all day till 9.30pm (also in November).
San Vito Lo Capo in November
San Vito lo Capo is a famous holiday town, with a really nice long white sandy beach. It is just 5 min. from Macari by car.
The town of San Vito is super busy in the summer – like when we visited it in June – but it was more or less closed down in November. Only a few coffee shops were open, and a local supermarket, which closed down for siesta. The local fish market was open in the mornings; Pescheria Billeci, where we got the local fish Capone and some mussels.
We spent a few hours on the beach, playing and swimming. Felt like being in Thailand, with the white sand and the turquoise water.
Climbing and Hiking in San Vito lo Capo
San Vito Lo Capo is a great climbing area, with its Monte Monaco and walls of dolomite rock. In October/November a 4 days climbing festival takes place. The festival not only focuses on climbing but also mountain biking and slackline.
Getting to Macari and San Vito Lo Capo
The bus runs from Trapani to San Vito Lo Capo a couple of times during the day, all year round, and stops in Custonaci and Macari.
From Trapani Birgi airport is 50 km away about 1 hours drive. From Palermo, it’s about 1h and 50 minutes (110 Km) by car.