{"id":226,"date":"2018-08-24T10:43:48","date_gmt":"2018-08-24T10:43:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lemonsandpalmtrees.com\/?p=226"},"modified":"2018-12-01T11:55:37","modified_gmt":"2018-12-01T11:55:37","slug":"secret-gem-at-sicilys-eastern-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lemonsandpalmtrees.com\/secret-gem-at-sicilys-eastern-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"Secret gem at Sicily’s eastern coast"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sicily has some amazing beaches, that varies a lot from south to north, from sea to sea.\u00a0Along Sicily’s eastern coast, we found a secret gem.<\/p>\n

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\"Castelluccio<\/h2>\n

Beaches in Sicily<\/h2>\n

The North side of Sicily gives you rocky beaches with cliffs to jump into the turquoise ocean and it’s great for snorkeling and diving. The south and eastern side of Sicily offers sandy, long and children friendly beaches. The water is a little colder here, as the Ionian Sea is slightly colder than the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.<\/p>\n

\"Beaches
We love both sandy beaches and rocky beaches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A private beach and view to Mt. Etna<\/h2>\n

I had done a lot of research to find a place close to the sea, but away from the\u00a0busy\u00a0beaches. Finally, I found this great house in Costa Saracena-Castellucio<\/a>, on Sicily’s eastern coast.<\/p>\n

Castellucio is a hidden gem for many tourists, it has rocky beaches and is mostly visited by locals. It’s also just 25 min. by car to the south from Catania\u00a0airport. As we were arriving on a late flight, this place looked perfect.<\/p>\n

\"Our
Our beach with Mt. Etna in the background<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The house was placed on a hill in a private summer estate area, right next to a private rocky beach; a long stretch with clean water and view of Mt. Etna. It was often only us there, or just a few people fishing or a local elderly couple taking a swim.<\/p>\n

We were pretty satisfied with staying at the house\u00a0and ended up spending a week there. We had a huge terrace, with the view of the sea, and a\u00a0spacious garden with a pool, so we really kicked backed and relaxed while staying here.<\/p>\n

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\"Lunch
Lunch at our terrace in\u00a0Costa Saracena<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you like rocky beaches like us, and a\u00a0beautiful sunset\u00a0you will like this place. Feel free to contact us for more info.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Sunset from our terrace in Costa Saracena – Castellucio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dinner in Brucoli<\/h2>\n

Close to\u00a0Castellucio is the charming village\u00a0Brucoli<\/a>\u00a0which is great for both dinner, ice cream parlors, and a playground.<\/p>\n

Our host of the house we were renting in Castellucio recommended us a local family joint in Brucoli:\u00a0Trattoria Vincenza Savaglia<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong>A simple restaurant with a terrace out in the water.<\/p>\n

We came on a Sunday evening and had to wait for the family to come back from evening church mass. All the tables got filled up as soon as they opened.\u00a0It seemed like a treasured place by the locals. No wonder, they serve fresh seafood of the daily catch and a liter of the house wine for 4 euro.<\/p>\n

We sat on plastic chairs with a paper\u00a0tablecloth on the table. It felt like we were part of a Sicilian picnic, with the family who walked around the tables, talking loudly to their guests and each other.<\/p>\n

The Trattoria is located close to the playground, next to the parking lot at the end of the town.\u00a0Address: Via Canale, 1, 96011 Brucoli.<\/span><\/p>\n

We also recommend Trattoria I Rizzari<\/strong>,<\/a> on the main street with a terrace out over the beach. Go for the grilled octopus and make a reservation before you go.<\/p>\n

Address: Via Liberta’ 63,\u00a096011\u00a0<\/span>Brucoli.\u00a0 Hours: Mon-Tue, Thu\u2013Sun: 1:00 PM\u20132:15 PM, 8:00 PM\u201310:00 PM.<\/p>\n

Costa Saracena – Beaches south of Catania<\/h2>\n

For a change of scenery\u00a0and to visit a sandy beach we took a short drive up the eastern coast to Agnone<\/a>. This is a small beach town with many locals, a couple of restaurants and bars on the beach. A bit further north you can also check out the beach of\u00a0Villaggio San Leonardo<\/a>.\u00a0These beaches are also easy to reach by car if you are staying in Catania.<\/p>\n

Vendicari<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n

From our house in Castellucio, we had fast access\u00a0to the highway and it was thus obvious to make a\u00a0day trip\u00a0to\u00a0Vendicari\u00a0Nature reserve and its beautiful beaches. Read more about this here.<\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sicily has some amazing beaches, that varies a lot from south to north, from sea to sea.\u00a0Along Sicily’s eastern coast, we found a secret gem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n