Castellammare del Golfo is an attractive seaside town on the north-western coast of Sicily, between Palermo and Trapani. The historic little fishing port has a very picturesque location, below steep mountain slopes, with a handsome curved harbour at the foot of a small headland topped with a castle. Castellammare is just touristy enough that visitors don’t feel out of place, but it isn’t overcrowded with hotels and it has an authentic Sicilian ‘feel’. About Castellammare del Golfo Castellammare del Golfo’s principal attraction is the sea. The town’s little fishing and pleasure port, called the Cala Marina, curls to the west of the castle promontory, and makes a pleasant stroll, punctuated with bars and restaurants. The harbour-front route can get sadly busy with traffic – Sicilians enjoying a car-and-scooter-borne passeggiata – but when temporarily pedestrianised in the evening the street is taken over by promenading visitors and locals passing the time of day and inspecting the fish displayed in cabinets outside restaurants. There are still small working fishing boats in Castellammare, and you may see fishermen mending their nets on board, or selling the day’s catch at rickety tables on the quayside, while hopeful harbour cats prowl along searching for scraps. An ancient route […]