Celebrating Cous Cous: A guide to San Vito Lo Capo

San Vito Lo Capo is famous for its beautiful beach of fine sand and clear blue sea. An Arabic town with white houses, San Vito Lo Capo is now a well known seaside resort with a wide array of facilities and services for the traveler. The city was founded around a small chapel dedicated to Saint Vitus.

It was once visited by pilgrims from all over Sicily, who camped there after long journeys. The city is the result of the settlement of these pilgrims, together with fishermen who started to settled in this area. The landscape, colors and taste of this precious place on the sea is something unique.

10 Things to See and Do
Excursion to the Zingaro Natural Reserve
The fortress and the sanctuary of Vito Martire
Culinary excursion to Castellammare del Golfo (Cassatella and stuffed bread)
Visit of Castelluzzo and Monte Cofano Natural Reserve
Dinner based on cous cous with fresh fish and local wine
Sea Museum (Museo del Mare)
Evening stroll along the coastline breathing salt air
Temple of Santa Crescenza
Guided diving that search for submerged wrecks
Boat trip along the Costa Gaia

Events
September
Re tempu Capuna is an historical celebration of Sea and Fishing. The event, usually taking place during an entire weekend, provides moments of dialogue (called talk food), interesting discussions about the marine world and its stories, and arranged fishing tours. The visitors have the chance to learn more about fishing by becoming an assistant to one of the many local fishermen.
July - August
The cultural event Books, Authors and Bougainvilleas is a literary festival very well known in Sicily. With a long and interesting program, the event is a cultural occasion involving many important names of the national literary scene. People who enjoy literature have the great chance to attend readings or perhaps meet one of their favorite writers.

The Cous Cous Festival
Strongly symbolic of the time of the Arabs controlled Sicily, cous cous is a traditional yet constantly evolving dish. The annual showcase in Sicily, the Cous Cous Festival, offers an uncountable number of ambitious variations.
A gastronomic competition brings together great chefs from Italy and around the world to create dishes with these precious grains of wheat, along with a series of events featuring contemporary music and opportunities to meet personalities from the world of culture and entertainment.
Filling the main streets during the days of the festival, the town is submerged, but luckily not with the waters of San Vito Lo Capo. Instead the streets are filled with the chance to discover new products and crafts from nearby villages and towns. It is superfluous to remind visitors to taste the cous cous, your taste buds and sense of smell will propel you along the numerous stands where you will enjoy sampling the many dishes.

San Vito Lo Capo's typical food and drink
Muttunatu tuna and fish Cous Cous
Originally a Tonnara, a place where tuna were caught, San Vito Lo Capo is proud of its tuna. The delicious muttunato tuna is prepared from a part of the fish called the tarantella and cooked in a pan with the scent of garlic, mint, rosemary and basil. The other typical dish is cous cous cooked with fish, a traditional recipe typical of the province of Trapani. Both dishes demonstrate the Arabic heritage of western Sicily.
Marsala and Delia Nivolelli Wines
The Marsala is a fortified wine with amber color, aromas of dried fruits and warm and delicate taste. This wine is perfectly arranged with spicy cheese, but also goes well with strawberries, fresh cream and almonds. If you're having a seafood dinner, a good suggestion is the white wine Delia Di Nivolelli.

Spolight on Zingaro Natural Reserve
Born in 1980, the Zingaro Natural Reserve is a real gift given to Sicily. Between the towns of Scopello and San Vito Lo Capo, a long path (we recommend the hiking shoes), interrupted only by small bays, allows access to the sea (we recommend masks and fins for diving enthusiasts). Within the Reserve, professional guides suggest several itineraries which also include a visit to the Nature Museum and the parking area equipped with a space where you can cook on the grill.

How to get there
San Vito Lo Capo is situated on a small bay overlooking the mountain Monaco, between Capo St. Vito and Punta Solanto. Just 39 km from Trapani, it's easy to reach from the Sicilian capital of Palermo.
By plane: The airports of Trapani - Birgi and Palermo Falcone - Borsellino are almost equidistant from San Vito (1 hour more or less) .
By car: Highway A 29, from Palermo to Mazara del Vallo. Take the exit to Castellammare del Golfo.
By boat: San Vito is easily reachable both from Trapani and from Palermo. The port of Trapani provides connections to and from Cagliari, Tunis, Egadi Islands, Pantelleria, and Naples. The port of Palermo provides daily connections with Genoa, Cagliari, Livorno, Naples and Porto Torres.
Other: Trapani is the nearest railway station to San Vito Lo Capo. Alternatively it's possible to reach the city by bus. Daily trips are planned from Palermo and Trapani only on weekdays. During the summer season there are additional connections also on Sundays.