Twenty Seven Free Camping Places in Sicily

David and Helen Homewood

Edited from the post 24 October 2011 on the MotorhomeFacts website.

Introduction 

It is worth noting that you can use your driving licence as a "document" on campsites etc, which saves you leaving your passport.

Internet points are sometimes betting shops ! Garages will let you fill your van w/ water when you shop for fuel, but hard to find places to empty cassette legally, Italian vans mostly do so illegally we believe, correct me if I'm wrong Eddied!

We bought off-the-peg seat covers in Siracusa, but they fitted them so well w/ lots of little hooks and straps, you wouldn't know they were not original.

Sicily would be a very different place in summer and most of the No Parking signs mentioned above would be enforced, from May onwards we were told.

We saw Palermo at the end of our stay, but will start there and work round the island more or less anti-clockwise.

Here are some of the places we parked up in Sicily in the Winter of 2011.

Palermo. Parcheggio Green Car

N 38.10976  E 13.34253

Nice central guarded parking, in walking distance of major sights, little (Sigma) supermarket nearby, also close to must-see Catacombs ( brilliant little coffee and cioccolata calda shop cum pasticcheria near catacombs). Wonderful markets.

Great olive oil from village of San Giuseppe Ieri, from a small shop of that name in the main Corso V. Emmanuele.

We really enjoyed Palermo, though we are not city folk normally, but you would want to drive there as little as possible, and their parking is amazing.

Monreale. Parking just below cathedral

N 38.07998  E 13.29207

Amazing cathedral in hilltop town in outskirts of Palermo, has to be seen, only one serious way in, avoid the narrow streets whatever your GPS tells you.

Better dealt w/ after you have got the hang of the island.

Castellamare del Golfo. Harbour.

N 38.03086  E12.88134

Several restaurants and nice shops in town, including a tiny indoor market selling excellent wine in plastic bottles, and sticky dried figs on skewers.

Hard to find way through town, David ended up following the local dustcart, who knew their way . . .

Torre di Namibia. Possible overnight, near a Carrefour restaurant, on coast South of Trapani

N 37.97644  E 12.49542

Torre di Mezzo. Parking by sea opposite ok restaurant, basic shops in nearby Marausa

N 37.94703  E 12.48913

Mozia. Embarcation point for ferry to island

N 37.85600  E 12.47828

Good overnight, even if you didn't want the ferry. Water available all along this bit of coast

Mazara del Vallo. Campobello di Mazara, Cave di Cusa

N 37.61786  E 12.72761

This is the quarry for Selinunte, huge columns still partly excavated, a grassy, flowery place, nice museum.

You could park if your van will stand the cobbled road leading there. There is a good M.D. Discount store on SS115 somewhere near here. Gin less than 5 Euros, whisky under 6 Euros.

Parking near a beach East of Marsala. Familia supermarket not far away on main road

N 37.68388  E 12.49337

Selinunte. Parking near archaeological site

N 37.58325  E 12.83946

Selinunte. Archaeological site parking ( but cannot overnight)

N 37.58446  E 12.83701

Portopalo di Menfi. SW. corner of the island, W of Sciacca, E. of Selinunte

N 37.57747  E 12.91038

Edge of beach, a small all-purpose shop, bar and restaurant etc in nearby village

N 37.75445  E 12.90603 Harbour, water available here

No Parking notices everywhere, but these only apply from May onwards we are told when the place is full of holiday makers.

There is a disused railway line, now a cycle track, which leads to Menfi, where there is free Internet in the library, open most weekdays.

Also a couple of supermarkets and a weekly market.

We used a Travel Agent here to book our ferry back to Genoa eventually.

Bar Rio was a nice, cheap, restaurant, the Travel Agent us directed us to it.

Lido Fiori Another parking by a beach just to the East. Next to 2 bars.

N 37.57128  E 12.94769

Piazza della Riviera. Nearby, another parking w/ water, but a poor flow.

N 37 56823  E 12.95604

Small beach West of Sciacca. In front of some deserted holiday flats

N 37.50371  E 13.05201

Sciacca Port. Lots of space, other vans parked there too, Internet in the town (above a bar full of teenagers playing table football), the French Routard guide book says to eat at Trattoria el Faro, the fishermens' restaurant in the port, but it was closed for the Xmas hols.

N 37.50540  E 13.07685

San Leone. The marina of Agrigento, small shops in the village nearby, not far from campsite noted below.

N 37.26234  E 13.57815

San Leone. Camping Vallei dei Templi 21.50 Euros/ night

N 37.26944  E 13.58404

Smart site, washing machines, nice shower block etc, we were a bit put off by cats who wanted to adopt us.

Buses go from outside campsite to Greek temples which are in a valley below Agrigento

San Leone, Camping Nettuno, about 4km? East of town, peaceful, shady, by a beach, 15 Euros/ night. Washing machines.

German on site told us that Giuseppe 100m down the beach does spaghetti, pizzas etc at any time, on request.

N 37.24580  E 13.61355

The roads inland just East of Agrigento were hard work, they must have been putting in a new ringroad, or Motorway, our GPS was baffled and we ended up negotiating the small town of Favara twice, we thought the van would carry away the washing hanging from the balconies, if not the balconies themselves!

Marina di Ragusa. Large flat carpark behind a supermarket, there is an Internet point in town.

N 36.78233  E 14.56202

Marina di Ragusa.  Enormous carpark not far from above

N 36.78525  E 14 55845

Marina di Ragusa. Out of town, above a beach

N 36.77987  E E14.57148

Good MD Discount store in M di Ragusa.

The Motorway marked on maps as heading East near Ragusa doesn't yet exist!

Portopalo di Capo Passero, the extreme Eastern tip of Sicily, in the port, excellent fish restaurant opposite.

One of the places they used to kill quantities of tuna, as they passed between the cape and the island.

Cycling into town, there is a shop just marked Frutta i Verdura, also sold small bars of amazingly good marzipan, made in nearby Avola, a centre for almonds.

A good local wine is Nero d'Avola, the name of the grape variety.

N 36.67102  E 15.12724

Marzamami Marina

N 36.73164  E 15.12046

Noto. Could not find anywhere to park, so parked in a carpark at a road junction downhill from the town and walked in.

Lido di Noto. No parking signs but fine in winter.

N 36.85326  E 15.11334

Siracusa. Parking von Platen 18 Euros ( but only 6 Euros for acqua/scarico if you don't stay)

N 37.0689  E 15.28800

A spacious campervan site in centre of town, next to the pyramidal modern spire of the Sanctuario church, and well placed for visiting archaeological park w/ includes Greek Theatre, Roman amphitheatre, also a papyrus museum, catacombs etc etc.

Buy a ticket for archeo before you go in, hard to find ticket office but you will only be sent out again if you don't!

After a day or two exploring this lot we moved down to:

Siracusa Port. Parking, water tap.

N 36.97941  E 15.25859

This is opposite the island of Ortigia, and connected by 3 road bridges. We walked across to the market every morning and explored all the old baroque churches etc,, and even chain stores such as Zara . . . stayed a week and had to drag ourselves away.

In addition, opposite the entrance to the port parking, is Via Piave, lots of useful small shops, including several good butchers, ( we liked Giovanni Liapi, ask for his terrine of mozzarella stuffed w/ tomato and tuna).

Also a dry-cleaners that took washing ( 6 Euros for our duvet cover, sheets and pillow slips).

Several Internet points including one in via Trieste on Ortigia, he speaks English, we wangled student rates for pensioners.

Only downside is a disco on Fri & Sat nights!

Villa Romana. Restaurant car park ( Site was closed till May 2011)

N 37.36828  E 14.33449

2 Campervan shops we used for bits:

Caltlanissetta. Camping Sport, Viale Regina Margherita45/A

Did not stay, not a campsite but a Campervan shop, and a fabulous little Pasticceria next door, worth a visit if you need supplies of either sort.

No GPS noted.

Marsala. Montalto Caravan, on SS 115 2km E. of Marsala

We had our fridge mended here, cost 60 Euros but worth it.

N 37.71653  E 12.52630