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
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