Page 188 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

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Capo d’Orlando

Some 17km northeast of Sant’Agata, occupying a headland where Aragonese king
Frederick II suffered a historic defeat at the hands of a group of rebellious barons in
1299, CAPO D’ORLANDO is a slick holiday town surrounded by good rocky and
sandy beaches. If you’re sufficiently charmed by the swimming, which is best on its
eastern side (around the San Gregorio area), you might well want to stay. The town

has plenty of restaurants, bars and birrerias, and a choice of discos in summer.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: CAPO D’ORLANDO

By train Capo d’Orlando is a frequent stop for trains running between Palermo and

Messina; the station is a 10min walk from the town centre and beach.

Tourist office For general tourist information, ask at the kiosk on the seafront
(summer Mon–Sat 9am–1pm & 3–7pm, extended hours in summer; 0941 918 134).

Tours From Capo d’Orlando there are daily excursions to the Aeolian Islands
between June and September, with departures around 10am, returning at 9pm: for
further information and bookings, contact one of the town’s travel agents, such as
Agatirso Viaggi, Via Consolare Antica 332 ( 0941 912 756, agatirso.com).

ACCOMMODATION

Hotel Faro Via Libertà 7 0941 902 466, nuovohotelfaro.com. 1960s-style hotel
with spacious rooms and balconies fronting the beach. Turn right out of the station and

walk along Via Crispi, head for the sea at Piazza Matteotti, and it’s a few blocks to the
right. €115

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Patti

With its views out to the Aeolian Islands, a crumbling hilltop historic centre, and a
general – and infectious – sense of well-being, PATTI is an engaging little place, with
more charm than many of the centres on this coast. At the top of the semi-restored

upper town, the Cattedrale has a powerful Madonna by Antonello de Saliba and, in
the right transept, the tomb of Adelasia, much-loved first wife of Roger I, with the date
of her death inscribed at the bottom, 1118. Afterwards, you could take one of the
frequent buses that depart from outside the hospital just below the old centre to Patti

Marina, where there’s a long, fine pebble beach.