Page 231 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

Maracaibo Punta Scario beach (no phone). Beach hut with a shady, flower-filled
covered terrace serving a couple of kinds of fresh fruit granitas (usually lemon and
watermelon), plus salads (€4–6) and sandwiches (€3.50–4) that make copious use of
local ingredients such as capers, sun-dried tomatoes and tuna. Daily mid-morning till
sunset; closed winter.

Ravesi Via Roma 6 090 984 4385, hotelravesi.it. Good drinks and a help-
yourself buffet of nibbles served in the candlelit garden of this elegant hotel – a must

for aperitivo junkies. In mid-Aug there’s a programme of aperitivo-hour concerts.
Daily 7–9pm; closed winter.

Signum Via Scalo 15 090 984 4222, hotelsignum.it. Enthusiastic, attentive staff
and great cooking ensure dinner at Signum is always special: candlelit and subdued,
but refreshingly relaxed. Let sommelier Vincenzo guide your choice of wine – he’ll
listen to exactly what you like, and come up with one of the cellar’s real treasures.

Signature dishes include an unguent sformata of raw prawns with pistachios; the
crispest, lightest and most succulent fish polpette imaginable; and home-made ravioli
stuffed with ricotta, orange and lemon zest, sprinkled with finely chopped lemon
leaves. Fish of the day will depend on what’s in season. Hotel guests have priority,
but it is worth phoning early to get on the waiting list. Expect to pay at least €50 per

head. Easter–Oct daily lunch & dinner.

Pollara

Just above Malfa, a minor road (served by several buses a day) snakes off west to
secluded POLLARA, raised on a cliff above the sea and occupying a crescent-shaped
crater from which Salina’s last eruption took place some 13,000 years ago. Scenes

from Michael Radford’s 1994 film Il Postino were shot in a house here and down on
the narrow beach at the base of cliffs below the village, but film pilgrims and the many
boat tours that pitch up here have caused severe erosion over the years, and the beach
has recently been closed. You can swim instead from ramps in front of the so-called
balate, caves in which fishermen traditionally kept their boats and equipment; or
clamber and splash along the rocky coast to more private swimming spots. In summer

two enterprising locals rent kayaks, lilos, mattresses and sun umbrellas at the ramps.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING: POLLARA

Al Cappero Pollara Via Chiesa 38 090 984 3968. Simple, family-run place, with
something of a Greek taverna feel, where you should be sure to arrive in time to watch

the sun sink over the isles of Filicudi and Alicudi. Frittelle di zucchine (deep-fried
courgette fritters) come free, after which there will be two or three pasta dishes of the
day (€7–10), inevitably including one dressed with a pesto of their own capers. Fish
(€8–12) comes grilled or fried, but the signature dish is a tasty coniglio in agrodolce