A dream coastal area
L’approdo dal mare consente di scoprire una costa diversificata, a tratti piana e costellata di dune sabbiose, a tratti frastagliata e di elevata valenza ambientale. Sulla platea sabbiosa si affacciano la
beach area of Lido Fiori and the Belice River Nature Reserve, located on the border between the municipalities of Castelvetrano and Menfi, which covers about 130 hectares. Capo Granitola and the neighbouring dunes are part of a larger naturalistic district called “Foce del Belice e sistema dunale di Capo Granitola” (mouth of the Belice river and dune system of Capo Granitola), with a total surface of about 546 hectares, 241 of which are part of the protected area called “Riserva naturale orientata Foce del Fiume Belice” (Belice river mouth nature reserve).
No less important is the beach between the Platani River Reserve and Capo Bianco, consisting of a rocky promontory and long beaches. The promontory became the site of Greek colonies, those of Heraclea Minoa, today an interesting archaeological park.
The coastline of the Oriented Natural Reserve of Torre Salsa, about six kilometres long, is characterised by stretches of high coastline where blue clays emerge, limestone stratifications with banks of gypsum, white marl eroded by the action of the wind forming sheer cliffs and loose sand in the low stretches that make up the coastal dunes.
The turquoise and crystal clear sea of Sciacca is overlooked by the wide and sandy beaches of Maragani, Capo S. Marco, Baia Renella, Foggia and Lido-Tonnara, Sovareto, San Giorgio, Timpi Russi and Makauda. The Tonnara and Foggia lidos have mainly sandy seabeds, while the coasts of San Marco, Renella and Maragani are full of rocky and sandy inlets, considered by divers and bathers to be true paradises.
At Torretta Granitola, a hamlet of Campobello di Mazara, (also known as Granitola because nearby there were once granite quarries that were used to build the temples of Selinunte) there are, on the sandy seabed, the remains of several granite columns visible to the naked eye on calm sea days directly from the boat or by diving.
