Active Pursuits

Hitting the Beach -- As a seaside resort in Sicily, Mondello is outclassed only by Taormina. But if you find yourself in Palermo in July or August, Mondello Lido is the place to be. The wide, sandy beach extends for 2km (1 1/4 miles) from Monte Pellegrino to Monte Gallo.

Opening onto a half-moon-shaped bay between Monte Pellegrino and Capo Gallo, Mondello is the place for showing off your most daring swimwear and for living the good life, including lots of late-night staggering along with the young Palermitani from bar to bar (largely in the center, around Piazza Mondello).

Otherwise, Mondello Lido holds little of historical interest. What remains of the original fishing village lies at the far north of the bay -- but it's hardly worth the trek. Between the wars, Mondello was a snobbish retreat for the upper crust, evoking the most fashionable parts of the French Riviera. After World War II, it more democratically became a "beach for everyone."

In the center of the beach, rising from concrete piers above the surface of the water, and connected to the Sicilian "mainland" with a bridge, you can still see the kursaal, a whimsical bathhouse (now a restaurant, Charleston Le Terrazze) designed in the Art Nouveau style and adorned with sea dragons and other mythological creatures.