Active Pursuits in Mondello

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, where the latter has the cleanest waters and least crowds. It 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 in Piazza Valdesi). 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.