Overview
Crystal-clear sea, rocky seabeds and an overhanging cliff – just a few miles south of Syracuse's Porto Grande, a picture-postcard panorama of the Maddalena Peninsula opens up. If you are lucky, you will also be able to spot dolphins along this stretch which goes to the extreme tip of Capo Murro di Porco and is protected by the Plemmirio Marine Protected Area.
Leaving the island of Ortigia behind, put on comfortable trainers to walk along the path that starts at Punta della Mola and winds between cliffs and views to be immortalised, all accompanied by a constant scent of aromatic herbs.
You will come across, after about an hour's walk, the evocative Grotta della Pillirina, a perfect stop for a regenerative dive in the sea. Don't forget your mask and fins and, if you are a fan of stalactites and stalagmites, you can delve into this karstic sea cavity to which a romantic legend is linked involving a young woman and a sailor.
Move on the path further south and you will find another point worthy of a photo to treasure: the Scoglio dell'Elefante (Elephant Rock), an imposing arched rock evoking the head of a pachyderm with its trunk dropping sheer into the sea.
Penisola della Maddalena, Italia
