Cinisi is a small place situated on the northern coast of Sicily. It will take you half an hour to get there from Palermo. This place is known to a lot of tourists because one of the two main airports of Sicily Falcone-Borcelino Airport is situated in Cinisi, but tourists know it as the Airport of Palermo. The airport is situated near the sea coast in the northern part of Cinisi.
The beaches of Magagiari and Terrasini are the main places for holidays in Cinisi. The beaches are not long but rather large and clean. In the south-western part of the beaches there is a mooring for small yachts, there you can meet sellers of fish and sea foodstuffs. Thanks to its location Cinisi can be used as the starting point from which you can start examining Sicily.
Cinisi was an Arabian colony. The citizens of Cinisi use the elements of the Arabian architecture in building their private houses. But they have kept not only the traditions of the Arabian architecture but also some features of the Eastern temperament. You may meet people with eastern temperament among the sellers of the Sicilian markets. Except architecture and temperament of its citizens Cinisi is a typically Italian place, or Sicilian to be exact.
There are some monuments of the old time in Cinisi, among them are the church, some watchtowers and some monasteries. The most interesting fact is that most of the buildings in Cinisi are of white color. The contrast of the white walls and the dark blue water of the sea creates a peculiar atmosphere at the resort. Maybe because of this atmosphere the local poet Giovanni Meli wrote his best poems in Cinisi. Giovanni Meli is a favourite poet of the citizens of Cinisi, because many of his poems are written in the Sicilian dialect, which the Sicilians consider to be a language.
Besides the famous poet there is one more thing that the citizens of Cinisi are proud of and this is a carnival- masquerade which is held in February. A jazz-band festival is held in Cinisi in September. It is organized in the open air at the sea front of Cinisi.
