Mondello is a small resort located 10 km to the west of Palermo. In summer most of the Palermo citizens come to Mondello to spend their holidays there. That is why Mondello is called today “the beach of the capital of Sicily.” The main advantages of this place are a cozy bay between two cliffs called Monte Gallo and Monte Pelegrino, pure blew water, white sand and elegant villas along the coast. In general this place can be called a classical resort.
There was a period of time in the past when Mondello was a small village situated on the marchland where only fishermen lived. But at the end of the 19th century there appeared luxurious villas in the vicinity of Mondello because a lot of wealthy Italians appreciated local wide beaches. Nowadays only the ruins of the old tower of tonnara remind the visitors about the fishing village of the past time. The luxurious villas are the most interesting things for tourists.
Mondello is a nice place for active holidays. There are a lot of opportunities there to do different kinds of sports. You can hire equipment for windsurfing, jet-skiing or boats for romantic row just on the beach. Besides these things the seashore near Mondello is a wonderful place for jogging.
Among the places of entertainment one of the best is the cinema hall in the open air called Arena La Sirenetta. It is a traditional Italian cinema hall in the open air. There were a lot of such cinema halls in Italy in the 60s. Nowadays Arena La Sirenetta is a living history. The atmosphere here reminds us of the time when Sophie Loren and Marchello Mastrojani were young and popular.
The easiest way to come to Mondello is to get there by bus (for example number 806), which departs from the central railway station of Palermo, (Palermo Stazione Centrale). It will take you not more than half an hour to get there. The price of a ticket is about 1Euro.
