In Vendicari you get from the SP 19 "Noto-Pachino", unfortunately with their own means, because even in the summer there is a public transport that stops there. And it's a pity. Vendicari is a nature reserve that extends from the gates of Pachino to almost Noto, for a good 1512 hectares. There are essentially four access points: the ninth street of San Lorenzo, Vendicari (ie the main entrance), Calamosche and Eloro.
In Vendicari you have to go to the clean sea, to the beautiful sandy beaches interspersed with cliffs, along the coast along prickly pears and dwarf palms, to the pink flamingos that stop in its marshes, ancient tuna, churches Byzantine and small Greek theaters. You probably will not find a McDonald's, but I suspect this is just good...


Unfortunately, in Vendicari, dogs can not enter in order not to interfere with the faunal balance. There are no baskets, bins, perches, open air dumps (unfortunately so frequent in our tortured island...) but do not worry: you can always carry a couple of bags in your backpack or in your beach bag, to store the sandwich foil or the can of the high-calorie drink with which you have made the brunch (for non-English speaking: Sicilian Sicilian breakfast), and then be able to differentiate it in the appropriate boxes in the San Lorenzo or Reitani or Spinazza district.
It is obvious but the specific: being a reserve, there can not be and there are no equipped beaches.


As I mentioned, its marshes serve as a stop for numerous migratory birds which, in particular in December, can be observed from special observation points. Not rarely on the beaches of Vendicari, especially in the shores to the south, turtles nest caretta caretta and between September and January it is not uncommon to witness the hatching of eggs to observe the turtles reach the water.


In Vendicari, as evidenced by the ruins of an ancient Hellenic establishment, the remains of the eighteenth-century Arab tonnara, the fishermen's houses and the salt pans in the Pantano Grande, all the cultures and civilizations have always worked fish. In particular, the tonnara remained active until 1943. Eloro, on the northern border of the reserve, is the archaeological site of a small Greek settlement on a small hill facing the sea. On the road that leads from the parking to the beach, you can see the remains of a small Greek theater. The presence of the Byzantine civilization (VI century AD) is witnessed by a small church and catacombs. The church is a trigona (type of Byzantine construction not rare in Sicily): with a square plan with three apses and a dome.
The Torre Sveva that stands in front of the Arabian tuna, was erected by Pietro d'Aragona in the XV century AD, to defend the coast from raids by pirates.

In short, in Vendicari it is almost impossible to get bored: snorkeling, birdwatching, trekking, archeology, nature and the sea ... lots of sea, with magnificent beaches such as San Lorenzo, Cittadella, Marianelli, Calamosche and Eloro! Seeing is believing!