Territory

Born as a fishing village, protected from storms thanks to a sweet gulf, today San Vito Lo Capo has one of the most famous Sicilian beaches, able to thrill for the clarity of the waters and the picturesque setting of the gulf that surrounds it.
Located on a promontory, between the Zingaro Oriented Natural Reserve and that of Mount Cofano, the town of San Vito Lo Capo was originally developed as a resting place for pilgrims who came here to venerate San Vito Martire.

Saint Crescente’s chapel, located on the way to the town, is also linked to the cult of San Vito. It is said that it was built on the site in which a landslide killed Crescion, the saint’s nurse.

In recent years, San Vito Lo Capo has grown thanks to tourism and has developed restaurants and accommodation facilities, but until not long ago, the economy of the town was almost exclusively based on fishing. Until mid 1600s, the Tonnara del Secco was still active, one of the many which are found throughout Sicily, for fishing and processing of bluefin tuna.