Few cities are as fortunate as Palermo to have a sea like that of Mondello at such a short distance.
Every Palermitan has a little bit of Mondello in their childhood memories, and they will spend hours and hours comparing the water of Mondello to that of the Maldives, talking about its turquoise blue reflections and its fine white sand.
With this image anyone could think that a little more than a hundred years ago the Gulf of Mondello was home to a large mephitic swamp, until 1891 when the recovery began and also its territorial and urban transformation.
From a swampy terrain Mondello became the preferred summer resort of the elite, which can be seen in the architecture of the town in some art nouveau villas, but above all in the iconic Bathing Establishment of 1910.
Located on a vast platform on pylons submerged in water, the Charleston, as the Palermitans call it because of the restaurant that was inside, transports you to a world of elegance and relaxation.
But there is a much more unknown villa, which not only stands out for its architecture, but for a much more mysterious history.
It is Villa Caboto, a house that has been uninhabited for years and is known as the haunted villa, due to some strange occurrences inside: lights that turn on and off by themselves, open faucets, sound of footsteps...
If you don’t have much time to hunt ghosts, besides bathing, you can go windsurfing and of course try the local specialties based on fish, good pizzas and finish the day with a good ice cream.
