Slow Down By the Sea

This is the preview of our latest post on Way to Go, our new, reader-supported email newsletter. To read the full article and subscribe, click here.

Today is Ferragosto, the Italian mid-August celebration of vacation. We’re heading to the beach — exploring a seaside town on the northern coast of Sicily; escaping Ibiza’s party scene on its tranquil sister island; and going into deep restorative mode on Mexico’s Pacific side, away from Punta Mita’s crowds. Consider this a chill companion to our Hot Girl Summer guide. You’ll discover:

• the third-generation Sicilian hotel we have a crush on
• a quiet scene of barefoot lunches and topless swims in Spain
• a retreat for peace and quiet and delightful coastal Mexican cooking

Cefalu: For a hotel as welcoming as its seaside town.  

Pavia here, fresh from a trip to Le Calette in Cefalù on the north coast of Sicily, a town ranked among the most beautiful villages of Italy.

It’s easy to see why every sailor with a brain wanted to conquer this part of the world. Phoenicians, Greeks, Swabians, Normans, Spaniards, Bourbons, Arabs — thirteen different civilizations made their way to Sicily over the centuries, and they all left something behind, resulting in a lingering mishmash of historic ruins, culinary traditions, and artistic styles. Is the Norman-style Catholic Cathedral of Cefalù built in the form of a Latin cross also lined with Arabic arches and towers reminiscent of those you’d find in Marrakech? It sure is. King Roger II built the cathedral in 1131 to thank God for helping him survive a shipwreck. The Byzantine mosaics in the nave are stunning, as are the baroque sculptures and reliefs and the stained glass windows made from colored sand harvested from lava.

The cathedral sits in a lovely piazza lined with restaurants and cafes, and the one you want to visit is Bar Duomo (Piazza del Duomo, 24) for their incredible granita. If you’re lucky, they’ll have gelse (huckleberry), and, if not, pistachio will hit the spot. You won’t be the only one roaming the narrow streets because Cefalù is popular with day trippers, who may recognize the town as the setting of the outdoor movie in Cinema Paradiso, or, more likely, the beach scenes in season two of The White Lotus.

Another popular site is Lavatoio Medioevale, the medieval wash house located down a stairwell on Via Vittorio Emanuele, the shop-lined street that runs parallel to the sea. Fresh water still flows through the four basins, but it’s been a few decades since anyone actually did their laundry here. Speaking of textiles, Colori del Sole nearby sells beautiful, hand-painted linen napkins, tablecloths, beach towels, as well as dresses you can wear to dinner by the sea at La Botte (Via Veterani, 20), La Vecchia Marina (Via Vittorio Emanuele, 75), or Trattoria Tinchitè. 

The rest of this article — the secluded Sicilian cove, the barefoot Vespas on Formentera, the resort oozing with TLC in Mexico — is for subscribers only. Sign up for our newsletter, Way to Go, for your all-access pass. And remember, the doctor is in, so send your burning travel dilemmas to the Fathom Travel Shrink.