Going to the sea at the Tremiti
In the whole Tremiti archipelago, made up of three islands, two islets and a rock, there are only three sandy beaches, one of which is pebble, but many coves where you can reach on foot from towns and accommodation facilities. The rocks and cliffs on the shore often allow a comfortable descent to the sea – always very clean and rich in underwater fauna and flora – and an easy ascent from the water. The transparent seabed often gently slope down towards the water. For the less accustomed, however, it is advisable, when necessary, to wear rock shoes and pay due attention to curls.
How to get to the Tremiti
At the links below you can find out which are all the connections to and from the Tremiti islands:
Beaches of the Tremiti islands
The sandy beaches are all located on the island of San Domino, the largest and most populous, and on the islands of San Nicola and Caprara. Let’s see what they are.
Cala delle Arene beach
It is a beach of white and fine sand, also present on the seabed, which is gently sloping. The waters of Cala delle Arene are clear, although in August it is crowded. It is located about one hundred meters from the port of San Domino and there is both a free stretch and bathing establishments with restaurants. The favorite of families also for its easy accessibility. If the month is not August its charm is even more evident.
Cala Matano beach
Also known as the beach of the “Duchessa”, from the name of the Duchess Matano, the cove, also in San Domino, can be reached by a path in the vegetation that frames it. On the small beach, which has a pebbly shoreline and a backdrop full of rocks, it is also possible to rent deckchairs, sunbeds and umbrellas. The color of the sea is a transparent emerald. The wild beauty of the place had not gone unnoticed by Lucio Dalla, who settled not far from here.
Pagliai beach
This beach in Cala dei Pagliai can only be reached by sea because behind it there is a large vertical ridge. It is not equipped. The name derives from the seven large rocks that are in front of us and which have the pyramidal shape of the characteristic piles of straw.
Castello beach
Near the port of San Nicola, there is the Marina, connected to the inhabited center, where there is the beach of the Castle, with stretches of sand and stretches of pebbles with alternately sandy and stony seabed, located at the foot of the fortress of the Badiali that surrounds the abbey of Santa Maria a Mare.
Cala Marinella beach
A rather tiring route, always on the island of San Nicola, leads to the beach of Marinella bordered by ridges and white rocks.
Cala Pietre di Fucile beach
On the island of Caprara we find Cala Pietre di Fucile with a free beach of gravel and round pebbles which were in the past used for artillery. You can go there only by sea, also through a boat service departing from the port of San Domino.
Coves on the island of San Domino
Cala dello Spido
In Cala dello Spido we find only rocks, which however are shaped in such a way as to allow you to enter the water comfortably. The path in the pine forest to get there is not tiring on the outward journey, but it is somewhat tiring on the way back uphill. It is not far from the center. There are no establishments and you cannot put umbrellas but the sea is dreamy, emerald. All around there are aleppo pines, typical Mediterranean trees.
Cala del Sale
This is the cove where there is also the Grotta del Sale and can also be accessed from land. From the rocks it is possible to dive and even go swimming in the cave. Not far from the coast there are large rocks on which it is possible to lie down for a Spartan tan.
Cala delle Roselle
A descent into the sea of limestone leads us to Cala delle Roselle, surrounded by a wildly green landscape.
Cala Zio Cesare
The old lighthouse keeper, Zio Cesare, moored his boat in this cove of rocks and pebbles to go to work. A pine forest, a few meters from the shore, gives way to the white rock.
Cala dei Benedettini
In Cala dei Benedettini the rocks are flat and gradually climb towards the crystalline sea with a shallow seabed which however, after a while, reaches significant depths. The paths to get there are steep but once you reach your destination you can relax on the sun loungers in the shade of the bathing establishment. There are also inflatable boats for rent and a diving center.
Cala degli Inglesi
Another steep path among the pines allows you to reach Cala degli Inglesi, so called because offshore there is the wreck of a nineteenth-century British ship. It is partly free and partly in concession to a tourist village. The rocks slope down in such a way as to be able to dive comfortably and the seabed, in the first meters, is sandy.
Cala Tramontana
Thanks to an easy naturalistic path you can reach Cala Tramontana, half managed by an accommodation facility. In the cove there is also the possibility of finding free at least one of the few wooden bases available to relax, but the rocks are flat and gently slope down into the water. Located on the north-western side, it is the stage for exciting sunsets.
Cala Tamariello
Cala Tamariello is equipped with platforms with sun loungers and umbrellas, canoes and floating beds and a descent to the sea. It is not difficult to get there by walking in the Mediterranean scrub. The name derives from the dialect term that indicates the prawns.
Cala Tonda
This round-shaped cove can only be reached by sea, by boat or canoe, as the walls that surround it are quite hanging. Cala Tonda also has a suggestive sea cave which extends into the rock for about thirty meters.
Coves on the island of San Nicola
Cala della Punta del Cimitero
Near the Punta del Cimitero, in the northernmost area, in front of the current cemetery, there is the cove of the same name, with a sandy shoreline next to a rocky wall and a small mooring where it is possible to land.
Coves on the island of Caprara
Cala dei Turchi
Unreachable except by boat, framed by a rocky coast overlooking the sea, Cala dei Turchi was occupied by the latter who used it as a base for their invasions in the archipelago, well protected from the winds.
Cala dei Vermi
Under the automatic lighthouse there is Cala dei Vermi, loved by kayaking and canoeing fans, also because nearby you can see an imposing arched rock formation, the so-called architiello, which hides a kind of saltwater lake. In the nearby cove you can see the Grottone, a large cave.
Cale of the islet of Cretaccio
Cala Grande
This islet is uninhabited and owes its name to the composition of the rocks, of sedimentary, terrigenous and clayey origin. The Cala Grande of Cretaccio is yellow in color, with a surface made of marl and rocks that decline on the banks.
Cala del Diavolo
Even Cala del Diavolo can only be reached by sea; the rocks are less sloping than the other inlets of Cretaccio and are reddish in color. The low overhangs are perfect places for the many seagulls that build their nest here.
