One of the contenders for Sicily’s quaintest fishing village is Marzamemi, which is full of bright blue doors and windows, potted red geraniums and multi-coloured wooden boats.
The colourful, one-storey houses are interrupted by the tonnara – the disused tuna processing plant, which was originally built by the Arabs in the 10th century – the Palazzo Principe Villadorata and the Chiesa di San Francesco di Paola.
The central Piazza Regina Margherita is everyone’s meeting place, and for visitors after Sicilian delicacies, there is the restaurant Campisi with its pomodori secchi, smoked swordfish, pate di olive neri, anchovies and the traditional bottarga (dried tuna roe).
As Marzamemi is just a 45-minute drive from the Virtu Ferries port at Pozzallo, now is the time to go to enjoy the tranquility, as during summer it can get crowded.