Torre Salsa
Siculiana, Sicily, Italy
Torre Salsa is a WWF managed nature reserve on Sicily's southern coast, Italy, between Siculiana and Montallegro in Agrigento province, protecting six kilometers of dunes, chalky cliffs, and Mediterranean scrub above a long, undeveloped shoreline. Loggerhead sea turtles nest on the beach in summer, and a 16th century watchtower that gives the reserve its name still stands above the sand.
One of the last truly undeveloped stretches of coast in this part of Sicily, with real turtle nesting to show for it, though the unpaved access roads keep it from being a casual beach day.
Bring a car with reasonably high clearance if it's rained recently. The access roads are unpaved and can get rough, and there's no public transportation option to the reserve.
There's a parking area near the reserve entrance, reached by unpaved roads off the coastal route between Siculiana and Montallegro. A car is effectively required.
Paths through the reserve to the beach are dirt trails over dunes and scrub, uneven and not suited to strollers or limited mobility.
June through September brings the warm, dry Sicilian summer and calm swimming conditions, while turtle nesting activity, when it happens, typically runs through the same summer months.
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