San Vito Lo Capo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Comune di San Vito Lo Capo

Location of San Vito Lo Capo in Italy
Country Flag of Italy Italy
Region Flag of Sicily Sicily
Province Trapani (TP)
Mayor Giuseppe Peraino (since May 26, 2003)
Elevation 6 m (20 ft)
Area 59 km² (23 sq mi)
Population (as of December 31, 2004)
 - Total 3,914
 - Density 66/km² (171/sq mi)
Time zone CET, UTC+1
Coordinates 38°10′N, 12°45′E
Gentilic Sanvitesi
Dialing code 0923
Postal code 91010
Frazioni Castelluzzo, Macari
Patron St. Vitus
 - Day June 15
Website: http://www.comune.sanvitolocapo.tp.it/

San Vito Lo Capo is a town in North-Western Sicily, Italy, administratively part of the province of Trapani. It has 3,914 inhabitants as of 2004. The small town is located in a valley between spectacular mountains, and is home to a public beach popular with local vacationers. The town's primary industries are tourism and agriculture, particularly olive groves owned by small farmers.

The town's eastern border is provided by a small range of mountains, the northernmost of which is peaked by a large cross visible from the public beach below. The mountain is popular with local climbers, and a logbook is provided at the cross for climbers to record their adventures. The mountain is also home to numerous caves, most of which are inaccessible without professional climbing gear. A particular cave, accessible by foot at the southern base of the mountain, was named "Caverna della Capra Guasto," or "Cave of the Dead Goat" by explorers Christian D'Angelo and William Spears. The adventurers famously explored the cave's interior using only a camera flash for light, and provide the first historical record of the cave's penetration by humans.

San Vito lo Capo is home to many small eateries targeting the beachgoing market; of those the most well-known is the historical Cafe Europa, famous for its specialty, the Panini con Panelle.