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Our fishing tour in the Strait of Messina is a wonderful way to experience one of the most important economic activities of the island of Sicily: fishing.
The Strait of Messina, the sea between Capo Peloro in Sicily and the Italian mainland, is the scenic location where a lot of legends and epic poems, namely the Odyssey, are set. This is also the place where two seas – the Ionian and the Thyrrenian – meet and display their strong currents. This is the amazing background when one of the most ancient fishing techniques is still alive and carried out by local fishermen from one generation to the next. We will embark on one of the typical boats used for the swordfish hunt in the Strait of Messina, called “spadara”, which originates from the more ancient “luntro” and “feluca”.
You are going to enjoy a real fishing experience with your guide, sailing along the Strait never further than half a mile from the shore, and interacting with a crew of expert fishermen while they chase swordfish. You can choose the amount of time to spend on the boat at the check-out.
The Strait of Messina fishing tour also includes a tasting on the shore of the typical “granita” and a light lunch.
Reaching the mariner village of Ganzirri you will be able to admire the natural beauty of one of the two lagoons of Capo Peloro, declared Oriented Nature Reserve in 2001, as well as a SIC area (Site of Community Importance) by the European Union.
Swordfish Sicily: the swordfish is one of the main ingredients of typical dishes of Sicily. In the Strait of Messina we can talk about a real hunt, as the fish is literally chased by the typical motorboat called “spadara”. A swordfish can reach a weight of more than 800 pounds.
Ganzirri lake: Ganzirri Lake is one of the two lagoons of the Cape Peloro area. The mariner village hold a strong fishing tradition concerning the growing of mussels and clams. The houses of fishermen stay between the lake and the sea. Different channels connect the lake to the sea and guarantee the water changing every 6 hours following the tide.
Fishing tour: embark on a spadara and try the experience of the swordfish hunt, interact with local fisherman while sailing in the stunning scenery of the Strait of Messina. The boat will sail inside its “posta”, a delimitated portion of sea where each boat has permission to hunt for the day, established by an official calendar.
Swim in the Strait: you can’t experience the Strait of Messina without swimming in its crystal and fresh waters. After the fishing trip, depending on your interest, you can stop on the beach to enjoy the sun and dive in the sea.
Ancient crafts: this fishing tour will make you learn about the most important traditional fishing technique in the Strait of Messina, practiced since the XVI century: the swordfish hunt, performed with ancient know-how and traditional tools. The spadara used to hunt of the swordfish is a special boat that has evolved over time to have now an high mast in the center and a very long front walk. On top of the mast some men stay to look after the fish at sea giving indications to the rest of the crew. Another man on the edge of the front walk is ready with a harpoon to hit the fish when the boat gets close.
Nature: Capo Peloro, located in extreme Northern point of Sicily, is one of the three capes of the island. Both the Strait of Messina and Ganzirri lake are protected nature sites, knwon as the Oriented Nature Reserve of Capo Peloro and its lagoons having been established since 2001. The two lakes of Ganzirri and Faro are two preferred spots for many specimens of birds to stop along their migratory roots from Africa. The Strait of Messina is also of geological and natural relevance: its deep waters keeps an abundance of nutrients coming from the deepness of the sea to the surface thanks to the currents.
Legends: The Strait of Messina is the setting of many ancient legends, namely the ones of Colapesce or Scylla and Charybdis. These characters took life from the Greek mythology and ancient stories about a man who can dive deep in the sea holding his breath.
The actual hunting experience on the boat is flexible and can last from 2 up to 8 hrs, according to your interest and time availability.
The boat will always remain never further than half a mile away from the shore.
It is not possible to launch the harpoon.
Light lunch provided on board or on shore.
After you book the tour, we will keep in touch to organize the meeting point and start time.
The departure time and meeting point will be scheduled to fit your needs (cruise port departures available for cruise passengers). Then, we will drive to Capo Peloro on board a comfortable luxury car.
Before the fishing tour, we will stop to taste the refreshing “granita con brioche”, a very refreshing and traditional Sicilian food prepared with fruit juice and ice.
We will reach the beach from where a motorboat will bring us close to the “spadara”. Once on board of the typical boat, we will start the fishing expedition with the crew of local fishermen.
According to your interest and possibility, you can choose to stay on board the amount of time you prefer, from 2 to 8 hrs.
We will reach the fisherman village to have a short stop at Ganzirri lake and take photos of the beautiful views and fishermen in the lake doing the job, before reaching the beach to enjoy a well-deserved swim in the crystal blue waters of the Strait of Messina.
English
Water shoes, swimsuit, sunscreen, hat, towel, flipflops, changing clothes, seasick pills according to your needs.
The Swordfish tour will be only assured for the accommodation located in North Eastern Sicily or from Messina cruise port.
The tour was amazing. We had a local breakfast and after seeing some sights in Messina we boarded the swordfishing boat in the straight of Messina. It was amazing to see them working together to catch swordfish. We then had an authentic lunch in Sicily and spent time at a beach that was one of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever seen, it was one of the most wonderful days of my life however most of that is due to Sara. Her obvious love for Sicily and Messina shines through in every moment you spend with her. She is a gem and really made an amazing day simply over the top…we felt like we came away with a friend a much better understanding of how the people in Messina spend their lives!
My family was on a cruise and some of us were very interested in fishing. We found this tour and we were not sure what to expect. What we ended up with so far exceeded our expectations that I don’t think I can fully state how amazing this day was. First off we had a traditional breakfast served in Messina and the most amazing authentic lunch that is hard to put into words how good the food was. We went on a swordfishing boat and saw these guys catch 3 swordfish. Which was the highlight of the day(you would think) but the highlight was Sara Lisciotto. She took such great care of us. She answered all of our questions she explained things so well. She showed us her town of Messina which she clearly loves. My only regret that day was getting back on our cruise ship. Messina is one of the most beautiful towns I’ve ever seen and to be able to see it through Sara’s eyes was truly amazing. This was the highlight of our trip!!! If you are interested in fishing and seeing this beautiful area of Sicily don’t hesitate to book a tour with them and hope you get as lucky as we did to meet and spend the day with sara!!!!
My family (Husband, 15yr old son and sister-in-law) booked this for a day trip when our cruise ship ported in Messina. We all love saltwater fishing and thought this would be a perfect tour but it was more than perfect. We hit it off instantly with Sara our tour guide. You could tell that she has a passion for her home of Messina. She did a wonderful job telling us all about the area and the history of the area. We enjoyed learning about the Greek Myths of the 2 sea monsters that are at the entrance to the Straight.
Going on the boat as the guys were sword fishing it was amazing. They had just caught one as we were getting ready to come aboard from the shore. We got there in time to see them place the sword fish in the fish box and we thought that there was little chance that we would get to see them actually spear a sword fish. But as faith would have it, we got to see them spear 3 sword fish that day. Even though none of the guys spoke English, Sara did a great job translating for us and we shared many fishing tales with the fishermen.
The best part of the day though was growing a friendship with Sara and being able to share a meal with her family (spur of the moment and not part of the actual tour). Out of our 18 day European vacation, this day is our best. You should try this unique experience for yourself.
We went to Messina as one of our cruise stops and took the Private Sword fishing tour of Messina. Now we want to go back to stay. The area is beautiful and if Sara and the fishermen as any indication of how friendly the locals are, then this would be an amazing place to live. My family (Me, Husband, 15 yr old son and Sister) all enjoy saltwater fishing. It was incredible to be so close to the land and catch these deepwater fish. We were on board and got to see them spear 3 swordfish. Sara did a great job translating for us and allowed us to have some great discussions with the fishermen.
For our lunch time break, Sara kindly offered to let us have lunch with her family. Her mom’s cooking was amazing. This was so unexpected and kind that it might have brought a few tears to our eyes.
After lunch we made a trip to the beach at the point of Messina. The water was some of the clearest I’ve ever seen. The beach was rocky so where water shoes.
This day in Messina was the best day out of our 18 day European vacation. This is a must do for anyone who loves fishing.
