Tonnara di Scopello: closed, and what you can still see

The Tonnara di Scopello is a former tuna fishery on the coast near Scopello: a cluster of old buildings around a small cove, with the Faraglioni, a group of tall rock stacks, just offshore. At the end of September 2026 it closed to visitors, and by 23 October we had found no report of a reopening. This is what we know, and how to see this stretch of coast while the Tonnara stays shut. We checked our sources on 23 and 24 October 2026.

The Tonnara di Scopello at a glance
Topic	As of 23 October 2026
What it is	A former tuna fishery; until the closure a museum, holiday apartments and a venue for events
Where	Largo Tonnara, Scopello, in the municipality of Castellammare del Golfo
Oldest part	The boat store, built around the 13th century
Last mattanza	1984
Status	Closed since the end of September 2026; reopening not known
Swimming	Not allowed: the 2026 bathing decree lists 900 metres of coast as closed
From Villa Giulietta	3.2 km

Source: tonnaradiscopello.it; Il Post, 1 October 2026; Wikipedia; Regione Siciliana, bathing decree 2026; Booking.com

Closed since September 2026

In July 2026 the civil court in Trapani issued an interim order suspending the lease of the company that had run the Tonnara since 2021. In September the municipality of Castellammare del Golfo withdrew the permits the company needed to let rooms, serve food and hold events, and at the end of the month the Tonnara closed. The company cancelled every wedding booked there until further notice; many of the couples came from abroad.

Behind all this lies a long dispute among the owners. The Tonnara belongs to 32 co-owners, and the administrator of the co-ownership told Il Post that the disagreement had been running for twenty years. An appeal against the court order was due to be heard on 8 October, and the first hearing in the main case is set for January. We could not find out how it went.

The operator's website has not caught up: its ticket page still shows normal opening hours and a booking form. When we tried it on 24 October, the booking system showed every date it offered, up to 7 November, as not available. Whether visits will be possible in 2027 is open. We would not plan a day around it until tonnaradiscopello.it offers bookable dates again.

What the Tonnara is

A tonnara caught tuna in large nets fixed in the sea, and Scopello was a good place for one. The tuna passed close to this coast between May and June, and the cove was sheltered from wind and currents, so the crews could prepare their boats safely. The final stage of the catch, when the trapped fish were hauled up and killed, was called the mattanza. The last one here took place in 1984.

The oldest part is the marfaggio, the store for the boats, built around the 13th century; a watchtower stands on the rock above it. In the 15th and 16th centuries the Sanclemente, a noble family from Trapani, added the buildings that close off the courtyard, the baglio. Under a will of 1597, two thirds of the Tonnara went to the Jesuit college in Trapani, and the Jesuits improved the chapel, the boat stores and the fishermen's quarters. Eight co-owners bought it at a public auction in 1874, the Florio family among them. The Florios raised the catch with better gear and created new rooms for the administration, the Palazzina Florio. The heirs of those buyers still own the Tonnara today.

Until the closure the buildings held an open-air museum with the original boats and fishing gear, fifteen holiday apartments and space for events. The site is under heritage protection, which is why so much of it still looks as it did. Film crews have used it too, for Ocean's Twelve among others.

The Faraglioni

The Faraglioni are the rock stacks in front of the Tonnara. The sea around them is 16 to 18 metres deep, over a bottom partly of sand and partly covered with Posidonia seagrass. Prickly pears grow even on top of the stacks, watched over by gulls.

Why you cannot swim there

Sicily's bathing decree for 2026 (D.D.G. no. 388 of 23 March 2026) lists 900 metres of coast at the Tonnara and the Faraglioni among the stretches closed for safety reasons, under a 2015 order of the coastguard in Trapani. By the decree's coordinates, Cala dell'Ovo, a small cove between the Tonnara and the Zingaro, lies outside the closed stretch and inside monitored bathing water no. 39, named after Cala Mazzo di Sciacca.

The Tonnara had strict rules of its own even before it closed. Its booking page states that the site is a monument and not a bathing establishment, with no lifeguards. The little beach by the baglio was off limits, even to swimmers, and climbing on the rocks to dive was not allowed. For visits there were further rules:

Entry on foot only, along a signposted path.
No animals of any size.
No sunbeds, SUP boards, canoes, umbrellas or inflatables of your own.
No food or drink brought in; there was a bar on site.
The baglio only on a guided tour at set times, no photos or videos there or in the museum, and no drones.

Travel guides, and even some pages on the Tonnara's own website, still describe swimming and snorkelling around the Faraglioni. The decree is the official rule, and it names the Faraglioni. Some boat operators also advertise a swim near the stacks, so ask where the stops will be before you book.

How to see the coast instead

You can still see the Faraglioni from the shore, and a boat takes you much closer.

By boat from Castellammare del Golfo

Boats leave from the harbour of Castellammare del Golfo, the nearest town, and follow the coast past Scopello to the Zingaro. Here are a few examples from the operators' own websites. None of them gives a year for its prices, so check the current offer before you book.

Boat trips from Castellammare del Golfo
Trip	Operator	Price as published
Day trip to the Zingaro and Scopello, 8 hours	Marina di Castellammare	from €80 per person
Half day under sail, 4 hours	Marina di Castellammare	from €50 per person
Private half day, 4 hours, up to 12 guests	Marina di Castellammare	from €800 for the boat
Half day with lunch on board: sea caves, the Zingaro, the Faraglioni and the Tonnara	Egadi Navigazione	€29, in August €45; children 5 to 11: €20, in August €30 (season May to September)
Catamaran day trip with swim stops, up to 12 guests	Tonnara di Scopello	On request; unclear while the Tonnara is closed

Source: Websites of Marina di Castellammare, Egadi Navigazione and the Tonnara di Scopello; prices without a year, accessed on 23 October 2026

On foot: the Zingaro

Beyond the Tonnara the road continues to the car park at the south entrance of the Riserva dello Zingaro, about 2.5 km according to the Tonnara's website. From there a coastal path of about 7 km leads past a series of coves to the north entrance, and the reserve reckons on two hours each way. Entry is €5 (reduced €3), card payment only. In October 2026 the reserve listed all its paths as open; opening hours change with the season, so check riservazingaro.it on the day. There is more about the reserve in our article on the Zingaro and about the village in our article on Scopello.

Beaches nearby

For a swim, the nearest spots are Cala dell'Ovo, a small cove of pebbles and rock with no facilities, and Guidaloca, a sheltered pebble bay with beach clubs, showers and paid parking, where the bathing decree lists 130 metres at the eastern end as closed. With small children, Guidaloca is the easier choice. Cala Mazzo di Sciacca, where the Zingaro path begins, has white pebbles and no beach club, though Balarm and voloscontato.it report a kiosk hiring out umbrellas and loungers. The distances are in the table below; our article on the beaches near Scopello compares all the beaches.

Getting there and parking

From the A29 motorway between Palermo and Mazara del Vallo, take the Castellammare del Golfo exit and follow the SS 187 towards Trapani for about 4 km to the turning for Scopello and the Zingaro. At Guidaloca, signs point the way to the Tonnara di Scopello.

Visitors left their cars at the car parks nearby, which the Tonnara does not run, and walked in along a signposted path. The access road to the Tonnara is private, too: in 2022 Sicily's administrative appeal court upheld a ruling against a 2015 municipal order that had declared access to the bay in front of the Faraglioni free for everyone.

In summer the centre of Scopello is a restricted traffic zone, and the rules change from year to year. If you want a coffee in the village afterwards, park outside and walk in.

From the villa

Villa Giulietta stands in Contrada Sarmuci, about 2 km south of Scopello. Booking.com gives the distance to the Tonnara as 3.2 km, measured as the shortest route on foot or by car.

Distances from Villa Giulietta
Place	Distance
Scopello	2 km
Tonnara di Scopello	3.2 km
Cala dell'Ovo	3.6 km
Guidaloca	3.7 km
Cala Mazzo di Sciacca	4.3 km
Cala Rossa	4.9 km
Riserva dello Zingaro	about 10 minutes by car
Castellammare del Golfo	8 km, about 20 minutes by car

Source: Booking.com (shortest walking or driving distance) for the Tonnara and the beaches; previous Villa Giulietta website for Scopello, the Zingaro and Castellammare del Golfo

Without the Tonnara, our pick for a day here would be a morning walk in the Zingaro and an afternoon at Guidaloca; for dinner we would drive to the harbour in Castellammare. There is more about the house on our villa page. Distances to towns and airports are on the location page, rates and conditions on the rates page.

Questions and answers

Is the Tonnara di Scopello open?

No. It has been closed since the end of September 2026, after a court suspended the operator's lease and the municipality withdrew its permits. By 23 October we had found no report of a reopening. Until the booking system on tonnaradiscopello.it offers dates again, we would not plan a visit.

Can you swim at the Tonnara di Scopello?

No. Sicily's 2026 bathing decree lists 900 metres of coast at the Tonnara and the Faraglioni as closed for safety reasons, and even when the Tonnara was open, its rules kept visitors out of the little cove, swimmers included.

How can I see the Faraglioni while the Tonnara is closed?

From the shore and, much closer, from a boat. Several boat trips from Castellammare del Golfo pass the Faraglioni on their way along the coast to the Zingaro.

How far is the Tonnara from Villa Giulietta?

3.2 km according to Booking.com. The village of Scopello is about 2 km from the villa, and the Zingaro about ten minutes by car.

Sources

Sources accessed on 23 October 2026 unless noted.