There is a stretch of coast, between the Zingaro Reserve and Monte Cofano, where the countryside meets the sea without interruptions and the landscape preserves an increasingly rare harmony. It is the coast of Macari-Castelluzzo, in the territory of San Vito Lo Capo, which has also become famous thanks to the TV series Makari. But today that bay, considered a symbol of western Sicily, is at the center of a heated conflict.
The Municipality has in fact presented a tourist redevelopment project which has already obtained an initial green light from the technical-specialist Commission of the Regional Territory and Environment Department. A step that has sparked the mobilization of citizens and associations, convinced that the intervention can profoundly alter an area subjected to environmental constraints, included in the Natura 2000 network and protected by the “Trapani Mountains” territorial plan for its coastal habitats, avifauna and the particular vermeti reef, considered the Mediterranean equivalent of coral reefs.
Parking, shuttles and seasonal facilities
The municipal plan includes two large parking areas of 20 thousand and 25 thousand square metres, a system of LPG or diesel shuttles every five minutes, temporary delimitations of the coastal stretch with controlled access, watchtowers, stages, stands, a removable metal theater and chemical toilets. Added to this are rentals of sunbeds and umbrellas distributed across multiple points, water activities, play and fitness areas, vending machines, kiosks and mobile sales vehicles.
The structures would be operational from mid-April to mid-October, even if the peak attendance is concentrated in the central summer months. According to the promoters of the petition, all this would introduce significant anthropic pressure, with an increase in waste, noise, energy consumption and traffic, as well as possible repercussions on fragile habitats, endemic vegetation and marine fauna.
The “Save Macari” committee is born
The “Save Macari” committee was born from the protest, whose petition that can be signed at this link in a few days exceeded 7 thousand signatures online. Among the subscribers are names from the world of entertainment such as Emma Dante, Beppe Fiorello and Donatella Finocchiaro, as well as academics and researchers. The declared objective is to ask the Sicily Region for a new and more in-depth Environmental Impact Assessment and to stop what is defined as a development model that is too close to mass tourism.
The promoters contest in particular the temporary transformation of the coastline into an area equipped with regulated access and widespread commercial services, believing that the bay does not need invasive infrastructures to be enjoyed. They also underline the fragility of the rocky coves, already affected by erosion phenomena, and the delicacy of the vermeti cliff.
The municipality’s response
The mayor of San Vito Lo Capo, Francesco La Sala, rejects the accusations of overbuilding and speculation. The administration claims that the objective is to guarantee orderly and sustainable use, offering essential services and regulating now substantial tourist flows. Among the hypotheses illustrated, there are also low-impact transport systems to reduce private traffic.
But faced with such a delicate ecosystem, prudence is not a detail: it is a duty. Macari is not an empty space to be filled with services, but an intact landscape, recognized and protected precisely for its exceptional nature. For this reason, faced with a project that risks transforming a millennial balance into a model of seasonal exploitation, the choice is clear. Defending Macari means defending a different idea of tourism, respectful of nature and a territory that the whole world envies us and which cannot be compromised for a vulgar economic interest.
You might also be interested in:
