The village of San Gregorio
A small square, a church, the fishermen's low houses facing the sea stacks. Until the mid-twentieth century you could only get here on foot — and in a house just across the water Gino Paoli wrote «Sapore di sale».
A village inside the town
On the eastern shore, just past the headland, lies the part of Capo d'Orlando that feels like somewhere else: San Gregorio. A small square on the water, a church dedicated to Saint Gregory the Great, the fishermen's low houses facing the sea, and the sea stacks in front. It's five minutes from the centre, but the atmosphere changes completely: no corso, no shop windows, people sitting outside their doors.
Before the road
This explains everything else. Until the mid-twentieth century the coast road didn't exist: between the village and the centre of Capo d'Orlando stood the hill, and the only link was a path over it — the Goletta path. People, shopping and post all came that way. That's why San Gregorio grew as a community of its own, with its own church and its own feast, and why it still doesn't resemble the rest of the town. The path today →
«Sapore di sale» was born across the water
In the summer of 1963 Gino Paoli spent a month in Capo d'Orlando, staying — his own words — in «a deserted house near a deserted beach». He never named the spot, but local tradition places that beach right here, on the San Gregorio shore. Out of that month came the most summery song in Italian music, which almost everyone believes was written on the Tuscan coast. The full story →
The beach and the sea stacks
In front of the village the seabed is sand, shelving gently: this is the stretch for anyone with children, and the reason local families come here in summer. A little further on, below the headland, the bottom turns to pebbles and the water deepens at once: that's where you go with mask and fins. The sea stacks off the shore are the signature of this stretch — and the best foreground for photographs at dawn, when the sun comes up towards Capo Calavà. Every beach →
The harbour, and what turns up there
Carry on east and you reach the marina, in the Bagnoli district. And it's there that, at low tide, the Cave del Mercadante surface: a hundred metres of sandstone carved with large circular discs whose purpose nobody knows. Nearby lie the remains of the Roman baths of the 3rd-4th century, and on the hill above the harbour the Scafa park, which locals call «the window onto the Tyrrhenian». What to see in town →
When to come
At sunset, for the colour the rock of the stacks takes on. At dawn, if you'll get up: here the sun rises out of the sea and the silhouettes stay backlit for twenty minutes. Summer evenings, when the little square fills. And in winter, when there's nobody and you understand better what it was before the road arrived. Where to watch the sunset →
Frequently asked questions
Where is the village of San Gregorio?
On the eastern shore of Capo d'Orlando, just past the headland: five minutes by car from the centre along the coast road, or a twenty-five minute walk along the seafront.
Why does San Gregorio feel like a separate village?
Because it was one: until the mid-twentieth century the coast road didn't exist and the only link with the centre was the Goletta path over the hill. The village grew as an independent community, with its own church dedicated to Saint Gregory the Great.
Was «Sapore di sale» really written at San Gregorio?
Gino Paoli wrote the song in Capo d'Orlando in the summer of 1963 and described where he stayed as a deserted house near a deserted beach, without naming the spot. Local tradition places that beach on the San Gregorio shore.
Is the beach at San Gregorio good for children?
Yes: in front of the village the seabed is sandy and shelves gently. Below the headland the bottom turns to pebbles and the water deepens immediately, which is the better part for snorkelling.
One email a month
A calendar of what actually happens here.
Village feasts, food festivals, when the boat trips start again, what the weather does in October. One email a month, written by us, with no offers and no hurry.
Keep reading
The best beaches in Capo d'Orlando
There is no «most beautiful one» — there's the right one for your day. Within two kilometres of coast the seabed, exposure and depth all change: here's which to choose for children, for snorkelling, for windy days and for sunset.
Weather, sea and webcams in Capo d'Orlando
This coast faces north, and that explains everything: when the sea gets up, when the boats don't sail, which beach shelters, and why a southerly wind flattens the water here. Plus the webcams to check before you go out.
What to do this evening in Capo d'Orlando
It's seven o'clock, the beach day is over and the question is always the same. Here's how an evening works in this town — which changes a great deal between July and November.
Related destinations: Capo d'Orlando.
Stay in Capo d'Orlando
A base in the centre — and everything else becomes a day trip.
The port for the Aeolians is 45 minutes away, the Nebrodi right behind. Breakfast served early for dawn departures.
Direct booking, no intermediaries · See the rooftop →