The Marina di Portorosa complex, although it was built from scratch as a marina 10 miles southwest of Capo Milazzo, can hold its own as a true and proper tourist attraction because of its size and its adjoining residential area. Considered one of the most modern and well-equipped marinas in the region, it has two converging constructions that face north toward the open sea. Once you pass through the outer port, Portorosa Marina curves into a basin with piers providing berth space for about 700 boats up to 35 meters in length. The discreet silhouettes of the residences, hidden in the green of the palm trees and Mediterranean pines, make them look almost like a natural landing, with the sea flowing into the habitat, creating true navigable canals. This navigability, plus the shops and restaurants, make Portorosa Marina a perfect point of departure for visiting the nearby Aeolian Islands and for cruises along the northern coast of Sicily. The area west of the marina is of particular interest to nature lovers. The nature reserve near Marinello Lagoon faces Capo Tindari, with its magnificent ruins of an ancient Greek city. This stretch of sandy shore is unique in a number of ways, including its coastal sands, its brackish waters, steep slopes and cliffs overhanging the sea. Portorosa Marina www.marinadiportorosa.com

You can reach the ancient city of Tindari from Portorosa Marina by taking the trail to the northeast from the scenic belvedere in front of the Sanctuary. There is actually another, more challenging, trail that begins on the beach at the end of the promontory and, via a series of hairpin turns that will be particularly attractive to hiking enthusiasts, ends at the archeological site. Founded by the Syracusans in 396 B.C., Tyndaris had a building boom during the Roman era but was abandoned forever after it was destroyed by the Arabs in the 9th century. The Greek Theater road follows, from the belvedere, the traces of the ancient walls, with a large portion of the southern section still intact. After passing a fortification from the Byzantine era, you will be at the entrance to the archeological site, which has a museum that houses artifacts discovered in the course of the excavations carried on here since the middle of the 19th century. The principal road, with its ancient pavement, and the lower one on the slope toward the sea, with its tabernae and a domus with a portico, are the main arteries along which Tyndaris developed. In the Roman era, in addition to changes made to the Greek Theater, a number of dwellings were added, as well as a small market, a bathhouse and a basilica with a high vaulted ceiling, which became a kind of meeting place to the northwest of the preexisting agora. Be sure to stop at the belvedere for a fabulous view of the Aeolian Islands and the entire gulf from Capo Calavà to Milazzo. Last but not least, you can visit the Sanctuary of the Black Madonna, featured in a poem by Salvatore Quasimodo and in a novel by Andrea Camilleri, easily reacheable from Portorosa Marina. The Sanctuary houses a citron-wood Byzantine sculpture – an object of veneration and pilgrimages. (http://www.comune.patti.me.it/nuovo/tindaris.asp) Portorosa Marina www.marinadiportorosa.com