Lido La Risacca

Lido La Risacca stretches along roughly 500 metres of lava cliff between Catania and Aci Castello at Cannizzaro, and has been operating on this coast for more than fifty years. There is no beach in the conventional sense. The shoreline is solidified basalt, black and irregular, and the club works with it: sunbathing happens on solariums built out over the rock, with steps and ladders giving access to water that is deep, cold and unusually rich in marine life for somewhere this close to a city. Around 230 cabins run the length of the property, and the seasonal subscription attached to one includes six passes and two loungers. For anyone who dislikes salt water there are two seawater pools, one of them a paddling pool for babies. The rest is a sprawl of things to do between swims: a football pitch, a beach volleyball court, ping pong and foosball, a children's play area, central pagodas laid out for sitting and talking, and a panoramic terrace used for events. Food comes from a bar and restaurant serving Sicilian dishes self-service style at lunch, with a separate kiosk mixing cocktails.