Pozzallo (Sicily Italy)

Pozzallo is a central Mediterranean port town in Italy (Sicily's Ragusa province), with population around 20,000. Pozzallo is approx 35 km / 22 mi from Ragusa (the province's capital city).

Cruise ships and ferries dock at Pozzallo Marina. The modern facility is also used for berthing by superyachts and leisure boats. Among the major cruise lines visiting Pozzallo are CroisiEurope (ship La Belle de l'Adriatique) and Oceania.

As a ferry port, Pozzallo provides regularly scheduled daily connections to Valletta Malta (~1,5 hours travel time via high-speed ferries/catamarans). The company (Virtu Ferries) provides 14 weekly crossings to Malta.

Pozzallo is a popular tourist destination benefiting from two large beaches (both Blue Flagged). Other Sicilian Blue Flag-awarded beaches are in the Messina Metro (Ali Terme, Roccalumera, Furci Siculo, Santa Teresa di Riva, Tusa), Agrigento province (Menfi), Ragusa province (Modica, Ispica, Ragusa), as well as on three of the seven Aeolian Islands (Lipari, Stromboli, Vulcano).

Pozzallo's beaches (named Pietre Nere and Raganzino) are large and feature golden fine sand and waterfront bars and clubs.

The downtown is marked by numerous historical buildings, cafes and restaurants, shops, clubs and bars.

Beside the beautiful beaches, the town's best-known tourist attraction is Torre Cabrera (15th-century coastal defense tower) built to defend the coastal complex of warehouses from pirate attacks. The watchtower was built by Bernat Juan de Cabrera, son of Bernat II de Cabrera (1298-1364/nobleman, diplomat, military commander) famous for his participation in Majorca's conquest (1343) and in the battle for Alghero (taken from Genoa in 1353).

In the 15th century, the site of the present-day town was used by sailors for freshwater supply. The two springs (Pozzofeto and Senia) were even marked on nautical charts. The original port was complete with piers and slipways (for loading/offloading goods onto ships) and at the time (15th century) was considered Sicily Island's second most important/largest port - after Catania.