Scialara beach is perhaps the main beach in Vieste. It is on the slopes of the limestone massif on which the Old Townwhich overlooks it. Also called beach "del Castello" because the Castello Svevo overlooking it, creating a suggestive landscape, the Scialara beach is the first south of the town.
The main attraction of the beach is the pizzomunno, a solitary monolith that has become somewhat of a symbol of the city. The beach is 3 kilometers long, all of golden sand, easily accessible to many bathing establishments. The seabed is sandy and shallow and this makes the beach perfect for children. The flat waterfront is perfect for long strolls or sunrise/sunset jogging.
One of the characteristics of the beach is the presence of some small streams of fresh water, which flow into the sea.
These streams are artificial canals (in dialect “currènd”/”corrente”) that, starting from the hills behind, cross the entire “Scialara” plain, which was once a wetland and then an agricultural area dedicated to viticulture before becoming one of the most popular tourist coastlines in Italy.
The name Scialara could come from the Apulian dialect root “sciala”, of Arabic origin (sha'rā), meaning plain or wide beach.
The same linguistic element Scial- also occurs in other toponyms of the area, such as Scialmarino (Scial di Merino), confirming an origin linked to the natural conformation of the places.
The root is widespread in various regions of the Mediterranean, such as the Sicilian term “Sciara” and the Slavic “Zalo”.
