Erice Saline di Trapani
TRAVEL TOUR PROPOSES:
EXCURSION ERICE, SALINE DI TRAPANI (NUBIA - PACECO)
ERICE:
Medieval village overlooking Trapani - home of the Ettore Majorana research center - is one of the most important and tourist sites of this area. If you can visit it at sunset, when the view on the salt pans of Trapani gives its best. Always remember to bring a jacket, since Erice is located at 751 meters s.l.m. and the temperature, even in the height of summer, is of varying degrees lower than the coast.
Solar and luminous Erice of the hot summer days, when the light floods the streets and beautiful views open onto the valley and the sea, and that of winter days when, wrapped in clouds, the town seems to rejoin its mythical roots and gives the traveler the feeling tranquility and well-being, it seems to have come to a place out of time and reality. The medieval atmosphere, the fresh air, the beautiful pine forests that surround it, the tranquility that reigns there and the local craftsmanship make it one of the destinations favored by tourists.
Erice city of science and peace, medieval city is rich in history and traditions that still persist with the passing of the centuries; there are the peculiarities of the medieval town, making it unique in its kind. A real place of peace, enriched by breathtaking views, which extend from the western hinterland of Sicily, up to the picturesque Egadi Islands.
Erice is characteristic of the tasty and cute sweets, the Ericini.
A history of gastronomy and cultural tradition that was born thanks to the expert hands of the nuns of the Monastery. A story that, however, has been perpetuated in the years up to us thanks to the skill of the pastry masters of Erice.
These desserts consist of colorful and artistically decorated pastries, almost like real lace. The pastas are then stuffed with cedar marmalade which, by tradition, is placed to mature in special jars. The Ericini are still prepared today with the recipes handed down by the nuns of the Convent of S. Carlo.
TRAPANI SALINE:
In the salt pans of Trapani, where it imposes the reserve, inside which the ancient salt extraction activity is carried out, is an important wetland that offers shelter to numerous species of migratory birds. Managed by the WWF.
The Reserve includes a coastline extending almost a thousand hectares, divided into zone A Reserve and zone B of Pre-Reserve, between the municipalities of Trapani and Paceco.
A large part of the Reserve is made up of privately owned salt pans, where salt extraction is still practiced according to traditional techniques in use for centuries. Of considerable landscape impact the presence of numerous windmills used to pump the water between the basins.
Beyond this ethno-anthropological value, the site is characterized by being one of the most important coastal wetlands of western Sicily, a resting place for many species of migratory birds, we can admire the famous pink flamingo.
The Salina di Trapani, are made up of a series of tanks in which the water evaporates due to solar radiation. In the first tanks, called evaporants, the solution is concentrated, while in the final tank, called salting, the salt is precipitated. The ideal ratio between the evaporating and salting surfaces for the southern Mediterranean climate zone.
The virgin water taken from the sea is fed into the first tank, normally with a draining system. Its initial density is about 3.5 degrees Baumé and when it reaches 5 °, it is transferred to the next tank. In this tank the concentration increases up to 11 °, and the first precipitates start to occur, of which the most significant is calcium carbonate. In the next tank, around 20 °, calcium sulfate precipitates, then in the fourth evaporating tank it reaches 25.7 ° Bé losing all the impurities that were present in the virgin water.
Lastly, in the salting tank, the water, at this point called mother water, is saturated with salt and begins its process of deposition of sodium chloride at the bottom of the basins. The density reaches up to 30 °, beyond this density the mother liquors are poured into the sea or in other basins for the extraction of other salts.
At the bottom of the basin there remains a compact layer of 10-20 cm salt which has to be crushed and collected. The salt production season runs from April to September.
Starting from 15 °, and up to 30 ° said salting area, the water can take on a reddish color due to the presence of a particular micro-algae: the Dunaliella salina, able to live in these hypersaline environments, which gives this variable color with density and ranges from light pink to brick red.
The salt pans of Trapani, are also the habitat of different forms of life adapted to extreme salinity conditions. Among these are the Chironomids, many salt pans, now abandoned because they are no longer economically productive, have been transformed into natural wetlands, characterized by a large number of animals, mainly birds, linked to this particular ecosystem, becoming sought-after tourist destinations naturalistic and birdwatching lovers.ditteri whose red-colored larvae live on the silty bottoms of the pools contributing to their coloring, and Artemia salina, a small crustacean which, feeding on algae and debris, helps to keep the water clear, facilitating its evaporation . Together with annelids, molluscs and other insects and crustaceans, they are a fundamental link in the salt-food chain, constituting a source of nourishment for the numerous birds present.
N.B. The indicated price includes a number from 1 to 3 participants and not per person, each additional person after the 4th see prices on the booking form, are not including meals, tickets where foreseen and any tourist guides. Total duration Ecursion about 4 hours. Bookable directly on booking form by clicking on ESCORN BOOK, with the possibility to choose date, time and number of participants.
Excursions to Erice and the salt pans of Trapani are carried out all year round;
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