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Mothia salt flats Marsala Mazara Del Vallo

TRAVEL TOUR PROPOSES :

EXCURSION MOTHIA, MARSALA, MAZARA DEL VALLO

MOTHIA:

In the middle of the salt marshes between Trapani and Marsala stands the tiny island of San Pantaleo, from the beginning of the 20th century owned by the Whitaker family. It can be reached by boat from the pier next to the windmill of the Ettore & Infersa saltworks, undoubtedly the most fascinating of the many mills that dot the salt marshes between Trapani and Marsala. To visit the island of Mothia means to immerse yourself in a reality where time seems to stand still and where you will feel true archaeologists to discover the fascinating Phoenician settlement of Mothia. Inside the Villa Whitaker is the museum, to visit at least to admire the splendid Efebo of Mothia 440 BC.

MARSALA:

The history of Masala is impossible to state exactly when the first inhabitants settled in the territory of Marsala. The oldest traces date back to the Lower Paleolithic but remains of ancient settlements are continuously brought to light even today. With its 25,000 hectares of land and a population of 80,000 inhabitants, the city of Marsala stands on a pleasant promontory close to the sea. The old town was formerly enclosed within an almost square-shaped city wall and the entrance to the city was possible through the imposing doors that opened on four sides. Of the original four, today it is possible to admire only two: Porta Garibaldi, on which a inscription in Latin entrusts to God who enters and who leaves the city, and Porta Nuova. The only thing certain is that the first area to develop in an urban sense was the island of Mozia, thanks to the Carthaginians who made it an important commercial port for their trades in the Mediterranean. In 397 BC, Dionysius the Elder, tyrant of Syracuse, in an attempt to become the sole lord of Sicily, reduced Mozia to a pile of rubble.

The inhabitants then took refuge in the promontory in front of where the city of Lilibeo arose, so named for its geographical position: facing Libya, for the Phoenicians.

During the Punic Wars, which Romans and Carthaginians fought in these waters, Lilibeo maintained a leading role: its strategic position on the sea and the difficulty of its depths made the city impregnable for those who had no knowledge of it.

In the fourteenth year of the 1st Punic War 250 BC. when the Roman army arrived at Lilybeo with 200 ships to lay siege and another 10 passed before it succeeded in winning it. In the wake of the Carthaginians, the Romans continued to exploit the city as a naval base.

Garibaldi lands in the port of Marsala with his Thousand and, together with the Sicilian picciotti who join the expedition, frees southern Italy from the oppressive Bourbon kingdom to deliver it to Vittorio Emanuele. Every year in Marsala, on 11 May, the city events recall this important page of history.

Long after, in 1943, on 11 May, Marsala suffered the consequences of the Second World War: the allies bombarded the city, with serious damage and hundreds of deaths that earned him the Gold Medal for Civil Valor.

It is also true, however, that in the 1500s, Marsala appeared as a center with a flourishing economic activity based on cereal growing, breeding and the production of salt for which the systems still in operation in the Stagnone area were built.

The wine remained instead an activity reserved to the local needs until 1700, when the English merchants made it famous all over the world.

On 11 May 1860 Marsala officially entered the history of the unification of Italy.

MAZARA DEL VALLO :

Mazara del Vallo, a town in the province of Trapani, stands on an ancient Phoenician site located along the western coast of Sicily, between Capo Boeo and Capo San Marco, on the left bank of the mouth of the river Màzaro and at a distance of about 200 km from the coasts of Tunisia.

Mazara, which means "Castle", in Arabic "Porto", exists from the pre-Hellenic age.

Arab matrix is ​​characterized by a tangle of streets that recall the Islamic medina. The pulsating Cuochre of the city is its port, always crowded with people engaged in buying and selling fish and just nearby is the Norman church of S. Nicolò Regale, built in 1124. To see the Jesuit college Going into the center you reach the square Plebiscite, bordered by the façade of the church of S. Ignazio and the adjacent former Jesuit college (17th century) with its 24 Doric columns and the marvel of the imposing arches.Piazza della Repubblica is the main town square on which it overlooks. in addition to the Basilica-Cathedral (of Norman times but rebuilt in Baroque style), the Episcopal Palace of the sixteenth century and the Palace of the Episcopal Seminary of 1710. In the Cathedral there are many sarcophagi from the Roman era. Church of San Michele in Mazaro. To visit the Diocesan Museum, inaugurated in 1993 that collects the rich silver heritage of the cathedral. Other churches that deserve a visit are that of San Michele from the 12th century, that of Santa Caterina from 1318, remodeled in the Baroque period, that of San Francesco, an example of Sicilian baroque, rich in polychromy and decorations. For those who want to see shops and restaurants Piazza Mokarta is the ideal destination with its splendid view of Mazara Del Vallo, a large town of about 51.424 inhabitants, whose historic center, once enclosed within the Norman walls, is today the port of Mazara Del Vallo. the most important fishing vessel in Italy, second in Europe, using for a large part of the Maghreb workforce.

Mazara Del Vallo rose to the forefront of the news in March 1998, when a local fishing boat, recovered, at about 480 meters deep in the waters of the Sicilian Channel, a bronze sculpture of more than 2 meters, dating back to the Hellenistic period, known by the name of Dancing Satyr.

The statue, after being restored and having been for a short period on display in Rome, at Montecitorio, after returning to Mazara del Vallo, has left to be exhibited at Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan, at the Italian Pavilion, from 25 March 2005 to 25 September 2005.

From mid-October 2005 the Dancing Satyr is once again exposed to Mazara Del Vallo in the homonymous museum in Piazza Plebiscito.

In June 2010 the city was recognized by the Regional Department for Productive Activities as a municipality with mainly tourist economy and city of art, and in August 2010 by the Regional Councilor for Tourism, Sports and Entertainment as a tourist destination.

Mazara Del Vallo becomes an important center of Islamic studies for the teaching of literature, poetry, law and religion. The road system of the historic center, the Casbah, still visible today, reveals the Arabic pattern.

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 7 hours. Bookable directly on booking form by clicking on ESCORN BOOK, with the possibility to choose date, time and number of participants.

Links:

Trapani Airport

Palermo Airport

Catania Airport

Comiso Airport

Trapani City

Palermo City

Catania City