Marsala is...

he ancient Lilibeo is oneof the most importantmunicipalities of the provinceof Trapani both for therichness of its culturalpatrimony and its extensionand economic importance.It is a lively and vital citywhich holds numerousarchaeo log ica l a reas ,churches and buildings in ahistoric centre which shows

T the various dominations(Punics, Romans, Arabs,Normans). It is here thatGaribaldi landed with hisThousand, moving towardsthe Unity of Italy. But Marsalais known above all for itswine of the same namewhich has made the cityfamous all over the worldand which an be tasted inthe numerous wine cellars

open to the public. Itsterritory includes theStagnone Islands OrientedNature Reserve in whichMozia is of particularinterest, an ancient city ofthe Phoenicians which holds,in a small number ofhectares, a natural andhistorical-archaeologicalpatrimony which is uniqueto the world.

Historic wine cellar Giuseppe Garibaldi Mozia

History

istory plays a lead rolein every part of Marsala: inthe remains of the ancientLilibeo, founded by thePhoenicians of Mozia whosurvived the destruction ofthe city in 397 B.C which canbe seen in the roads, thebuildings and the churches.Passing into the hands of theRomans, it became asplendidissima urbs - verysplendid city - as described

H by Cicerone who wasquaestor here in 75 B.C.-and i t was a fer v idcommercial and strategicpole thanks to its port whichwas appreciated also by theArabs for its vicinity to Africa.When, in the XVI century,Carlo V ordered the burialof the port to avoid the pirateattacks the city lost its marineimportance and assumed astrategic and mil itary

importance. The nineteenthcentury history includesGaribaldi who with theHistoric Landing of TheThousand, on the11th of May1860, began the liberation ofthe island from the Bourbons,and also includes the Englishtraders - Woodhouse,Ingham, Whitaker - and theFlorio family who discoveredthe wine and sent it all overthe world.

Baglio Anselmi, Punic Ship Via del Fante Necropolis Bastions and balwarks

Landscape

he territory of Marsala isunique in its landscapecomprising the enchantingcountryside, beaches, theStagnone and the PhoenicianMozia. The vineyards withtheir regular lines of vinesare the protagonists of thesurrounding agricultural landscattered with bagli (ruralfortified structures) and thevine producing companiesare the protagonists of the

access roads to the inhabitedcentre . But the rea lprotagonist of this landscapeis man who has been able tocultivate vineyards as far asthe sea and has evencultivated the sea itself, withthe salt pans which producesalt, making use of the windand heat of the sun. The waterof the salt pans with theirwindmills offer spectacularsights, when at sunset they

become tinged with red, andthe salt pools become pinkin colour thanks to theparticular archeobatteri alofili(archae), or in the periodbetween June and Septemberwhen the snow-whiteaccumulations of salt appear.From Capo Boeo and Rakalia,there are stupendous viewsover the coast, the Egadiislands, of the Stagnone andas far as Mount Erice.

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Vineyard RNO Stagnone Mozia

Nature

i m p i d w a t e r ,uncontaminated nature,strips of land rich in historyand archaeological remains,working salt pans, low seabeds, shallow water, whichin some points can bepassed over on footcharacterise the RiservaNaturale Orientata Isole delloStagnone - Oriented NatureReserve of the StagnoneIsles, one of the first to be

L established in Sicily (1984);it protects the Stagnonelagoon, a pool of waterseparated from the open seaby the Isola Grande, withthree small islands inside,Mozia, Santa Maria andSchola. Along the banks ofthe canals of the salt panshalophilious plants arepresent, including the suaedamaritima, glasswort, salsolasoda, limonium, inula, and

limoniastrum. Already fromJuly the Stagnone receivesthe autumnal migrating birds:the curlew and the glossyibis; with the cold weather,the ducks arrive togetherwith the duck-hawk who liesin wait for them, the dunbirds, teals, coots, wild ducks,pintails, and the garganeys.Superb and proud heronssearch for food in the poolsof the salt pans.

Salicornia fruticosa Inula crithmodeis Heron

Traditions

aking part in the MaundyThursday procession are theVeroniche, young girls whoparade in precious dresseswith their faces covered ina white veil: the girls wearan extraordinary quantity ofgold objects on their hands,arms and necks and alsodecorating their heads likeenormous turbans. Familyjewellery is used but

jewellery is also lent byrelatives and friends for theoccasion. During the invito diSan Giuseppe - invitation toSaint Joseph, a lunch isoffered to three people,symbolising the SacredFamily, before an altardecorated with characteristicloaves of bread, still today, ina few districts like Bufalataand Paolini, it is customary

to invite the puisiaturi whorecite poetry in rhyme witheach dish. According to anancient belief, the water inthe Sibilla well, under thechurch of San Giovanni, onthe day of the same Saintbecomes miraculous andable to cure illness. For thisreason, in past times manyinvalids would immergethemselves in it.

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The Veroniche Altar of Saint Joseph Sibilla Cavern

Religion Rememberence Bonds significant momentduring the rites of HolyWeek is the Via Crucis onMaundy Thursday withcharacters who paradethrough the main streets ofthe city interpreting theroles with great emotionalinvolvement: the falling ofChrist carrying the cross,which is repeated a fewtimes during the route, issuggest ive . A moving

A representat ion of theCrucifixion takes place inthe evening of the same day.T h e G o o d F r i d a yprocession with the statueof Our Lady of Sorrowsfollowing Crucified Christis very well attended. To theMadonna della Cava, patronsaint of the city, Marsaladedicates, on the 19th ofJ a n u a r y, a d e vo t e dprocession and dedicated

to the co-patron SanGiovanni, on the 24th ofJune, there are festivitieswhich unite the sacred withthe profane. The sanctuarySanto Padre delle Perriere,is a pilgrimage destination.It is inside a cave dug intothe Tuff stone, in the placeof a miracle where in theXVIII century a workersculpted the bust of SanFrancesco di Paola.

Via Crucis Our lady of Sorrows Procession S. Padre delle Perriere Sanctuary

Art he Mother Church is areal treasure chest of art,and ho lds two f i neR e n a i s s a n c e G a g i n isculptures including SanTommaso, a masterpiece byAntonello, the gracefulMadonna del popolo byD o m e n i c o , a n d t h estupendous marble iconf rom the chape l o fS S . S a c r a m e n t o , b yBartolomeo Berrettaro and

the same Antonello. No lessinteresting are the paintingsincluding the painting byAntonello Riccio (XVIcentury) and two paintingsby Domenico La Bruna (XVII century). A splendidIntercessione della Vergine perle Anime Purganti, attributedto Vincenzo and AntonioManno (XVIII century),brightens the vault of thechiesa del Purgatorio -

church of purgatory; anextraordinary Madonna diLoreto (1491-92), consideredto be one of the best worksby Domenico Gagin i ,together with a considerablestucco decoration (XVIIIcentury), enrich the churchof San Francesco d'Assisi.The Fontana del vino - Winefountain by Salvatore Fiume(1978) pays homage to thecity and its wine.

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SS. Sacramento Chapel Madonna of Loreto Wine fountain

Archaeology

arts of walls of houses,tombs, the remains of thefortifications like the greatmoat, and pieces of wallsare to be found in theurban tissue and documentthe Punic phase of the city.The area of Capo Boeoholds the most tangible ofthe traces of the Romansand conserves the remainsof a villa (end II century-beginning III century A.D)

P complete with thermalbaths with marvel lousmural floors. Under theSan Giovanni church thereis an ancient hypogeumknown as the grotta dellaSibi l la which is a rareexample of transformationinto a Christian baptistery(V century A.D.). Anotherextraordinary hypogeumis Crispia Salvia (end II -beginning III century A.D.)

decorated with frescoes.And then there is Mozia,an uncontaminated island,the proud guardian of theremains of a Phoeniciancity destroyed in 397 B.C.by Dionigi di Siracusa: thewal ls , the tophet , thecothon, the statue of theYouth of Mothia and theobjects of the Whitakermuseum, are rare andsignificant remains.

Baglio Anselmi, Venere Callipigia Hypogeum of Crispia Salvia Whitaker Museum, Youth

Monuments

umptuous churches,monastic complexes, ancientbuildings, two urban gates, amilitary quarter, the historicwine cellars make up themonumental patrimony ofthe city. The majestic MotherChurch of presumedNorman origins, which wascompletely renovated in theXVII century, and the palazzoVII Aprile, with a sixteenth

century appearance, withtheir façades, althoughdifferent in style, animate thepiazza Loggia, while thecomplex of San Pietro (XVIcentury) with the highs i x t e e n t h c e n t u r yobservatory dominates theCassaro, the main street. TheChurches of Purgatorio, SanGiuseppe and San Francesco,with their evident Baroque

stamp create a pleasantunion between architectureand the urban context. Themagnificent cloister (XVIII eXIX century) of the CarmineMonastery, the church, thebe l l tower w i th anastonishing winding staircase,and the splendid square makethe complex a place of rarebeauty and one of the mostsuggestive of the city.

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Mother Church Palazzo VII Aprile San Pietro Complex, observatory

Museums Science Education

arsala boasts museuminst i tut ions o f greatimportance and archaeologicaland painting laboratories. TheRegional ArchaeologicalMuseum “Baglio Anselmi“holds artefacts from theancient Lilibeo, including thebeautiful statue of VenereCallipige and the interestingwreck of a Punic ship whosesinking is dateable to the midIII century B.C., coinciding with

M the battle of the Egadi islands(241 B.C). The ex monasteryof San Pietro is an importantmultipurpose centre with themunicipal library, conferenceand exhibition room, videolibrary, children's recreationcentre: Today it is home tothe interesting Civic Museum,divided into three sections:Risorgimental-Garibaldian,Archaeological and PopularTraditions. Eight magnificent

Flemish tapestries, donatedto the Mother Church in 1589by Mons. Antonio Lombardo,make up the museumattached to the same church.The Archivio Storico Comunale- (Historical Municipal Archive)and the Ente Mostra di PitturaContemporanea Città di Marsala- Contemporary PaintingExhibition City of Marsala arecontained in the Carminecomplex.

Archaeological Museum Baglio Anselmi Library Tapestry Museum

Typical produce

trongly linked to thewine production of the cityis the fine manufacturing ofbarrels, casks and kegs madewith handcrafting methodsby expert barrel makers.Oak and chestnut oak areused which are compact andwith a fine grain. The staves,obtained with the cleaving

technique which respectsthe integrity of the fibres,are matured naturally for24 months. After a carefulselection, the craftsmancleans and trims the staveswhich are then assembledin the first head hoop. Thenext stage is the toastingphase, using the ancient fire

method, which requires alot of experience as aburning brazier is put insidethe base of the barrel. Inkeeping with the best Siciliantradition high quality, craftmade, artistic ceramicswhich are finely decoratedby hand are produced inMarsala.

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Master cooper Nasse (Fishing baskets) Craftmade ceramics

Wine and food

umerous wine producersand cellars produce thefamous Marsala DOC, fromthe Grillo, Catarratto,Damaschino, and Inzolia,grapes; those made fromwhite grapes inc ludePignatello, and those madefrom black grapes includeNero d'Avola and NerelloMascalese. The maturation

N happens in oak barrels, fora variable number of yearsfrom a minimum of one toten according to the typethat is to be obtained: Fine,Super io r, V i rg in . Wineproduction is followed bythe cultivation of citrus andother fruits, which is flankedby greenhouse cultivation ofvegetables and flowers and

salt in the salt pans. Exquisitepastries and cakes are craftmade as is pasta, followingthe technique of slow dryingat low temperatures, toconserve the nutritionalvalues. There is a particulartype of bread with fennelseeds, cal led squaratobecause before being bakedit is blanched in boiling water.

Marsala DOC Strawberries Sea salt

Shows and events

onnected to the wine,there are events such as Vinoro,an international show whichpromotes the knowledge ofthe sweet, passito and dessertwines, and contributes to thegrowth of the territory oforigin; Calici sotto le stelle -Chalices under the starswhich, during the night of SanLorenzo, proposes the tastingof local wines; Marsala DOC

Jazz Festival which combineswine with jazz music. Marsala,city of the Thousand,celebrates every year thehistoric landing of Garibaldiw i t h re - enac tmen t s ,conferences, forums about theRisorgimento, guided visits andtasting. Estate insieme- Summertogether, has a rich calendarof music, theatre, cabaretfo lk lore and var ious

entertainment appointmentsin the most suggestive partsof the city, including themonumental complex of SanPietro where the Cinemaall'aperto - Open-air cinematakes place. The concert andtheatre season is also richand takes place in the TeatroComuna le (Mun ic ipa lTheatre) and Teatro Impero(Impero Theatre).

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Folkloristic group Meeting with the author Celebrations for Garibaldi

Entertainment, sport and free time

he city offers manypossibilities for free timeand sporting activities. Ithas municipal facilities, likethe indoor stadium, thestadium with a connectedlight athletics track, twofootball pitches, a bowlsarea and a multipurposestructure in Strasatti, whichare flanked by private gyms,

T structures and circlesw h i c h p ro m o t e t h epractice of various sportingdisciplines from tennis tohorse riding. As is the rulefor a seaside city, it has atourist port, beaches andwell deserving societies andcircles which organiseimportant internationalevents and promote, aimed

particularly at the young,nautical sports - sailing, kiteskiing, canoeing, windsurfing- in the waters of theStagnone and along thecoast and the beacheswhich have many timesb e e n aw a r d e d t h eEuropean blue flag. Thereare also many discos, pubs,wine cellars and wine bars.

Tourist Port Bowls area Salinella Park

Provincia Regionaledi Trapani

UNIONE EUROPEAF.E.S.R.

REGIONE SICILIANAAssessorato BB.CC.AA. e P.I.

POR SICILIA 2000-2006. Mis. 2.02 dPIT 18 Alcinoo. Int. 12 codice

1999.IT.16.1.PO.011/2.02/9.03.13/0057

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Foto Archivio Provincia Regionale di Trapani; eccetto foto 3 (W. Leopardi);22 (Archivio grafico e fotografico del Servizio II per i Beni Archeologici,

Area Soprintendenza BB. CC. AA. di Trapani)