Marsala

Marsala is a charming town, built on the ruins of the ancient Punic village of Lilybaeum.

Marsala is the most populated town in the province of Trapani, it is famous for the being the landing place of Garibaldi and the Mille (his thousand men) on 11 May 1860 and for the delightful production of the Marsala wine. This charming town was built on the ruins of the ancient Punic village of Lilybaeum. Created by the surviving inhabitants of Mozia, who created a new settlement called Lylibeo, that means ”the city that looks to Libya”. Later the Arabs colonized Lylibeo and named it Marsa Allāh, hence the current name.

Marsala had a superb period of development and prosperity, thanks to the port and the cultivation of the fertile land. At the end of the eighteenth century an event completely changed the life of this town, an Englishman named John Woodhouse discovered the marsala wine and started a massive export to England for his illustrious friends including the Admiral Nelson and his British fleet.

Wine was not the only thing to link this village to England, in fact its main Cathedral, built on the site of an old Norman church, is dedicated to Thomas Becket, an English Saint. Today the town is a very relaxed and amorous place to visit with its Baroque old town centre, and its wineries where tourists can take tours to discover the great variety of wines and of course the famous Marsala.

In addition there are stunning ancient churches, the “Baglio Anselmi” Archaeological Museum, the Natural Reserve of the Stagnone and the archaeological site of Capo Beo.

People live here:

83.004

Typical food:

Marsala wine

Pane Squarato

Attractions:

Vinoro, wine festival

How to get there:

By Car:

A29 Palermo – Trapani (120 km)

By Bus:

Private bus coaches of Autoservizi Salemi