{"id":68478,"date":"2015-10-22T21:43:42","date_gmt":"2015-10-22T20:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sicile-sicilia.net\/?p=68478"},"modified":"2026-10-14T10:46:35","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T09:46:35","slug":"marsala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sicile-sicilia.net\/en\/marsala","title":{"rendered":"Marsala"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Known for its sweet wine, Marsala<\/strong> is also a pretty medium-sized town of about 83,000 inhabitants, with a historic center of ancient origin preserving a fine Baroque heritage.
Located at the western tip of Sicily, the town was founded by the Phoenicians in the early 4th century BCE.
It is also known for the landing of Garibaldi<\/strong> with a thousand men from old boats, which took place there on May 11, 1860, marking the beginning of the unification of Italy.<\/p>\n

What to see first in Marsala<\/h2>\n
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  1. \n
  2. Municipal Museum – San Pietro Monumental Complex<\/strong>
    Archaeological collections of Lilybaeum, Garibaldina section on the Risorgimento, and municipal library, within the former monastery.<\/li>\n
  3. Chiesa Madre di San Tommaso di Canterbury<\/strong>
    17th-century Baroque architecture on a medieval plan, with 16th-century Flemish tapestries.<\/li>\n
  4. In the surroundings: Mozia Island and Whitaker Museum<\/strong>
    Phoenician and Punic remains, sculptures and archaeological steles.<\/li>\n
  5. Historic Marsala wineries<\/strong> (Florio, Pellegrino, Martinez, Donnafugata)
    Historic cellars illustrating the production and export of Marsala wine since the 19th century.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    Powered by GetYourGuide<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n

    Brief history of Marsala<\/h2>\n

    Around the 8th-7th centuries BCE, the Phoenician colony of Mozia<\/strong><\/a> developed on the island of San Pantaleo, a few kilometers off the coast.
    In 397 BCE, the tyrant Dionysius I of Syracuse destroyed it. Its inhabitants took refuge on the coast where they founded a new colony, Lilybaeum<\/strong>, “the city that looks toward Libya.” Libya was the name given to the entire African coast.
    The city became Roman in 241 BCE. It then became an important place in Sicily, a commercial and administrative center. Embellished with villas and public buildings, Cicero, who was quaestor there from 76 to 75 BCE, called it a “resplendent Urbs.”<\/p>\n\n

    Devastated by the Vandals in the 5th century, it was subsequently annexed by the Byzantine Empire. But it long experienced dark times, far from Byzantium, and fell victim to pirate incursions. The landing of the Arab-Berbers near the neighboring Mount Granitola around the year 830 marked a revival of trade and the rebirth of the city. The Arabs called it Marsa \u02bfAl\u012b (Port of Ali) or Marsa \u02bf\u0101liyy (Great Port), or perhaps Marsa All\u0101h (Port of God).<\/p>\n

    The Arabs planted new agricultural products, and spread a new gastronomic culture with, for example, couscous, sorbet, artichoke or carob.<\/p>\n

    The town’s palaces were mainly built in the 16th century, under Spanish rule, along with many churches and fortresses.<\/p>\n

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