TRAVEL TOUR PROPOSES:
EXCURSION MAZARA DEL VALLO (TRAPANI)
Mazara del Vallo, a town in the province of Trapani, stands on an ancient Phoenician site located along the west coast of Sicily, Mazara Del Vallo, a large town of about 51.424 inhabitants, whose historic center was once enclosed within the Norman walls. Mazara Del Vallo is today the most important fishing port of Italy, second in Europe, using for a large part of Maghreb workers. 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 del Vallo rose to prominence in the news in March 1998, when a local fishing vessel recovered the Dancing Satyr. Mazara, which means "Castle", in Arabic "Porto", exists from the pre-Hellenic age.
The Arabic Matrix is characterized by a tangle of streets that recall the Islamic medina. The heart of the city is its port, always packed with people engaged in buying and selling fish and just nearby is the Norman church of S. Nicolò Regale, built in 1124.
To be seen:
Collegio dei Gesuiti entering the city center leads to Piazza Plebiscito, bounded by the façade of the church of S. Ignazio and the adjacent former Jesuit college (XVII century) with its 24 Doric columns and the marvel of the imposing arches.
Piazza della Repubblica is the main town square overlooked, in addition to the Basilica-Cathedral (of Norman times but rebuilt in Baroque style), the Episcopal Palace of the sixteenth century and the Palazzo del Seminario vescovile of 1710.
Many Roman sarcophagi are preserved in the cathedral.
Church of San Michele in Mazaro
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 of 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;
Mazara Del Vallo rose to the forefront of the news in March 1998, when a local fishing boat, recovered, about 480 meters deep in the waters of the Channel of Sicily, 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 in the homonymous museum in Piazza Plebiscito.
Mazara del Vallo in June 2010 the city has been 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 historical center, the Casbah, still visible today, reveals the Arabic pattern.
N.B. It does not include meals, parking, tickets where foreseen and any tourist guides. Total duration Excursion about 4 hours. Bookable directly on booking form.
For info and reservations contact us!
