MARSALA
Marsala nestles on the headland
which continues to bear the town’s ancient name, Lilybaeum
(from Lily meaning water and beum referring to the Eubei, its pre-Phoenician
inhabitants). The settlement is presumed to have been founded in
397 BC by the Phoenicians who fled from Motya following their defeat
by the Syracusans. Its name in current use probably derives from
the Arabic Marsah el Ali, meaning port of Ali, which would indicate
that it has been a sea town of considerable importance since its
early history. Later, the harbour witnessed one of the most important
events in the history of Sicily: the landing of Garibaldi’s
Thousand in Sicily.
The ethnic diversity (including
a large Tunisian minority), the harbour and the city’s web
of narrow streets combine to suggest that the visitor has been inadvertently
catapulted into some African town.
Marsala becomes progressively more
animated in the period leading up to Easter: celebrations begin
with a Maundy Thursday procession (the eve of Good Friday) when
the Stations of the Cross are re-enacted in the streets of the town
centre by local men and women in the different roles involved in
the Passion. In the evening, the Crucifixion and Resurrection are
also re-enacted.
Thanks ... thousand
Early May 1860: accompanied by one
thousand volunteers dressed in red shirts, Garibaldi set sail from
Quarto (near Genoa) bound for Sicily. Their mission was to overthrow
the Bourbon government and liberate the Kingdom of the Two SiciIies.
On 11 May, the two ships – the Lombardo and the Piemonte –
moored at Marsala. The Mille (one thousand) made their way inland,
winning their first battle at Calatafimi: this opened up the way
to Palermo. As the campaign progressed, the band was swollen by
new volunteers so that by the time they reached the Straits of Messina,
their number exceeded 20000. In less than two months, Sicily had
been liberated from Bourbon government. The expedition continued
to sweep through the rest of the kingdom until, following a plebiscite,
the island was admitted on 21 October to the nucleus of northern
states
(Piedmont, Lombardy, Liguria, Emilia
Romagna, Tuscany and Sardinia) that later were to unify to form
the Kingdom of ltaly.
TOWN CENTRE
The centre of Marsala radiates from
Piazza della Repubblica, where the Cathedral and Palazzo Senatorio,
completed in the 18C and known as the Loggia, are located. The main
thoroughfare leading from the piazza is the Corso Xl Maggio, the
old Decumanus Maximus of the Roman town, lined as ever with splendid
buildings. Perpendicular to the principal axis, Via Garibaldi leads
southwards to Porta Garibaldi on the edge of town, running past
the Town Hall, a former Spanish military barracks, on the way. The
area behind is brought noisily to life each morning by a bustling
fish market. The 17C Chiesa del Collegio, nestling among a series
of fine 18C buildings line Via Rapisardi, the northern extension
of Via Garibaldi.
Cattedrale – The cathedral
with its tufa front decked with statues was built during the Norman
occupation, but extensively remodelled in the 18C. Inside, it contains
a number of works by the Gaginis: most notably a fine icon by Antonello
Gagini and Berrettaro (north apse), and a delicate Madonna by Domenico
Gagini from 1490 (south transept). Above this, hangs a good Renaissance
painting by Antonello Riggio depicting the Presentation of the Virgin
at the Temple.
Museo degli Arazzi – The entrance
to this museum housed in rooms behind the cathedral is in Via Garraffa.
The collection comprises eight large 16C Flemish tapestries relating
scenes from the war waged by Titus against the Jews. Vivid colours
and a strong sense of composition determine the central panel as
well as the borders of flowers, fruit and allegorical figures. The
sixth tapestry, illustrating a violent fight, manages to convey
a great sense of movement and action.
Museo Archeologico di Baglio Anselmi
– This archeological museum is accommodated inside a former
wine warehouse designed by Basile. Pride of place is given to the
remains of a Punic ship (3C BC) recovered in 1969 near the island
of Motya. This probably consisted of a liburna, a type of fast warship
(35m long) used and lost at the end of the First Punic War, in the
Battle of the Egadi (241 BC). The detailed analysis of these fragments
have provided valuable information on the ship-building methods
practised by the Phoenicians using pre-fabricated units marked with
letters. Furthermore, the metal-alloy nails used for assembling
the hold have proven to be quite remarkable: after more than 2,000
years under water, they show no sign whatsoever of deterioration.
The museum also displays important
artefacts relating to the historic evolution of Marsala and its
surrounding area from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. Among
the most interesting cases, are those devoted to Motya and to various
examples of finely crafted Hellenistic jewellery found off Capo
Boeo.
Insula di Capo Boeo – At the
end of Viale Vittorio Emanuele, right on the tip of the headland,
are situated the remains of three Roman insulae. Almost the whole
of one is taken up by a large villa, built in imperial times (3C
BC), complete with its own private set of baths. Fragments of the
mosaics floors are still in evidence, as are a number of the small
pillars (suspensoria) used to support the floor, thereby enabling
hot air to circulate through the cavity. The roads of access to
the area were paved with white stone from Trapani. A little further
on stands the Church of San Giovanni Fuori le Mura, built around
the Sibyl of Lilybaeum’s legendary grotto.
The sweet nectar of Marsala
History – 1770: a violent
storm forced a British ship to take shelter in the harbour of Marsala.
A certain merchant by the name of John Woodhouse disembarked and
went into town to sample the Marsala wine in one of the humble taverns.
Although more accustomed to the liqueur wines of Spain and Portugal,
his palate immediately detected their similarity prompting him to
risk dispatching a considerable consignment of wine (blended wine
alcohol so as to better withstand the journey) to his native land
to sound out the market. The response being positive, the merchant
set up his own company in Marsala. A little later, a second English
merchant landed in town: Ben Ingham, a great connoisseur of fortified
wines. With his intervention, the quality of the wine was gradually
improved using carefully selected blends of different, improved,
grape varieties. His business passed into the hands of his nephews
the Whitakers. In 1833, the entrepreneur Vincenzo Florio, a Calabrese
by birth and Palermitano by adoption, bought up great swathes of
land between the two largest established Marsala producers and set
to making his own vintage with even more exclusive range of grape.
At the end of the 19C, several more wine growers joined the competition
including Pellegrino (1880). After the turn of the century, Florio
bought out Ingham and Woodhouse, and retained the two labels. Florio
in turn succumbed to a take over by a conglomeration of other producers;
again the famous, well-established, labels continued to be made
and marketed.
Marsala wine – Marsala is
registered as a D.O.C. wine (a State-designated label of controlled
quality); this means that production is restricted to an exclusive
area around Trapani, and a collection of additional vineyards in
the provinces of Agrigento and Palermo. Only grape varieties with
a high natural sugar content are used to make Marsala: these, once
pressed, are left to ferment. and/or caramelise, before being blended
with ethyl alcohol to produce the different types and flavours of
Marsala.
Relative to the sugar content, Marsala
may be categorised as dry, semi-dry or sweet. Its main denomination,
however, is relative to the length of time it is left to mature:
Marsala Fine (1 year), Superiore (2 years), Superiore Riserva (4
years), Vergine (5 years) and Vergine Riserva (10 years). Dry Marsala
is usually served as a refreshing aperitif (below 10°C) while
the sweeter forms are drunk as a dessert wine (no more than 18°C).
Florio – A tour of this long-established
winery provides the opportunity of comparing old techniques and
installations with the new. The huge wine-cellars (cantine) themselves
are somewhat close and stuffy; the environment is carefully maintained
at a constant temperature of 18°C by means of tufa walls (insulation),
a tiled roof (aeration) and sand on the floor (temperature control
and humidity). Perhaps the most interesting part of the process,
however, is the explanation relating to the Soleras Method to which
the wine is conditioned by the pyramid arrangement of oak barrels.
This practice, imported from Spain, is used to age the wine: the
young wine is added at the top, this is then allowed to percolate
gently down through tne interconnected barrels as the older, matured
vintage is drawn off from the bottom tier of casks. This ensures
that the wine is perfectly blended and remains of a consistent high
quality.
The winery also has a small museum
where the requisite equipment and tools are displayed.
Pellegrino – This is another
of the large producers: besides Marsala they also make Passito and
Moscato di Pantelleria. Five wonderful Sicilian carts decorated
in the 19C with historical scenes are to be admired at the entrance.
Another memento of times past is the grille which once segregated
the bottles on which custom duties were to be levied, subject to
inspection.
Marco De Bartoli – 292 Contrada
Samperi. This producer, situated in the Samperi district, is responsible
for one of the best Marsalas, achieved by traditionai methods.
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Trapani
Alcamo
Buseto Palizzolo
Calatafimi
Campobello Di Mazara
Castellammare Del Golfo
Castelvetrano
Custonaci
Erice
Favignana
Gibellina
Marsala
Mazara Del Vallo
Paceco
Pantelleria
Partanna
Petrosino
Poggioreale
Salaparuta
Salemi
San Vito Lo Capo
Santa Ninfa
Valderice
Vita
Isole
Egadi
Favignana
Levanzo
Marettimo
Pantelleria
Mozia
Saline Dello Stagnone
Isola Di Formica
Segesta
Selinunte
Cave Di Cusa
Testi
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