Between heaven and earth in the Trapani salt pans

There is a moment of the day, on the west coast of Sicily, between seven and eight in the evening, when land, sea, and sky merge and give life to unique colors that not even an Impressionist painter would be able to replicate.

Here, between Trapani and Marsala, are the salt marshes, a natural heritage recognized as a Special Protection Area and Special Conservation Area.

The Salina di Nubia is today a Reserve that extends for 1000 hectares. In addition to being among the last remaining productive salt pans in Sicily, they are also a treasure trove of biodiversity, in which production activities and nature conservation coexist.

THE ORIGINS

Someone attributes the birth of the Trapani salt pans to times prior to the birth of Christ.

It is thought that around the fifth century BC, the Phoenicians started working salt on these coasts, thanks to their commercial expansion in the Mediterranean and the great wealth that salt gave them in terms of political and economic power.

More concrete evidence of the presence of salt pans in Trapani can be found in the documentation from the Norman era. From that time on, in fact, salt became a monopoly of the state, under the guidance of Frederick of Swabia. State production continued to exist even under the Angevins, who considered it a strategic economy for power in Sicily.

The apex of the production and trade of salt in Trapani was reached and documented by the testimonies of the Spanish era.

In 1600 Trapani was transformed into the largest Mediterranean port for the salt trade.

THE ABANDONMENT

With the arrival of the First and Second World Wars, the salt pans of Trapani began a slow decline. Many salt pans were abandoned or deactivated leaving a desolate landscape on the west coast of the province.

In this scenario, followed by devastating floods and continuous commercial wars for the domination of the salt market, the shadow of wild urbanization appears.

To save the salt pans from overbuilding, thanks to the strength of a few producers, in the nineties the salt pans of Trapani were reactivated and strengthened in order to preserve the man-nature ecosystem with a great natural heritage.

This is how the Trapani and Paceco Salt Pans Nature Reserve was born in 1995, managed by WWF Italy.

Thanks to their natural humidity, the salt pans are also the perfect place to admire rare birds and groups of migratory birds such as white flamingos and pink flamingos, the symbol of the Marsala salt pans and some locals who have appropriated them.

THE SALT MUSEUM

The Culcasi Saline, in Nubia, is among the best known in the Trapani area, there is the Salt Museum included in the official guide of the European Union dedicated to Mediterranean museums, it is located inside an ancient baglio.

Between the stone walls, the museum houses a mill in an excellent state of conservation, used for the milling of crystals: the mills represent, together with the colorful salt pans, a unique landscape in the whole Mediterranean.

The museum can be visited all year round, inside there is a lot of information on the activities and reconstruction panels for phases of the working cycle, as well as ancient work tools of the salt workers and black and white photographs.

Thanks to a guided tour you can discover and relive the history that characterizes this area of Western Sicily.

In addition to the museum, in certain periods of the year, a restaurant bar is open inside the Culcasi salt pans where it is possible to have aperitifs and dinners a few steps from the salt pans tanks, immersed in a suggestive and colorful atmosphere. The menu is varied with average prices and the quality of the food is high.

Visiting the salt pans is an experience that I recommend to all those who arrive at the western tip of Sicily. The part of the coast that connects Trapani to Marsala is among the most beautiful in the region, especially in the hours before sunset.

It is advisable to rely on a tourist guide, also in order not to limit yourself to observing places and instruments that have a great history, and that tell us how the past can be present even before the future.

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