Quarto itinerario

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What to see in Valle del Belice

In the town of Campobello di Mazara are the Cusa Quarries, from which was extracted the calcarenite (dune limestone) used to build the great capitals and the imposing columns of the temples of Selinunte. Due to the Punic conquest, which was a traumatic event, the work in the quarries was suddenly interrupted. In fact, pieces of the limestone were left where they were, and not even used by the Punics as they did not know what to do with them, since they were not skilled builders. Campobello is not far from the seaside resort of Tre Fontane, which in summer is filled with tourists who, in fact, come to see the three fountains, where the water gushes out naturally and flows into the sea.

Overlooking the Mediterranean is The Mouth of the river Belice Reserve, a protected natural area accessible to visitors.

Continuing from Selinunte, with its noteworthy archaeological park with the remains and ruins of ancient temples, we reach Castelvetrano, which has a historic centre full of palaces and churches. Particularly notewor thy is the Church of the Trinity of Delia, which is among the greatest monuments of artistic prestige of the city.

Remaining in the religious theme, during the year there are several events like the historic procession of St Rita, which moves through the streets of the city, the procession of Dead Christ on Good Friday and the 'Aurora' procession on Easter day. Moving from the sacred to the profane, the 'Efebo Corto', a film festival of short films produced by young authors, is acquiring a certain importance in Castelvetrano. Not far from Castelvetrano are Triscina and Marinella di Selinunte which are important tourist attractions both for their art and for their beach resorts.

From Castelvetrano we move to Mazara del Vallo, situated at the mouth of the river from which takes its name. The main economic activity of Mazara del Vallo is fishing. In fact the city is one of the most important and best known Italian fishing towns with a fleet of vessels consisting of 400 units. But those who come to Mazara can also admire many churches and monuments, the art of which is the expression of numerous historical influences dating from the eleventh to the eighteenth century. The most famous museum is the one which holds the "Dancing Satyr", the most representative work of art of the city, discovered in 1998 by a local fishing vessel in the waters of the Straits of Sicily. The town's patron saint is San Vito, whose statue stands in Piazza della Repubblica, which is the centre of the town. It is surrounded by several buildings, including the town hall, the Curia and the seminary. During the Norman period, the Diocese of Mazara, which is older than that of Trapani, was established.

A short distance from Mazara are several locations that represent a major tourist attraction; the protected area of Capo Feto and the integral nature reserve and lake Preola and Gorghi Tondi. The latter consists of a series of small lakes that cover a total area of 335 hectares. Moving inland, we head towards the Belice Valley, which was destroyed by the earthquake of 1968. Unfortunately, the reconstruction, which has concerned several towns in the area, has been very slow and disorganized over the years.

One of these towns is Salemi where the town council has ideated the initiative of '1 Euro houses' in order to allow restructuring. This initiative has the aim of preserving the important real estate heritage of the city. Several celebrities have signed the initiative. However Salemi is, to all intents and purposes, a city of art and culture thanks to the imposing Norman castle, Baroque Mother Church and the buildings of the Jesuit Church and College. These works, together with the ancient Jewish Quarter are the city's major attractions. As far as events are concerned, we would like to mention the Festival of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph), patron saint of the city, on March 19th. Votive altars are set up and the famous Pani di San Giuseppe, bread shapes artistically prepared by skilled hands in the home, are made. Salemi is also part of the Italian Unity itinerary, because here, on May 14th 1860, Garibaldi announced the dictatorship in the name of Vittorio Emanuele II.

A few kilometres from the town of Salemi is Vita, from where you can set off on a nature excursion to the Baronia Wood.

Situated in the valley of the river Belice is Salaparuta, whose main activity is agriculture, thanks to the presence of many vineyards.

Partanna is another agricultural town, which in recent years has had a very active tourist trade with the opening of several tourist sites like the Grifeo Castle and the Stretto Archaeological Park, which opened in August 2010.

The Summer Festival is also very popular. Every year is brings many tourists to Partanna with its sleepless nights and concerts.

Poggioreale was also violently hit by the earthquake, after which, the village was rebuilt further down the valley for safety reasons. The ruins are still visible, testifying to life before the earthquake.

The nearby Santa Ninfa offers visitors the chance to enter into a natural setting with several woods, including the 'Finestrelle' wood, where the eth no anthropological museum is located.

We close this itinerary with the city of Gibellina. The town was completely rebuilt after the earthquake with the help of numerous artists, whose works, which are on display along the streets and in the Museum of Contemporary Art, gave new life to community hit hard by the earthquake. Gibellina is an openair museum that welcomes those who come to visit with its large 'Stella' (Star) which is a work where ancient and modern come together in harmony. On the one hand, there is the rural tradition of the past, on the other, a cultural route towards the future.