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The salt pans, included among the natural reserves of Sicily, are mainly concentrated near the city of Trapani. The first salt pans in history were established by the Phoenicians in the VIII century BC, taking advantage of the shallow coastline of Trapani and the ideal local climate. Only in the following centuries there was a remarkable development of salt extraction and in the XVII and XVIII centuries those pans became a vital asset for the local economy; consequently, the port of Trapani soon became one of the most important ones in the Mediterranean and in Europe.

Opposite Trapani coastline (from Trapani to Paceco and Marsala), there’s a quite evocative landscape paved with windmills and white pyramids that turn pink as the sun goes down – salt extraction is, in fact, still very important in that area.
The whole territory falls within two splendid protected areas: the natural reserve of Trapani and Paceco and the salt pans of Stagnone (in the municipality of Marsala). The salt pans of Trapani constitute a unique habitat, a real open-air museum featuring several windmills, used for flooding the area – the one in the district of Nùbia district (Paceco – Trapani) actually houses the Salt Museum, exhibiting ancient tools and abundant evidence of the local culture and priceless ethno-anthropological heritage.

The salt production cycle lasts approximately 50-55 days (depending on the external temperatures and rain), concentrated mainly in the summer period: from the beginning of May, until the end of September, special tanks are filled seawater subjected to strict quality and purity checks. Before the autumn rains, all the salt accumulated in those “crystallizing tanks” is collected and sent to different processing facilities. The particular production and processing system has been designed to fully retain the very peculiar features of the local salt from Trapani.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)