Marsala

Marsala is the amber wine town and landing point of Garibaldi's 1000 men.

The name is from the Arabic “Marsa Allah”, meaning “Port of God”. Before the Arabs, however, were the Romans, and before them, the Carthaginians. Infact, the Carthaginian Himilco built the port and unassailable stronghold of Lilibeo in 396 B.C. as a replacement for Motya (or Mozia), which had been destroyed the year before by Greeks. It was handed over to Rome in 241 BC as part of the peace treaty signed to end the First Punic War, and soon it was a thriving Roman colony, a departure point for trade and imperial expansion into Africa. Lilybaeum (its Roman name) retreated from the limelight until the arrival of the Arabs who turned it once more into a thriving port and centre for trade.

In the eighteenth century it was the turn of the English, who came to make wine. The first man was John Woodhouse in 1773. He liked it and thought that it might be popular in his native country. If the wine was to survive the long ocean voyage, however, it would need to be fortified with the addition of alcohol: so was born Marsala wine. Woodhouse moved permanently to Marsala to begin mass production in 1796. Several other Englishmen followed, including Ingham and Whitaker.

In 1860 Garibaldi and his “thousand” landed in the town to begin their unification of Italy. The townsfolk welcomed him with open arms and hundreds of them joined his army as they sped across the island.

Today, Marsala is a pleasant town by the sea well worth a visit.

The Baroque old town centre is pedestrian and easy to walk round.

The Cathedral, built on the site of an old Norman church, is dedicated to that most famous of English Saints, Thomas Becket.

The Archaeological Museumoffers the glimpse of a Phoenician boat from the First Punic War.