MARSALA – Day Three

DSCN5605.JPGThe main piazza in Marsala is Piazza della Reppubblica.  On the piazza sits Palazzo VII Aprile, or Marsala’s town hall.DSCN5615Also, on the same piazza, you will find Marsala’s mother church, the Duomo di San Tommaso di Canterbury, which dates back to 1176.  DSCN4996DSCN4994DSCN5846DSCN5618DSCN5628DSCN5630DSCN5632DSCN5634DSCN5639DSCN5641DSCN5657We spent the morning wandering down side streets, aimlessly walking, discovering wonderful things along the way.  DSCN5658DSCN5659DSCN5684DSCN5699DSCN5736DSCN5745The Monumento ai Caduti, or the Monument to the Fallen, honors those who died during the bombings of May 1943.  DSCN5807DSCN5755There are three museums that I managed to visit on the third day, in the actual city of Marsala.  One is the Complesso Monumentale San Pietro.  DSCN5813The Complesso is a collection of small museums, broken up into sections surrounding a courtyard.    One of the highlights for me was seeing the mannequins dressed in  costumes which are worn during the local Easter pageant.  DSCN5826DSCN5828DSCN5843Included in the display were also masks worn by the actors in the pageant.  DSCN5851Directly to the right of the Cine Impero, one will find the entrance to what is perhaps Marsala’s most famous museum, the Museo Regionale Baglio Anselmi.  This museum/archaeological site is something that everyone visiting the city of Marsala should see.  The area that is covered is large, and what makes it fun is that for the first part of the visit, you roam about outside, visiting ruins and looking at what’s left of the centuries’ old buildings, and then there is also a small indoor museum to explore, as well as a church with a lovely grotto, which ends the visit — as for this part, you need to be accompanied by a staff member.  We spent two hours roaming around!DSCN5861DSCN5864DSCN5882DSCN5900DSCN5904DSCN5913DSCN5921DSCN5923DSCN5964DSCN5962DSCN5969DSCN5979DSCN5984DSCN6002DSCN6013The third museum was the Pinacoteca Comunale, which is housed in Palazzo Grignani.  This is a small, but fun art museum, which is a nice way to spend some time.  DSCN5776DSCN5788.JPGNo trip to Marsala would be complete, without drinking some of the city’s famous wine!DSCN5741We booked ourselves spots at a tasting/tour of the Florio Cantina.  The cantina itself is located on the road that runs along the coast, heading south.  It is only a twenty-minute walk from the center of town.  DSCN6020DSCN6038Reservations are a must, if you want to visit this particular cantina.  Set aside an hour and a half, if you choose to do this.  When you first arrive, you are shown a film while seated in seats that move, and wearing 3-D glasses.  Then, you are taken on a tour, where the process of making Marsala wine is explained, as well as the history of the Florio Cantina.  After that, you are taken into a large tasting room, where a table is preset with your wines, as well as food for you to try with each glass.  DSCN6043DSCN6046DSCN6055DSCN6031DSCN5793

Next up: the lovely city of Mazara del Vallo!

Note: this blog is written in English and Spanish, and the author takes no responsibility for the quality of any other translations which may appear.

 

 

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