A sense of excitement filled me, as I left the hotel to begin the second day of exploring this wonderful city!  I wanted to make sure that I saw it all — every alleyway, every small tile that decorated the various walls that I passed, or the roads that I walked along.   If I could help it, I wouldn’t miss a thing!Every so often, we would pass a building with a hook hanging from one of the upper story windows.  These are quite functional, really.  They are used to tie bags to, which can then be raised or lowered, depending on what the person is trying to do.  I saw some people leave their garbage hanging on these hooks to be collected by the city, while others used it to raise groceries up to their home, a much better solution that carrying them up flights of stairs!Built in the first part of the 12th century, the Church of San Nicolo Regale has an interesting exterior, in the fact that it looks more like a fort, or a defensive structure, rather than the church that it is.The main church of Mazara del Vallo is the Cathedral of San Salvatore.  The church dates back to the 11th century, but was drastically rebuilt in the late 17th century.  So, very little remains of the ancient structure.  Another reason that Mazara del Vallo should be on every tourist’s list of places to visit is to see the amazing statue, the Satiro Danzante.  This is an ancient statue that was pulled from the sea by a fisherman in March of 1998.  The piece was cleaned and a museum was built to house it.  I found it to be strikingly beautiful!  It is a MUST-SEE!

Next up:  we continue to explore the amazing 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.