Things to do in Marsala
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Divino…Rosso
With outdoor tables on Marsala’s main pedestrian thoroughfare, this excellent restaurant and wine bar serves pizzas, over 150 different wines and an extensive menu of local dishes.
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Museo Archeologico Baglio Anselmi
Marsala’s finest treasure is the partially reconstructed remains of a Carthaginian liburna (warship) in the Museo Archeologico Baglio Anselmi. Sunk off the Egadi Islands during the first of the Punic Wars nearly 3000 years ago, the ship’s bare bones are the only remaining physical evidence of the Phoenicians’ seafaring superiority in the 3rd century BC. The ship resonates with history – especially if you see it after you visit the excavations on San Pantaleo – giving a glimpse of a civilisation that was extinguished by the Romans.
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Complesso Monumentale San Pietro
Housed in a beautiful restored building, the Complesso Monumentale San Pietro attracts locals and visitors alike. A former Benedictine monastery (dating from the 16th century), it has permanent exhibitions on Garibaldi, an archaeological section with an interesting fragment of a sculpture of Eros catching a ride on the back of a duck, and items from Lilibaeo's necropolis. Another area is dedicated to folk traditions.
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Marsala Cathedral
At town's heart is the elegant Piazza della Repubblica, dominated by the imposing Marsala Cathedral. Although started in 1628, the church's façade wasn't completed until 1956 (courtesy of a cash donation by a returning emigrant). The cavernous interior, divided into three aisles highlighted by tall columns, contains a number of sculptures by the Gagini brothers but little else.
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Cantine Florio
Tipplers should head to Cantine Florio on the road to Mazara del Vallo (bus 16 from Piazza del Popolo). Florio opens its doors to visitors to explain the process of making Marsala wine and to give you a taste of the goods. Pellegrino, Donnafugata, Rallo, Mavis and Intorcia are other producers in the same area. Booking is recommended; ask at the tourist office.
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Convento del Carmine
The restored Convento del Carmine is an attractive gallery. Parts of the building date from 1155, when the Carmelites first came to Marsala with Roger I's widow Adelaide. After years of neglect and a spell as a police barracks, the convent has been returned to its former glory, and is now an art gallery and a centre for civil weddings.
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Il Gallo e l’Innamorata
Warm orange walls and arched stone doorways lend an artsy, convivial atmosphere to this Slow Food–acclaimed eatery. The menu is short and sweet, featuring a few well-chosen dishes each day, including the classic scaloppine (veal cooked with marsala wine and lemon).
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Caffeteria Grand Italia
This is one of the most popular cafés in Marsala, though its customers are mainly in the 80-plus age bracket. It has a good-value tavola calda (hot table) and some mean ice creams.
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Villa Cavallotti
If you're travelling with small children, they might enjoy the Villa Cavallotti, a large park just outside Porta Nuova that has a playground and acres of space for a relaxing walk.
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Trattoria Garibaldi
This reliable trattoria, a perennial favourite of the Slow Food judges, has a pleasant traditional dining space and serves hearty Sicilian fare, with an emphasis on seafood.
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Cine Impero
On the western edge of Piazza della Vittoria is the Cine Impero, a marvellous example of Italian futurist architecture popular during the Fascist era.
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Palazzo Comunale
On the eastern side of the main square is the arcaded Palazzo Comunale, formerly known as the Palazzo Senatorio (Senatorial Palace).
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Museo degli Arazzi Fiammingi
The Museo degli Arazzi Fiammingi displays eight 16th-century Flemish tapestries woven for Spanish king Philip II.
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La Sirena Ubriaca
You can sample and buy the wine in town at several enoteche, including classy La Sirena Ubriaca.
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Market
Marsala's open-air fresh produce market is held on a square off Piazza dell'Addolorata, next to the municipal offices.
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Pasticceria di Gianfranco Vivona
One of the better places for sweets and traditional cakes. The almond biscuits are perfect for taking home.
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Enoteca Miriade di Sapori
This little enoteca offers good wines for tasting in convivial surrounds.
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Whitaker Museum
The island San Pantaleo (5km north of Marsala) was bought in 1888 by the amateur archaeologist Joseph Whitaker, who spent decades excavating and assembling the unique collection of Phoenician artefacts that now appear in the Whitaker Museum. The museum’s main treasure is Il Giovinetto di Mozia, a marble statue of a young man in a pleated robe suggesting Carthaginian influences.
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