Marsala

John Woodhouse, a Liverpool merchant, put into Marsala in 1773, tasted the local wine kept in a solera-like system, and shipped it to England fortified with spirit so it would survive the voyage; it took hold, other British firms followed, and the trade shaped the town. The old baglio warehouses along the shore still hold cellars open for visits. The archaeological museum displays a Punic warship recovered from the sea in the 1970s, one of very few ancient warships found, with its hull timbers marked by shipwrights. The town's baroque centre is compact and largely pedestrian.

History

The town, Roman Lilybaeum, is famous for Giuseppe Garibaldi's landing on 11 May 1860, the start of the Expedition of the Thousand, and for its wine; the modern name probably comes from the Arabic marsa Ali, "Ali's harbour", or marsa Allah, "God's harbour" (Wikipedia, Marsala, Sicily).

What you'll find

• The wine cellars - baglio warehouses along the shore, open for visits.
• The Punic ship - recovered hull timbers of an ancient warship.
• The baroque centre - a compact pedestrian old town.
• The fortification story - how an English merchant created the wine.

When to go

April to October; cellar visits usually need booking. Harvest is late summer. The town is quieter than Trapani and less geared to visitors.

Practical notes

Cellar tours are commercial and often require booking. Much marsala sold cheaply is cooking grade and unrepresentative. Summer heat is severe.

Nearby

Mozia lies in the lagoon north; Selinunte is southeast.

Key facts