Mazara del Vallo
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Map showing the location of Mazara del Vallo, Italy |
Mazara del Vallo is a town in South-Western
Sicily,
Italy, which lies mainly on the left bank at the mouth of the
Mazaro river, administratively part of the
province of Trapani.
It is an
agricultural and
fishing centre and its
port gives shelter to the largest fishing fleet in
Italy.
Ancient town
Mazara was founded by the
Phoenicians in the 9th century BC, with the name of
Mazar (the
Rock). It then passed under the control of
Greeks,
Carthaginians,
Romans,
Byzantines, before being occupied by the
Arabs in the year
827. During the
Arab period,
Sicily was divided into three different administrative regions,
Val di Noto,
Val Demone and
Val di Mazara, making the city an important commercial harbour and centre of learning. Nowadays, the city centre, known as the
Kasbah, is reminiscent of that period, probably the most prosperous in the history of Mazara.
In the year
1072, Mazara was conquered by the
Normans, headed by
Roger I. During that period - in
1093, the
Diocese of Mazara, one of the oldest in Europe, was instituted.
After the death of Emperor
Frederick II, Sicily passed to the
Angevins, then followed by the
Spaniards of
Aragon. The Aragon period (
1282-
1409) is characterized by a political, economic and demographic decline of Mazara. The city passed under the control of the
Savoy crown in
1713, a reign which lasted only five years, being replaced by the
Austrians (for 16 years) followed by the
Bourbons. In
1860 the city was finally conquered by
Giuseppe Garibaldi and the
Mille, thus joining the
Kingdom of Sardinia.
Today
Today Mazara is widely considered to be one of the most important fishing centres of Italy; tussles about fishing rights, especially with the North-African countries, figure large in the town's recent history, boat sequestrations being a common event. Currently the fishing business in the city seems to be withering, mainly because of the increasing lack of people willing to work on boats.
The city was known as
Mazzara del Vallo until the
World War II period, following which the spelling was changed to
Mazara del Vallo.
Mazara del Vallo is among the Italian cities with the highest percentages of
immigrants; it is estimated that the city hosts at least 3,500 registered immigrants, mainly from nearby
Tunisia but also the other countries of the
Maghreb. They tend to live principally around the old Arab city centre (the
Casbah). There exists a local school, managed by the
Tunisian government, at which only
Arabic and
French are taught as languages. This has led to some controversy. It must be noted that most of the local schools show openness to
Arab culture, even providing Arabic language classes for both Italians and Arabs, and encouraging integration with the autochthonous students. The local
city council also provides a seat reserved for a representative of Mazara's immigrant community.
Mazara made national news in March
1998, when a
bronze statue called the
Dancing Satyr (
Satiro Danzante) was found off the port, at a depth of 500 meters in the
Strait of Sicily by a local fishing boat. The statue is believed to have been sculpted by
Greek artist
Praxiteles and is now on display to the public in a dedicated museum in the city, after having been on show at the
Chamber of Deputies of
Rome, and in
Aichi,
Japan. After this event, the city quickly gained in terms of visiting tourists and a national advertising campaign was mounted with the slogan
Mazara del Satiro.
Pietro Consagra, a famous
artist, was a native of Mazara.
Mazara del Vallo is connected to the rest of Sicily by a regional
train service (run by
Trenitalia), private
bus service, and by
car, via the A29
highway (also known as
Palermo-Mazara del Vallo). It is also easily reachable from the nearby
airports of
Trapani and
Palermo.
During the summer period, Mazara is also connected via
ferry to
Pantelleria. A new ferry route connecting Mazara to
Hammamet, Tunisia, is scheduled to start this summer.
*
Santa Pola,
Spain*
History of the city of Mazara del Vallo*
History of the local Diocese*
Article about the immigration issue in Mazara del Vallo*
Cerchiamo Denise
