Mazara del Vallo

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Mazara del Vallo
coat of arms
Mazara del Vallo (Italy)
Mazara del Vallo
Country Italy
region Sicily
Free community consortium Trapani  (TP)
Local name Mazzara
Coordinates 37 ° 39 ′  N , 12 ° 35 ′  E Coordinates: 37 ° 39 ′ 0 ″  N , 12 ° 35 ′ 0 ″  E
height 8  m slm
surface 275 km²
Residents 51,573 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density 188 inhabitants / km²
Factions Borgata Costiera
Post Code 91026
prefix 0923
ISTAT number 081012
Popular name Mazaresi
Patron saint San Vito
Website Mazara del Vallo

Mazara del Vallo is an Italian municipality in the Free Community Consortium Trapani in the autonomous region of Sicily with 51,573 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019).

Location and dates

Mazara del Vallo is 55 km south of Trapani on the west coast of Sicily. The Mazaro river flows into the Mediterranean here . The municipality covers an area of ​​275 km². The inhabitants live from agriculture, from industry (furniture production) and above all from fishing and fish processing . The largest fishing cutter fleet in Italy is located in the port.

This motorway ends here at the “Mazara del Vallo” junction of the A29 / E90 motorway. Mazara del Vallo has a rail connection to the Palermo – Trapani line . Ships to Porto Empedocle and Pantelleria run from the port .

The neighboring municipalities are Campobello di Mazara , Castelvetrano , Marsala , Petrosino and Salemi .

history

In the 5th century BC Mazara del Vallo was founded by Phoenicians and was the port of Selinunte . After the First Punic War , the Romans took over Mazara. Then the city fell into disrepair. It was only with the Arabs who conquered Mazara del Vallo in 827 that the city regained importance and became the capital of the Val di Mazara region. In 1072 the Normans took over the rule. Roger I established his seat of government here and in 1093 Mazara del Vallo became the bishopric. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Islamic city center was supplemented with baroque buildings.

Attractions

The Piazza della Repubblica forms the center of the city with baroque buildings such as the Bishop's Palace and the Cathedral, as well as a statue of San Vito .

The Cathedral of Santissimo Salvatore was built by the Normans from 1086 and renovated in the Baroque style in 1696. There are still old components in the church, such as the wall of the main altar. In 1906 the cathedral received a new facade. Inside the three-aisled, cross-shaped cathedral stands a painted wooden cross over 3 meters high, which is one of the oldest painted crosses in Sicily. There is also a marble group by Antonello Gagini in the church.

The 11th century Norman church of San Nicolò Regale has a square floor plan that is modeled on Byzantine churches. It is an example of the Arabic-Byzantine-Norman style. The interior dome is supported by four columns with ancient capitals .

The church of Santa Caterina dates from the 14th century. A side portal in the Chiaramont style has been preserved . Inside there is a statue of a saint by Antonello Gagini.

The church of San Francesco is an outstanding example of the Sicilian Baroque , especially inside with its lavish multi-colored decorations .

The Palazzo dei Cavalieri di Malta , a palace of the Knights of Malta from the 16th and 17th centuries with a wide front and richly decorated portal, now houses the town hall.

The port is the economic center of the city with a fish market and offices of the shipping companies. The Kasbah district dates back to the Arab era . Today mainly immigrants from North Africa live here.

The Museo Civico is located in a former Jesuit college from the 17th century and shows finds from Roman antiquity as well as a collection of paintings. The Museo del Satiro was set up for an ancient bronze figure of the satyr that was caught by a fisherman at the end of the 20th century. This statue represented Italy at the Expo 2005 in Japan .

  • Piazza della Repubblica

  • cathedral

  • Cathedral, marble group by Gagini

  • Statue of San Vito

  • San Nicolò shelves

  • In the Chiesa di San Francesco

  • Former Jesuit college

  • Dancing satyr

Community partnerships

people

  • San Vito (297–304), patron saint of the city and one of the patron saints of Sicily
  • Pietro Consagra (1920–2005), sculptor, representative of abstract art
  • Vito Rallo (* 1953), Archbishop and Vatican diplomat

Web links

Commons : Mazara del Vallo  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Statistiche demografiche ISTAT. Monthly population statistics of the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica , as of December 31 of 2019.