The village of Mazara del Vallo overlooks the Mediterranean Sea, in the province of Trapani and is about 200 km from the coasts of Tunisia. What makes the village fascinating is its urban layout, since a typical Islamic neighborhood called Casbah is enclosed within the walls.
The neighborhood, of Arab origin, has many houses that recall the typical style of the time and is crossed by a fair number of small tunnels. The Casbah is inhabited by a Tunisian community that helps keep the style of the past intact, with majolica and other decorative elements on the facades of the houses.
Thanks to its geographical position, Mazara del Vallo acquired its maximum splendor in June 827, with the arrival of the Arabs who praised it for the beauty of the buildings, the economic and port prosperity and the prosperity of the gardens. With the rule of the Normans of 1072, Mazara del Vallo was enriched with churches, convents and monasteries, becoming the seat of the Bishopric in 1093.
Today the village embodies centuries of history thanks to the numerous monuments that recall the different cultures that have characterized the territory. Note the splendid Norman church of San Nicolò Regale which stands near the heart of the town, built in 1124. In the Piazza Plebiscito, the Church of Saint Ignatius and the former Jesuit college with its 24 gilded columns surmounted by imposing arches. Opposite the College, the former Church of Sant Egidio hosts a Museum dedicated to one of the most important legacies of the classical age of Greek art: the bronze statue of the dancing Satyr. Other churches that are worth a visit are the church of San Francesco, an example of Sicilian baroque, rich in polychromy and decorations, and the Church of San Vito, patron saint of the city, located on the seafront.
The main square of Mazara is Piazza della Repubblica which overlooks the Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Savior.
In addition to the Cathedral Basilica, there is also the splendid Episcopal Seminary with the Diocesan Museum inside. Smaller but no less historic is Piazza Mokarta, famous for the presence of the Norman arch, the only ruin of the castle built by Roger II.
Mazara is also one of the most important and well-known fishing ports of the Mediterranean, its cuisine among those of the region is one of the most varied, due precisely to the different influences of the peoples that have characterized its territory. The fish is the primary element of the local gastronomy and among the typical dishes of the territory stand out the pasta with sardines and couscous, an Arab dish adopted by the mazaresi and made with fish.
